1. Explain how the following four foundation influence our Curriculum Development.

a. Philosophical b. Historical c. Social d. Psychological

The Influence of Philosophy to Curriculum

Education Philosophy and Rationale, every instructor or a teacher has a certain ideology
that he or she follows throughout the teaching careers which underpins everything. Philosophy
provides the starting point in curriculum development as it reflects on the total needs of the
children, environment, schools and the society. It is the reflection of the totality of the human
socio-economic needs that inspire the contents of curriculum. From this, philosophy becomes the
source of the development of curriculum. Philosophy is an important foundation of curriculum
because the philosophy advocated or reflected by a particular school and its officials influences
its goals or aims and content, as well as the organization of its curriculum. Studying philosophy
helps us deal with our own personal systems of beliefs and values: The way we perceive the
world around us, and how we define what is important to us. It helps us understand who we are,
why we are, and, to some extent, where we are going. Philosophy deals with the larger aspects of
life, the problems and prospects of living, and the way we organize our thoughts and facts. Thus
it involves decision and acting on these decisions. Philosophy and Curriculum In connection to
curriculum, philosophy provides educators, especially curriculum workers, with a framework or
base for organizing schools and classrooms. It helps them answer what school are for, what
subjects are of value, how students learn, and what methods and materials to use. Educators,
curriculum makers and teachers must have espoused a philosophy or philosophies that are
deemed necessary for planning, implementing, and evaluating a school curriculum. The
philosophy that they have embraced will help them define the purpose of the school, the
important subjects to be taught, the kind of learning students must have and how they can
acquire them, the instructional materials, methods and strategies to be used, and how students
will be evaluated. Likewise, philosophy offers solutions to problems by helping the
administrators, curriculum planners, and teachers make sound decisions. Those who are
responsible for curricular decisions, therefore, should be clear about what they believe. If we are
unclear or confused about our own beliefs, then our curricular plans are bound to be unclear and
confusing. Philosophy and the Curriculum Worker A person’s philosophy reflects his/her life
experiences, social and economic background, common beliefs, education and general beliefs
about him or herself and people. One’s philosophy is a description, explanation, and evaluation
of the world as seen from one’s own perspective, or through what some social scientists call
“lenses”. Thus, philosophy becomes principle for guiding action. Major Philosophies Here are
the short overviews to define and identify each philosophy that have influence the education in
the United States. The first two philosophies are traditional, and the latter two are contemporary.
Curriculum needs to conform to the philosophy of the school and community. Teaching,
learning and curriculum are all intertwined in school practices and should accordingly reflect a
school’s and a community’s philosophy. This way, philosophy establishes itself as the
foundation of curriculum development. When this is carried out with the essences’ perspective
the dual nature of man will be developed thereby projecting the spiritual and physical dimensions
of man to bring about a creative techno-nature that is imbued with cognitive and affective
goodness.
History and Its Influence to Curriculum
Curriculum evolution dates back to pre-spanish epoch to the present. The religious,
political, economic and social influences and events that took place in the country affected and
sometimes dictated the kind of curriculum developed in that particular epoch of Philippine
history. Colonial rule in the country tailored the curriculum to serve colonial goals and
objectives.
Before the coming of the Spaniards the Filipino possessed a culture of their own. They had
contacts with other foreign peoples from Arabia, India, china, indo-china and Borneo. They did
not have an organized system of education as we have now. They, however, possessed the
knowledge as expressed in their ways of life and as shown in the rule of the barangay, their code
of laws – the code of kalantiao and maragtas, their belief in the bathala, the solidarity of the
family, the modesty of the women, the children’s obedience and respect for their elders, and in
the valor of the men. Different colonizers brought different culture and educational curriculum to
the philippines. The spanish curriculum then consisted of three r’s – reading, writing and religion
was imposed with the curricular goals for the acceptance of catholicism and the acceptance of
spanish rule. The american devised curriculum was also dominated with the motive of
conquering the filipinos not only physically but also intellectually.
Just like the spaniards and the americans, the japanese devised a curriculum for the filipino
to suit their vested interest. They introduced many changes in the curriculum by including
nippongo and abolishing english as a medium of instruction and as a subject. All textbooks were
censored and revised.
The granting of independence to the filipinos led to some educational reforms in the
curriculum. Great experiments in the community school idea and the use of the vernacular in the
first two grades of the primary school as a medium of instruction were some of them. Some of
the reforms were merely extensions of the educational trends in previous decades. Others were
implemented in response to circumstances in the culture. And still others were results of research
and experimentation in the education and related disciplines.
During the new society until today, vast curricular reforms have already been established.
Almost all of the aspects of educational system have been covered for improvement in the
presidential education decree passed by then. Because of the many changes in the educational
curriculum in the new society that brought improvement to the educational system, obviously,
this is the era that i’m going to give merit.

Importance of Sociology in Curriculum Development

Socialization is the process of creating a social self, learning one’s culture and learning
the rules and expectations of the culture. Socialization is the process of passing down norms,
customs, and ideologies that are important to the society by the previous generations to the
younger generations. The school system is a social agency that was created to enhance the
processes of socialization through education. The importance of curriculum as an agent of
socialization can be best explained by the amount of time students spend in school and in
activities happen around school. The manifest functions of curriculum is to educate students the
social norms, and the knowledge and skills that help them become economically productive in
order to benefit the society. But students not only learn from the academic curriculum but they
also benefit from socialize with their teachers and peers. These students stay in school from the
morning until afternoon and approximately three quarters of a year; clearly they spend a lot of
time in school, thus, they are greatly affected by this environment.
Through the curriculum our history, norms, culture and values will passed down from
generations to generations. The developing a curriculum represents a formal and conscious effort
by the society to socialize its young. It does this through the content of the curriculum and co-
curricular activities. They also socialize the values that they communicate to the child. Since
children come from different backgrounds, the work of the school therefore is to intercept and
change or modify those aspects which may not be acceptable to the community. At the same
time, those aspects of training which are meaningful are encouraged. Most of the informal
learning occurs mainly within the pees group setting. The pees groups affect the socialization
process both in school and in the neighborhood. In school the child learns skills which to a large
extent prepare him for the world of work.

Curriculum is influenced by Psychology

Psychology provides information about the teaching and learning process. It also seeks
answers as to how a curriculum be organized in order to achieve students’ learning at the
optimum level, and as to what amount of information they can absorb in learning the various
contents of the curriculum. The following are some psychological theories in learning that
influenced curriculum development:
Behaviorism
Education in the 20th century was dominated by behaviorism. The mastery of the subject matter
is given more emphasis. So, learning is organized in a step-by-step process. The use of drills and
repetition are common.
For this reason, many educational psychologists viewed it mechanical and routine. Though many
are skeptical about this theory, we can’t deny the fact the influences it had in our educational
system.
Cognitivism
Cognitive theorists focus on how individuals process information, monitor and manage their
thinking. With their beliefs, they promote the development of problem-solving and thinking
skills and popularize the use of reflective thinking, creative thinking, intuitive thinking,
discovery learning, among others.
Humanism
 Humanism is taken from the theory of Gestalt, Abraham Maslow’s theory and Carl Rogers’
theory. This group of psychologists is concerned with the development of human potential. In
this theory, curriculum is after the process, not the product; focuses on personal needs, not on the
subject matter; and clarifying psychological meanings and environmental situations. In short,
curriculum views founded on humanism posits that learners are human beings who are affected
by their biology, culture, and environment. They are neither machines nor animals. A more
advanced, more comprehensive curriculum that promotes human potential must be crafted along
this line. Teachers don’t only educate the minds, but the hearts as well.

2. Why should cultural values be considered in the curriculum development?

Culture is an important factor in curriculum planning and drives the content of every
curriculum. This is because the essence of education is to transmit the cultural heritage of a
society to the younger generation of the society. Curriculum is a veritable tool for attaining the
educational goals of a nation. Education is the hub of all ramifications of development in any
country. No country can develop if her educational system is weak. Curriculum planning should
therefore endeavor to integrate the components of culture, which is the essence of education in
curriculum planning to ensure that the products of the educational system would be functional
members of their society.
Curriculum aims should arise out of a study of the life needs of the child and his
environment. All that makes life richer and more abundant which other agencies are not
supplying should be the responsibility of the school. It should include the ideals, attitudes,
dispositions and appreciations to be striven for, as well as those for knowledge, habits and
skills. The analysis of these aims should be continued until they are reduced to units small
enough to be specifically worked for in the activities requiring them. Cover every phase of
essential life experience and make possible healthy living and surroundings; helpful home
membership; wider social interaction and sharing; an understanding of the privileges and the
responsibilities of citizenship; appreciation of the world's practical and intelligent use of its
products; such use of leisure time that it truly recreates and invigorates; such ethical and
religious ideals as will develop socially valuable character and service, and such command of
fundamental processes and techniques as will enable the individual to successfully meet and
solve difficult problems and activities. It also includes not merely the adjusting of the child to
his environment, but the development of such attitudes and abilities as will enable the child to
adjust the environment to meet his higher ideals, wants and appreciations.
True simplification of the curriculum involves a conception of education as growth and
life. The school should be thought of as a place where pupils may receive stimulating guidance
and help in carrying out their valuable environmental activities, so that they may not only
successfully complete them, but profit by all the moral, social and accessory interests which
arrive. Changed ways of behaving (conduct) should be the test for learning, rather than the oral
command of subject matter. If this is to result, the emphasis in teaching must be upon the actual
living through a valuable experience, rather than the mere reading about it. The school
environment and procedure should be such as to emphasize the purposing of worthwhile
activities, the developing of them on the child's level of interest, and his need for them here and
now, rather than as a preparation for the vague future. Curriculum should be thought of as the
vital experience necessary for the child's fullest enjoyment and understanding of life. It should be
used to supplement the child's own experience, the old and the new being organized into the
necessary new way of behaving. Such supplementary experience should come from the local
inheritance and from world culture. The test of its value to the child is the extent to which he can
use it in furthering his activities and in securing more satisfying and effective
The paramount of the curriculum should be general, in the sense of providing a common
equipment for life and citizenship for all pupils, with the fullest use of the local environment as
a starting point and as a source of interests and materials in furthering the educative process.