PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM

          Concerned with the question of how people learn.  It provides a basis for understanding the teaching and learning process.  Both processes are essential to curricularists because it is only when students learn and understanding curriculum and gain knowledge and power to use it that the curriculum has actual worth.

Three Major Theories of Learning

1. Behaviorist or association that deals with various aspects of stimulus response and reinforces.
2. Cognitive-information processing theories, which view the learner in relationship to the total environment (information) and consider the way the learner applies information.
3. Phenomenological and humanistic which consider the whole child including his or her social, psychological, and cognitive development.

Jean Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

Cognitive development is Jean Piaget's theory.  Through the series of stages, Piaget proposed four stages of cognitive development : the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational period.

• Piaget's cognitive stages presuppose a maturation process in the sense that development is a continuation and is based on previous growth.
• Assimilation is the incorporation of new experiences into existing experiences.
• Accommodation stage is where the child's existing cognitive structures are modified and adapted in response to his or her environment.
• Equilibration is the process of achieving balance between those things that were previously understood and those yet to be understood.

Lawrence Kohlberg  Six Developmental Types of Moral Development

• Preconvention level. Children at this level have not yet developed a sense of right or wrong.
• Conventional level. At this level, children are concerned about what other people think of them.
• Post conventional level. Children's morality is based on what other people feel or on their precepts of authority.

Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) has been defined as "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86)

Howard Gardner Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Maslow Theory of Human Needs Hierarchy

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM

Philosophy is a combination of the Greek word "philos" (love) and "sophia" (wisdom) which translated means "love of wisdom".

Philosophers are people who seek after wisdom and curious about the world seeking to understand the nature of things.

Philosophy of Education

The philosophy of education recognizes that the development of a civil society depends on the education of the young as responsible, thoughtful and enterprising citizens which is a challenging task requiring deep understanding of ethical principles, moral values, political theory, aesthetics and economies; not to mention an understanding of children themselves.

Philosophy and Curriculum

"Philosophy is the beginning point in curriculum decision making and is the basis for all subsequent decisions regarding curriculum" - John Goodland

Tyler's View Of Philosophy In Relationship To School Purpose

Major Philosophies

1. Idealism
2. Realism
3. Pragmatism
4. Existentialism

Educational Philosophies

1. Perennialism
2. Essentialism
3. Progressivism
4. Reconstructionism

Adventist Philosophy

• Philosophical base: Theism
• Aim: Restoration of man to God's image
• Knowledge: Bible Values.  To prepare responsible citizen for the world today and the world to come.  Balance Education - Spiritual, Mental, Social (Wholistic Education)
• Role of teacher: Lead student for Christ
• Teaching Method: Faith, Integration, practical, living by example (modeling)

THE ROLES OF CURRICULUM WORKERS

Curriculum Workers

          Curriculum workers are people who work on curriculum engage in many different types of endeavors.  had the first time approach that appeared both comprehensive and workable.  They are advised to concentrate on student behaviors in devising objectives for a unit to emphasize appropriate learning experiences rather than simply identifying content to be covered.  They are curriculum practitioners, classroom teachers, school administrations and curriculum disseminators.

Curriculum Evaluator

          Curriculum evaluation is historically as rich as education.  The evaluation concept is so comprehensive that contains several evaluation activities with the common function of investigating a certain curriculum in a given administrative context.

~Curriculum Evaluator Roles~

• To collect, examine and assess data for the purposes of reporting on the effectiveness, efficiency, and worth of the endeavors and creations of other curriculum workers.
• Employed by a private testing service, the central administration of a school district, a government-monitoring agency, a publishing company, or a curriculum development group.
• Their reports are meant to aid in decision making concerning curriculum materials, student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and school accountability.

Curriculum Advocates

           Curriculum advocates are educators and members of the general public who are concerned about and attempt to influence what is taught in schools and how it is taught.

          A curriculum advocate might be a parent attempting to influence the curriculum decisions of his child's school, a citizen trying to influence the curriculum decisions of the state department of education, or a politician (perhaps a president, governor, or legislator) attempting to implement her curriculum ideas through the political process.

Curriculum Developers

           Curriculum developers intentionally create curriculum materials and strategies for others to use in the instructional arena.  The important ideas here are for "others to use" and "instructional".

           Curriculum developers can be textbook writers, teachers who work on school curriculum committees, curriculum specialists who work for private educational organization or concerned citizen who design instructional materials for homeschooling.

Curriculum Theorists

          Curriculum theorists examine the philosophical and ideological underpinnings of existing curricula.  They study how curricula are used, disseminated, created, and evaluated; study the endeavors and intents of other curriculum workers.

          Curriculum theorists also speculate on what curricula should accomplish; probe the "whys" of their own examinations and write books such as this one, all of the purpose of contributing to the general body of knowledge about effective curriculum practice, dissemination, advocacy, development, and evaluation.

Teachers as Developers

          Three competencies were identified as being central to teachers engaging in curriculum development.  Professional knowledge, commitment to change and team work.

          Teacher professional knowledge involved content knowledge (what you teach), general pedagogical knowledge (how you teach) and pedagogical content knowledge (why you teach this way).

Roles Of Curriculum Workers

1. Coordination of curriculum planning and development
2. Definition and application of curriculum theory
3. Design and application of curriculum research
4. Provision of aid in filling in-service needs of staff

FOUNDATION AND DOMAINS OF CURRICULUM & PEDAGOGY

What is Curriculum?

Curriculum is the "content" or "subject matter" of instruction.  The content includes the whole range of mailers in which the student is expected to gain some knowledge and competence(Philip Phenix, 1962).

          The curriculum is all the experiences that individual learners have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives, which is planned in terms of a framework of theory and research, or past or present professional practice.

What is Pedagogy?

Pedagogy is defined as the exploration of effective teaching and learning strategies.

Pedagogy is the art (and science) of teaching.  It is important to understand how learning occurs.  A teacher cannot just stand at the front of a classroom relaying their knowledge expecting students to listen, understand and leave the lesson filled with knowledge.  Students need to construct their own understanding with teacher using various teaching methods to engage students to enable students to access the very best learning in order to shape their own intellectual journey.

About Me

Introduction ~About me, myself and I~

Hello everyone! :)

First of all I would like to introduce myself to you guys.  My name is Rosnitah binti Akrin.  I'm from Kota Belud, Sabah.  I am 22 years old and currently studying in UNITAR.  I'm taking Bachelor in Education (Early Childhood Education) or also known as BECE.  The reason I'm taking this course because I really interested to become a teacher in the future and I am currently trying to make my dreams come true! Inshallah~

~Life Goals~

Everyone has their own life goals that they want to fulfill.  For me, my life goal is to become a successful person in the future.  I want to become a good educator for the children.  I want to graduate from university as soon as I can and find a job so I would not become a burden to my parents anymore.  I want to live the way that I want.  I would love to become a teacher just like my mom and dad did.  They are my biggest inspiration to become an educator.  It might be just a dream right now.  But I will try my very best to achieve what I've been dreaming since I was a little girl and make my family proud of me.  I want to live my life to the fullest without a slightest regrets and be happy.

~Philosophy~

My philosophy in life in "stay positive".  I believe that if we stay positive in whatever that we are doing, everything can be done in smooth way.

As we all know, becoming an educator for a young children needs a lot of patient.  Young can be very stubborn and not listening to what adults are saying.  But at the same time, they are also the reason that can make us enjoy being a teacher.  Their different personalities and attitudes makes us more interested in teaching them and watching them grown up.

That is why, I think as a teacher-to-be, we need to learn how to be patient and always think positive in what we are doing so we can easily done our job without facing difficulties.