UNIT 1: CURRICULUM PLANNING

When we think about teaching we should talk about curriculum and for
this we need to know the definition of the word and it is defined by John Kerr
as all the learning which is planned and guided by the school, whether it is
carried on in groups or individually, inside or outside the school. The career
of teaching implies very important aspects, but the main one is working on
curricula if we want our students to reach the learning process in the best
way, and to accomplish it, we must take into account so many aspects but
some of them are the importance of knowing our students, writing accurate
objectives and also planning the class.
The only way to get familiar with the students is by knowing them. If
we know their likes and dislikes, their strength and their weakness, we can
use it to help them understand what is difficult to them and also to get profit
of subjects that are not a problem to them. Another aspect is being informed
of the environment in which they live. This is something that not every
teacher takes into consideration, but it is essential. For instance, when we
are planning the homework that we are going to assign them, we should
think if the students are going to be able to do it or not, if they can get the
materials, the sources and even the technological equipment if they will
need it. Although this is not directly related with the development of
curricula, I personally believe that if we as teachers know our students the
most, the results are going to be better than the ones that well get if we just
teach.
By the moment in which we start at planning the lesson, the first step
to do is writing the objectives, and to do this in the right way, we need to
study very well which is exactly the objective that we need according to the
method, the topic and the goal that we want the students to accomplish. The
objectives are classified into learning outcomes and the learning outcomes
are divided into three categories, cognitive, psychomotor and affective. The
cognitive includes the objectives related to knowledge, which are the most
commonly used by teachers, and useful tool to apply to use these objectives
is the Blooms Taxonomy which is a method of classification on differing
levels of higher order thinking, and it classifies the process of learning in six
levels, for example some verbs to use in the objective if we want the student
to apply something are make and use. The psychomotor includes objectives
that require basic motor skills and/or physical movement such as construct.
Finally, the affective domain includes objectives pertaining to attitudes,
appreciations, values and emotions.

In fact being a teacher implies analyzing everything specially related

with curricula. If we pay special attention to the tasks when we are planning
even though all the time that we need to expend to work in that, such as
warm up, objectives, activities, vocabulary, materials, skills, strategies and
assessment, we can be almost sure that we will get good results. However
these results not only depend on our work when planning and when teaching
the class, because the students are the ones who decides if they learn or not,
and to achieve this we need to get their interest which is very important and
we can do it by applying the warm up in the right way.
As a conclusion, all the subjects related with curriculum development
are going to be in our everyday as future professionals in teaching. Thats
why it is very important for us to involve with the issues related with the
teaching career since we are going to be dealing with objectives, students,
and lesson plans.

UNIT II: CURRICULUM HISTORYIN THE PHILIPPINES

The K-12 Education program by theDepartment of Education,said to
refurbishthe basic and secondary education curriculum by adding two more
years to the system,is arguably one of the most drastic and controversial
programs of the Aquinoadministration.The intention is good but the proposed
solution is questionable. Will it yield thedesired outcome or just result to a
greater problem?The Department of Education claims that K-12 will solve the
annual growingnumber of out-of-school youth.This sounds good but does it
really address the problem concerning the countrys out-of-school youth. My
question is how?when in fact students and parents complainthat it would be
an added burden to them particularly to the poor families. It is human
natureto prioritize physiologic needs before anything else. This in return
might just result to ahigher drop-out rate.There should be a proper care for
this marginalized, deprived and delinquentsfraction of the population and
K12 is just not it.They also said that K-12 will address low achievement
scores and poor academic performance of elementary and high school
students and those enoughresources to implement this is available.DepEd
should focus more on quality before quantity. What the poor

performingstudents direly needs is for the development and establishment of

a quality educationsystem that caters to their needs. Making Philippine
education longer does notguarantee quality education.Budget deficit is still
one of the foremost problems of our country but if they claimthat resources
are at hand, then why not allocate this to a more prominent and
directproblem of our education. Among the main issues that relates to this
are the number of schools and classrooms, the number of teachers, and even
the availability of books andother school supplies.The predicament of the
Philippine education system rooted not on the number of years spent in the
academic institutions but rather on the conditions and foundation onwhich it
keeps going.

UNIT III: CURRICULUM THEORIZING

To say that curriculum theory has a normative role has two meanings.
One refers to the rules (or norms) guiding curricular design and practice and
the other to the fact that education always implies some moral values about
the good person and the "good society" - in other words what are we
educating for? In this presentation I am primarily concerned here with the
former meaning of "normative." It refers to the implications of our analyses
for what a "better curriculum" should involve. What is clear to me is that a
normative view of curriculum theory becomes a form of technicism - telling
teachers what to do - if it is separated from its critical role.
Likewise, it is difficult to see the purpose of a critical role for curriculum
theory that is detached from any normative implications - critiques cannot be
ends in themselves. In my country, the government is making big changes in
the school curriculum - it is disturbing that the voice of curriculum theory is
heard very little.
A glance at the history of the curriculum field suggests that critical and
normative goals have been sharply separated to the detriment of both. For
example, those who prescribe models for "better" curricula rarely engage
with critical analyses, which might force them to examine their assumptions.
They assume that no one would seriously disagree with their prescriptions,
whether they emphasize outcomes, objectives, competences, or functional
skills. The assumptions underpinning such curriculum models are not seen as
needing evidence or arguments to support them - they are taken for granted
like people in the past treated Euclid's axioms; it is assumed that everything
would collapse if they are not true. My view is that if outcomes or

competences or more broadly assessment drives the curriculum, it will be

unable to provide access to knowledge; knowledge is about being able to
envisage alternatives whether in literature or chemistry; it can never be
outcomes, skills or assessments led.
UNIT IV: CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE
Curriculum Development is defined as the process of selecting,
organizing, executing, and evaluating learning experiences on the basis of
the needs, abilities, and interests of learners and the nature of the society or
community.Curriculum development in the Philippines touched on the
religion, political, economic and social influences and events that took place
in the country.Issues and concerns abound in almost every aspect of the
Philippine curriculum development and implementation process and at every
bureaucratic level.For the nationwide implementation of the present school
curriculum, there has been massive training of schoolteachers and
orientation of school heads and supervisors. However, the national-level
training of trainers programme was watered down at the regional and
division levels and this affected the school implementation.
I can compare curriculum to life itself and this is one of the best truths I
learned. We are made to function. We are made to work. Every day is a
challenge a constant reminder that it is through experiences that we learn.
The curriculum is like our experiences. Experiences mold us into learning
more about life. How we should act, how we should speak, and how we
should respond to a certain stimulus is dictated by what we learned from our
personal encounters with similar situations.
Through these learning
experiences, we survive.
In the school setting, the curriculum lets the students fulfill their most
important educational needs which are the experiences. Subjects, I realized,
are just the fronts of a much more important hidden curriculum. English,
for example, teaches literature inside the classroom, but through literature,
values are empowered and imagination is nurtured. In Math, operations are
taught inside the classroom, but the learning behind it is a clear way to
survive in this world in simple situations as to when you buy the things that
you need, when you need to know the time or when you ride a jeepney going
places. Curriculum, therefore, is a preparation to the big life after school.
The ideal teacher of the curriculum is not the authoritarian instructor
but the trustworthy facilitator or manager of the learning process. She
enables the learners to become active constructors of meaning and not

passive recipients of information.The ideal teaching learning process is

interactive where the learners, the teachers, instructional materials and
information technology interact with one another reciprocally.

UNIT V: CURRICULUM PLANNING IN ACTION

In order for planning to be effective, the school plan must address the
schools needs as articulated by the teachers and their school partners.
School Development Planning works on developing an awareness of these
needs, not only in terms of managing the local world of the school but also in
terms of the wider needs of the students as members of society.Curriculum
planning within a whole-school context addresses those challenges by
offering opportunities for teachers to: collaborate engage in debate and
reflection become empowered as educators.
There are many ways of setting about curriculum planning. Each school
will decide on the approach that is best suited to its own particular needs
and circumstances. In the Early Action Planning Model, the first priority is to
identify issues of concern and to develop plans to address them. Matters
relating to values, aims, policies and procedures are dealt with as they arise

in the course of the planning cycle (review, design, implementation,

evaluation) and not in accordance with a pre-ordained sequence. This
approach ensures that planning is seen to focus on evident needs and to
involve action. The early achievement of relevant targets strengthens
commitment to the collaborative process and supports the development of
more complex planning structures. In this model, curriculum planning begins
with a review (either by the whole staff or by curriculum, programme or
subject teams) and proceeds to the development of action plans to address
immediate concerns. In the context of this unit, a subject department
following this route would review the current situation with regard to their
subject, identify immediate needs (such as the need to prepare for the
introduction of a new syllabus), and develop plans to address them.

UNIT VI: CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION UNIT

When implementing a new curriculum, there are a host of factors that
must be considered; it is only by doing this that one can be certain the
implementation is successful. Most important is that a long-term plan be in
place that coincides with the organization's philosophy of education. Without
a long-term plan, instructors and administrators alike will find themselves
floundering as they try to determine what is to come next, losing the purpose
of education. A long-term plan will lay out the course that the curriculum
implementation is to follow; removing any questions or concerns before any
type of action even takes place. This plan needs to reflect the strategic plan
for the school and the district as a whole, because failure to include this
connection will result in a increased student sense of isolation between
immediate and future lessons in the classroom, especially as the education
process evolves.
Several physical elements must also be in place when implementing a
new curriculum. There needs to be a clearly-defined leader or leadership
team, with clearly-defined roles for all members when using the latter.
Whether this is the individual classroom teacher, teachers throughout an
entire grade, or a school administrator, this leader is responsible for the
forward progress of the implementation process. Necessary resources need
to be at the ready; the implementation of a curriculum should not be slowed
because instructional materials have not been received from the publisher or
supplier. Finally, concrete communication with parents, guardians, families,

and the community needs to be included as well. Whether this is done

through routine written communication, educational conferences, or a public
forum where the new curriculum is presented, it is imperative to include
these outside members in the overall plan, as their support is necessary to
any long-term success.

UNIT VII: CURRICULUM EVALUATION

The term evaluation generally applies to the process of making a
value judgment. In education, the term evaluation is used in reference to
operations associated with curricula, programs, interventions, methods of
teaching and organizational factors. Curriculum evaluation aims to examine
the impact of implemented curriculum on student (learning) achievement so
that the official curriculum can be revised if necessary and to review
teaching and learning processes in the classroom. It establishes specific
strengths and weaknesses of a curriculum and its implementation; critical
information for strategic changes and policy decisions; inputs needed for
improved learning and teaching; and indicators for monitoring.
Curriculum evaluation may be an internal activity and process
conducted by the various units within the education system for their own
respective purposes. These units may include national Ministries of
Education, regional education authorities, institutional supervision and
reporting systems, departments of education, schools and communities.
Curriculum evaluation may also be external or commissioned review
processes. These may be undertaken regularly by special committees or task
forces on the curriculum, or they may be research-based studies on the state
and effectiveness of various aspects of the curriculum and its
implementation. These processes might examine, for example, the
effectiveness of curriculum content, existing pedagogies and instructional
approaches, teacher training and textbooks and instructional materials.
The ultimate goal of curriculum evaluation is to ensure that the
curriculum is effective in promoting improved quality of student learning.
Student assessment therefore connotes assessment of student learning.
Assessment of student learning has always been a powerful influence on how
and what teachers teach and is thus an important source of feedback on the
appropriateness implementation of curriculum content.

Fulfilling the diverse objectives of diagnosis, certification and

accountability requires different kinds of assessment instruments and
strategies selected to achieve specific purposes. Assessment of student
learning could be summative or formative, and there are various types of
tests to address different needs such as standardized tests, performancebased tests, ability tests, aptitude tests and intelligence tests.
Curriculum evaluation is a necessary and important aspect of any
national education system. It provides the basis for curriculum policy
decisions, for feedback on continuous curriculum adjustments and processes
of curriculum implementation.

UNIT VIII: POLITICS AND CURRICULUM DECISION-MAKING

Curriculum may be defined by the philosophy or perspective we hold
regarding learning and teaching. For some it is the practices we use and for
others it is the content. For students with developmental disabilities it may
take on the form of functional activities where the focus is to teach only
those tasks the student needs in order to be successful in present and future
environments.
Fitting an individual education plan into the larger general curriculum
may pose many challenges and questions. First of all, people involved have
to agree on the definition of curriculum. For many, the word curriculum

conjures up visions of lesson plans or instructional units, textbooks, and

related materials. General classroom teachers not only have standards,
benchmarks, and increasing amounts of skills and concepts to cover, but are
also asked to provide instructional time for diverse learners.
Special
educators perceive the standards as competing priorities and know that
theres only so much time in a students day to teach the most important
things. The decisions regarding teaching functional skills in lieu of more
abstract academic material are difficult.
Effective curriculum planning and decision making process is key to the
success of educational programs. The problem with centralized educational
systems is that, at the curriculum planning level, the system does not have
sufficient data about the needs of the learner, teachers, and the expectations
of the society at large for effective curriculum planning to take place. At the
implementation level, the system does not give teachers the needed
flexibility to implement the curriculum.

UNIT IX: CURRICULUM PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE

Curriculum is currently changing as we pass through this age of
transition. The aspect of educational life that is reflective of society is being
asked to catch up with what is current. The aspect of education that is a
driver of society is being drawn along by representatives through the use of
standards and high-stakes testing. As this happens, the curriculum, the
structure of schooling, and the role of the teacher goes through a process of
change.
As always, students will need to gain the ability to think, to use
knowledge they have acquired to solve problems, and to attain a level of
wisdom appropriate for their maturity. Although memorizing the
multiplication tables will likely never go out of style, the emphasis of
curriculum will move away from factual knowledge to conceptual
understanding and to skills needed to locate and use knowledge for any
variety of purposes.
In the future the teacher may lose much of the student management
aspect of the job, at least in the way we currently view it. Students will not
be limited by age or geographical location to learning opportunities; instead
they will likely be engaged in small fluid learning groups organized around

specific educational needs or interests. The learning experiences that best

match their group will be available through the use of technology, a
technology that will seem as invisible as a pencil is today, it will simply be a
tool of learning.