II. FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM
A. Psychological Foundation
Psychology is a unifying element of the learning process. It forms the basis for the methods, materials and activities for learning and subsequently serves as basis for many curriculum decisions.
Major Theories of Learning
+ Behaviorism
1.Edward Thorndike
2. Ivan Pavlov
3. Burrus Frederic Skinner
+ Cognitive Development
1. Jean Piaget
2. John Dewey
3. Jerome Bruner
+ Phenomenology
1. Abraham Maslow
2. Carl Rogers
3. Louis Raths
Behaviorism and Curriculum
- curriculum should be organized so students experience success in mastering the subject.
- highly prescriptive and diagnostic in approach.
- rely on step-by-step procedure, structured methods of learning.
- for students who have difficulty learning, curriculum and instruction can be broken down into small units with appropriate sequencing of task and reinforcement of desired behavior.
Cognition and Curriculum
- the cognitive approach constitutes a logical method for organizing and interpreting learning.
- the approach is rooted in the tradition of subject matter.
- educators have been trained in cognitive approaches and they have better understanding of them.
Phenomenology and Curriculum
- phenomenologist view the individual in relation to field of which he or she operates
- different things to different people
- phenomenologist attempt to rescue learning from the narrow and rigid behaviorist and from over stress on cognitive process.
- the raw data of personal experiences are vital to understanding learning.
To be continue...
