Philosophical Foundation of curriculum

Philosophical Foundation of curriculum

2. Foundation of curriculum
There are three major foundation of curriculums
 Philosophical
 Psychological
 Sociological
Philosophical Foundation of curriculum
a. Philosophy provides educators, especially curriculum workers, with a framework or
frameworks for organizing school and class rooms.
b. Philosophy also provides a basis for deciding which textbooks to use, how to use them and
how much homework to assign, how to test students and use the test results and what
courses or subject matter to emphasize.
Major Educational Philosophies

Perennialism
Perennialism is based on the philosophies of Plato Aristotle, and St Thomas Aquinas.
The most conservative, traditional or flexible philosophy.
The ideas are relevant, and meaningful.
Perennialism teaches concepts and focuses on knowledge and the meaning of knowledge.
Aimed at teaching students ways of thinking that will secure individual freedoms, human rights,
and responsibilities through the nature.

3. Aims


1) Aims to develop student’s intellectual and moral qualities.
2) They emphasize that students should not be taught information that may soon be outdated
or found to be incorrect.
3) Classrooms are centered on teachers.
4) It ensures that students acquire understandings about the great ideas of Western
civilization.
5) Perennialism teaches concepts and focuses on knowledge and the meaning of knowledge.
6) Aimed at teaching students ways of thinking that will secure individual freedoms, human
rights, and responsibilities through the nature.

4. Focus On
Curriculum
Sample
Classroom
Activity
Role of Teacher
Goals for
Students
Educational
Leaders
-Universal and
unchanging truth.

-To espouse
personal
development and
internal
transformation.

-To search and
disseminate the
subjects based
on the universal
and immutable
truth.
-History, Science,
language,
Mathematics,
religion.
Indoor
- Experiment
(Science)
- Instill respect
for authority,
perseverance,
duty,
consideration,
and practicality.

- Act as the
director and
coach of intellect
respondent.

- Must deliver
clear lectures.

- Coaching in
critical thinking
skills.
- Train the
student’s intellect
and moral
development.

- Able to
discipline
themselves.

- Will gain the
ability to develop
a full “range of
rational powers.”
- Robert
Maynard
Hutchins

- Mortimer J.
Adler

- Jacques
Maritain


CURRICULUM
1) Focuses on attaining cultural literacy, stressing students’ growth in enduring disciplines.
2) They recommend that students learn from reading and analyzing the works by history’s
finest thinkers and writers.
3) (Perennialists think it is important that individuals think deeply, analytically, flexibly and
imaginatively.)
4) Perennialists believe that reading is to be supplemented with mutual investigations
(between the teacher and the student) and minimally directed discussions through the
Socratic Method in order to develop a historically oriented understanding of concepts.
5) A skilled teacher would keep discussions on topic and correct errors in reasoning, but
it would be the class, not the teacher, who would reach the conclusions.

5. Essentialism
 Essentialism asserts that certain basic ideas, skills and body of the knowledge are
essential to human culture and civilization.
 Essentialism is also known as basic education.
 A Curriculum that takes students interests or social issues into account is regarded as
wasteful.
 Students should learn from fundamental of education. E.g. basic theory and basic subjects
etc.
 Students should teach sensible and wise subjects such philosophy, science, and other
subjects related to the great books.
 Emphasize on teachers authority in the classroom.

6. Progressivism

 Individuality progress and change are fundamental to student’s education.
 Education focus on the whole child.
 Education should be the process of ongoing growth.
 Provide a place for students to actively learn, solve problems and participate in hands on
activities.
 Students are active learners who test ideas by experimentation.
 Curriculum should focus on students need, interests, experiences and ability of learners.
 Teachers should plan lessons that provoke curiosity.

7. Research Hypothesis
Question
Hypothes is ture
Methods (Scientific Methods)











Reconstructionism
Reconstructionist educators focus on a curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim
of education.
The social philosophy







 Curriculum must be transformed in keeping with a new social economic political
education.
 Society is always changing and the curriculum has to change. A curriculum based on
social issues and services is ideal.
Ask a Question
Test with experiment
Hypothesis is false
Analyze your result
Report your result
Think
about
it
Reconstruction of
society
Social reform
Main focus