LEARNING ACTIVITY NO.

Definitions and Meaning of Key Concepts in Curriculum

Meaning of Education

What is Education?
As a student, you will need to reflect on the meaning and functions of education, to
understand, and prepare yourself to fully comprehend the concept of curriculum, its
development and implementation, and thus carry out your future role as an educator
effectively. Education has been described differently by different people. One way of
viewing education is that it is a process of acquiring the desirable knowledge, skills and
attitudes to fit well in society and become a useful member of that society. The term
education means “to draw out”, i.e. facilitating realization of self-potential and latent
talents of an individual. The teacher thus uses “curriculum” to bring out the best out of
the learners.

What then are the function of education?

Function of Education
Education has a variety of functions including the following:
 Intellectual function. This is to enable men awaken in and have a taste of
knowledge. It is also to develop intellectual powers of learners.
 Productive function i.e. provide individuals with knowledge, skills and attitudes
that could be used for economic activities in a society. Vocational training
contributes to this function.
 Social function. In this context, education is considered as a process of
preserving and transmission of cultural heritage. Beside education helps learners
acquire skills for interpersonal
 Education is also a means of individual development. It therefore serves a
personal function.

Meaning of Curriculum
The term ‘curriculum’ originated from the Greek word “curere” meaning to “run a
course”. It therefore represents a course of subjects covered by learners in their race
towards a certain educational goal or target. Curriculum definitions have developed
along a continuum from narrow to broad ones. There is also a myriad of curriculum
definitions by different scholars.

Narrow definitions see curriculum as a plan, program, course of study or a package

that can bring about learning.

Broad definitions on the other hand see curriculum as a process. The process
includes the thinking behind coming up with a ‘package’ and the continuous effort of
making it serve the needs of society. It includes values, attitudes, and experiences of
students inside and outside the school.

Elements/components of a curriculum: A curriculum generally is expected to consist

of the following elements:
 Aims, goals and objectives
 Subject content / learning experiences
 Methods / strategies of delivery / learning activities
 Organization of learning Experiences

Activity No. 1

Research and discuss one curriculum definition that you could adopt in curriculum
planning. Justify your choice of the definition. Use only 100 words in your discussion.

Scope of Curriculum Studies

Curriculum studies incorporate a variety of issues and processes including:
 Curriculum theory
 Curriculum planning
 Curriculum design
 Curriculum development
 Curriculum implementation
 Curriculum evaluation
Each of these terms is hereby explained briefly:

Curriculum Theory
What is curriculum theory?
Curriculum theory refers to a set of related statements that give meaning to school
curriculum; by pointing out the relationships among its elements and by directing its
development, its use and its evaluation. It gives justification for practices in curriculum.
According to Urevbu (1990), a curriculum theory should provide a practical guidance as
to:
 “What to teach”
 “Who is taught”
 Who should control its selection and distribution, and
 Who gets taught what?
In other words, it is a way of seeing ‘things’ or guiding principles for curriculum.

Functions of Curriculum Theory

What then are functions of a theory? Most philosophers of science argue that theory
has 3 legitimate purposes:
 To describe
 To Explain
 To predict
Thus, a curriculum theory provides educators with a critical perspective about the
society and its schools. Hence, they describe and explain from a critical perspective.
Curriculum theory is therefore important for planning curriculum. It helps in guiding the
planning process and ultimate curriculum development. The theory used is reflected in
the product i.e. the final curriculum.

Curriculum Planning
This can be viewed as the process of gathering, selecting, balancing and synthesizing
relevant information from many sources in order to design those experiences that will
assist the learner attain the goals of education (Glen, Hass, 1980). Curriculum planning
is therefore the thinking or conception stage of the curriculum development process.
Thus, it deals with seeking key answers to crucial questions such as:
 What should be taught?
 How should it be taught?
 To what segment of the population and
 What should be the relationship between the various components of the
curriculum?

Curriculum Design
This refers to the structure or pattern of organization of the curriculum (Doll, 1992).

Curriculum Development
Curriculum development is the term under which all processes and activities of the
school curriculum are subscribed. It is thus a continuing process of evolution and
planning of curriculum.

Curriculum implementation is putting into effect what has been planned. It is thus the
process of ensuring that the new curriculum and curriculum materials are made
available to all the schools and institutions targeted by the curriculum development
project.

Curriculum Evaluation
This is the process of checking the extent to which the curriculum objectives have been
achieved.

Curriculum as a field of study and as a program of instruction

Curriculum can be viewed either as a field of study or as a program of instruction. As a
field of study, curriculum is designed to improve and advance knowledge about
curricula, their development and use. As a discipline for study, the area has enough
knowledge content which can be passed on through instruction and which grows
through research. On the other hand, curriculum as a program of instruction
incorporates a program of school work, dealing with all experiences of the learner, i.e.
all that which is planned and provided for the learners for their education. This includes
the syllabi and the courses of study, among others.

Educational, Aims, Goals and Objectives

Aims, goals and objectives are crucial in the curriculum development process.
Educational aims
Aims serve a visionary function in curriculum; a rallying point for all curriculum activities.
Aims also have a global quality and a broad framework. They help in guiding and
directing educational planning. They also establish the philosophy on which curriculum
is based and express the values expected. Thus, aims constitute the first stage of
curriculum planning. There are four dimensions of aims:

1. Intellectual – Focus on development of intellect.

2. Social – Deal with interpersonal relationships.
3. Personal – Dealing with self-development.
4. Productive – Address economic aspects of the society, both micro and
macroeconomics.

Goals
These constitute a more specific application of aims, so goals provide destination.
Goals have an end in mind so that particular purposes can be achieved. Goals indicate
what is expected to be accomplished from particular effort. For instance from a
program, course, subject, application of resources, amount of time allocated to a
particular curriculum task etc.

Objectives
Definition: Statement of performance to be demonstrated; derived from instructional
goal and stated in measurable and observable terms. Objectives provide more specific
guidance in making decisions on various aspects of the curriculum. Objectives are thus
written using measurable and observable terms.

Why do we need objectives?

 They guide decisions about selection of content and learning experiences.
 They clarify what skills and abilities are to be developed at what levels.
 They enable the teacher to communicate with students what they need to
achieve; and make accountability and evaluation easier.

Writing behavioral objectives

A behavioral objective should indicate:
 Behavior expected (action verbs!)
 Conditions under which student behavior is to be demonstrated
 Degree of mastery.
In writing objectives, we should consider the various Domains of learning, proposed by
Benjamin Bloom et al. The Domains of learning are:
 Cognitive Domain – Focused on Intellectual Dimension
 Affective Domain – Includes emotions, attitudes and feelings
 Psycho-motor Domain – Physical aspects of learning.
Benjamin Bloom went further and offered a detailed classification of objectives in the
cognitive domain. The Taxonomic levels are: knowledge, comprehension, application,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation. As we plan curricula, we need to incorporate the
various levels of learning, from the lowest level of knowledge, to the higher levels of
evaluation.

Sources of Educational Objectives

Generally, there are three main sources of objectives: the learners, society and subject
matter. Let’s examine each in turn.

Learners as sources of Objectives

In formulating goals and objectives, curriculum planners are concerned principally with
the needs of learners as members of society. Also important are their interests, and
aspirations as well as their potential. Learners needs can be categorized into the
following:
 Physical Needs
 Social Needs
 Psychological Needs
Let us describe each of those needs briefly.

Physical Needs
Curriculum developers should ask themselves what the physical needs of students are
as members of the human community. Examples of universal human needs include
food, clothing, shelter and good health, among others. Generally, all students have the
same physical needs globally. To meet students’ physical needs therefore means that
educational objectives should be formulated specifically to cater for areas of knowledge,
skills and attitudes that will help meet those needs.

Sociological Needs
All students possess sociological needs which schools must strive to satisfy. These
include affection from home, school and peers; acceptance, belonging, success,
security, status and respect. Social needs of students must therefore form one of the
basis for formulating educational objectives.

Psychological Needs
The psychological aspects of learners’ e.g. emotional needs, should be taken into
consideration in deriving educational objectives. Of special importance are needs of
those who are in special circumstances, those with disabilities such as mental, specially
gifted children, emotionally disturbed, and retarded children. Curriculum must address
these situations for all children to benefit from education.

How to identify needs

The process of identifying learners’ needs is no mean task. This is due to the diversity
of needs for specific individuals, groups of students from various socioeconomic
backgrounds and various age groups. It may not be possible to study all aspects of
student’s needs. However, some suggestions are made to facilitate the investigation of
the needs. The students’ needs should be broken into levels. For instance, the needs of
primary schools children, secondary and tertiary education students. This categorization
can be followed by splitting the learners into various age groups. Information about the
needs of learners can be obtained by using the following methods among others.
1. Social investigation approach can be used – this may involve teachers
observations;
2. Student interviews can be very helpful in providing the required data on students’
needs and interests, and their expectations of what to expect from school;
3. Parent interviews can also be used to provide further information about their
children;
4. Questionnaires could be used to provide useful information on some aspects
which interviews could not provide.
5. Tests and school records will throw light on skills and knowledge of various
students in schools.
You have now completed examining learners as a source of educational objectives. Let
us now examine society as a source. Why do you think society should be considered as
a source of objectives? Society is a crucial source of educational objective for a variety
of reasons:
 First the school is supposed to prepare the youth for life in society. Hence the
school curriculum should reflect what goes on in society. E.g. cultural aspects of
society should be incorporated.
 Secondly, society provides support for education, e.g. in funding resources etc.
and should therefore be consulted in curriculum planning.
 Thirdly, education should address the myriad of problems and cultural issues in
society such as unemployment, health issues such as HIV/Aids, and other vices
such as corruption. Think of at least three (3) other issues from society that need
consideration in objective setting; and write them down and explain briefly in
about 50 words.

Subject specialists/subject matter

Who are subject specialists? These are experienced teachers and educators with
adequate experience to be involved with curriculum making. Subject specialist are
crucial in the process of objectives setting. This is because they are the “custodians” of
knowledge. Text books are written by subject specialists among other reasons. Their
contribution is therefore vital for curriculum objectives.

Dimensions of Curriculum
There are many dimensions of curriculum; including formal (or expressed), informal (or
hidden) and non-formal: among others. We shall briefly highlight what each of these
curriculum dimensions represents.

Formal dimension is generally considered as the written document that specifies what
is to be taught and how it will be taught and evaluated. The formal curriculum therefore
includes the aims, goals and objectives, learning content, delivery strategies and
methods of evaluation. It is the course of study or syllabus. This is the curriculum
dimension that is “planned for” or the predetermined part of the curriculum.
Non-formal curriculum – This refers to learning planned outside the formal learning
system. For example, learning taking place through students with similar interests
coming together and exchanging viewpoints, e.g. in clubs, youth organizations or
workshops; or even in various games.

Hidden Curriculum consists of indirect messages received by learners from the

physical, social and intellectual environments of the school. It includes norms and
values of the surrounding society. These are stronger and more durable than the formal
curriculum and may be in conflict with it. This is something that is not explicitly taught
but it is part of what molds the school environment, and consequently the learner.

Informal Curriculum, Sometimes referred to as hidden curriculum includes those

activities that happen that are not designed, planned or formally accepted by the school.
Informal learning occurs through the experience of day-to-day situations. It is learning
from life, during say play, exploring, during a meal at table etc.

Null curriculum consists of what is not taught in the school set-up. This may give
students the impression that these elements are not important in their educational
experiences or in the society. The education system may use a combination of formal,
informal and non-formal curricula and learning approaches. In some schools students
can get points that count in the formal – learning systems through working in informal –
learning set-ups or circuits.

Summary

In this lesson, we have examined the meaning of various terms used in curriculum
studies. For example, education was described as the process of acquiring and
developing desired knowledge, skills and attitudes. We also noted that the term
curriculum, as with many other terms in the field, has a variety of definitions by different
scholars. One common definition mentioned was “Curriculum as a course of study”. The
scope of the field of curriculum was presented as including curriculum theory, planning,
design, development, implementation and evaluation. Aims, goals and objectives were
also discussed with aims considered as serving a visionary function for education while
objectives were the most specific. Sources of objectives include learners themselves,
society and subject specialists. How to write good objectives in measurable and
observable terms was emphasized. Finally, dimensions of curriculum were presented
including formal, non-formal and informal.

Activities

1. Research and discuss one curriculum definition that you could adopt in
curriculum planning. Justify your choice of the definition. Use only 100 words in
your discussion.
 2. To what extent do you think all the sources of information discussed above for
curriculum objectives are used in the country? You can include as part of your
discussion your experiences as a teacher.
3. Identify and discuss three challenges/difficulties e.g. resources, that affect the
emphasis on considering learners needs in curriculum?
4. Examine five goals of education in the Philippines and identify the major student
needs e.g. health, social relationship, vocational etc. that are addressed in each
goal. Discuss each goal in about 50 words.

Note:
1. All answers should be encoded
2. Use short bond paper
3. Font size – 14
4. Font Style – Arial or Times New Roman
5. Margin (Left 1.5, 1 for the rest of the sides)
6. May be submitted any time within the semester at this email address:
[email protected]