UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

SPARK Your Interest

Formal education begins in school. Schools are institutions established to design total
learning activities appropriate for each learner in each grade level. Thus schools have
recommended curriculum which is the enhanced K to 12 curriculum. The recommended
curriculum was translated into written curriculum like books, modules, teachers' guides and
lesson plans which are the basis of the taught curriculum. A teacher who implements the
curricula needs support materials (support curriculum) to enhance teaching and learning so that
the written and the taught curricula can be assessed (assessed curriculum) in order to determine if
learning took place (learned curriculum). However, there are so many activities that happen in
schools but are not deliberately planned. This refers to the hidden curriculum.
A classroom teacher plans, implements and evaluates school learning activities by
preparing a miniscule curriculum called a lesson plan or a learning plan. The teacher then puts
life to a lesson plan by using it as a guide in the teaching-learning process where different
strategies can be used to achieve the learning objectives or outcomes. There are many styles of
writing a lesson plan, but the necessary parts or elements such as (a) Learning Outcomes (b)
Subject Matter (c) Teaching -Learning Strategies, and (d) Evaluation or Assessment should
always be included.
All of these elements should be aligned so that at the end of the teaching-learning
episode, learning will be achieved with the classroom teacher as a guide.

TARGET Your Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Episode, I must be able to:
 identify the different curricula that prevail in the school setting;
 describe how the teacher manages the school curriculum by planning, implementing
lessons through different strategies and assessment of learning outcomes; and
 analyze if the teacher aligns the objectives to subject matter, to teaching strategies and
assessment.

REVISIT the Learning Essentials

School Curriculum: What is this about?
From a broad perspective, curriculum is defined as the total learning process and
outcomes as in lifelong learning. However, school curriculum in this course limits such
definition of total learning outcomes to confine to a specific learning space called school.
Schools are formal institutions of learning where the two major stakeholders are the learners and
the teachers.
 Basic education in the Philippines is under the Department of Education or DepEd and
the recommended curriculum is the K-12 or Enhanced Basic Education Curricula of 2013. All
basic education schools offering kindergarten (K) elementary (Grades 1 to 6) and Secondary
(Grades 7-10, Junior High School and Grades 11 to 12, Senior High School) adhere to this
national curriculum as a guide in the implementation of the formal education for K to 12.
What are the salient features of the K to 12 Curriculum? Here are the features. It is a
curriculum that:
1. strengthens the early childhood education with the use of the mother tongue.
2. makes the curriculum relevant to the learners. The use of contextualized lessons and
addition of issues like disaster preparedness, climate change and information and
communication technology (ICT) are included in the curriculum. Thus, in-depth
knowledge, skills and values, attitude through continuity and consistency across every
level and subject.
3. builds skills in literacy. With the use of Mother Tongue as the main language in studying
and learning tools from K to Grade 3, learners will become ready for higher level skills.
4. ensures unified and seamless learning. The curriculum is designed in a spiral progression
where the students learn first the basic concepts, while they study the complex ones in the
next grade level. The progression of topics matches with the developmental and cognitive
skills. This process strengthens the mastery and retention.
5. gears up for the future. It is expected that those who finish basic education in Grade 12
will be ready for college or tech voc careers. Their choice of careers will be defined when
they go to Grade 11 and 12.
6. nurtures a fully developed youth. Beyond the K to 12 graduate the learner will be ready
to embark on different career paths for a lifetime.
You will recall that a school curriculum is of many types for the Kindergarten to Grade
12 in the country.

 The enhanced curriculum K to 12 curriculum is the Recommended Curriculum.

It is to be used nationwide as mandated by Republic Act 10533.
 When the curriculum writers began to write the content and competency standards
of the K to 12 Curriculum it became a Written Curriculum. It reflects the
substance of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. In the
teacher's class it is the lesson plan. A lesson plan is a written curriculum in
miniscule.
 What has been written in a lesson plan has to be implemented. It is putting life to
the written curriculum, which is referred to as the Taught Curriculum. The
guidance of the teacher is very crucial.
 A curriculum that has been planned, and taught needs materials, objects, gadgets,
laboratory and many more that will help the teacher implement the curriculum.
This is referred to as the Supported Curriculum.
  In order to find out if the teacher has succeeded in implementing the lesson plan,
an assessment shall be made. It can be done in the middle or end of the lesson.
The curriculum is now called the Assessed Curriculum.
 The result of the assessment when successful is termed as Learned Curriculum.
Learned curriculum whether small or big indicates accomplishment of learning
outcomes.
 However, there are unplanned curriculums in schools. These are not written, nor
deliberately taught but they influence learning. These include peer influence, the
media, school environment, the culture and tradition, natural calamities and many
more. This curriculum is called Hidden Curriculum or Implicit Curriculum.

So what will be the roles and responsibilities of the teacher in the relations with the school
curriculum, specifically in the K to 12 or the enhanced curriculum for basic education?
Teachers then should be multi talented professionals who:
 know and understand the curriculum as enumerated above;
 write the curriculum to be taught;
 plan the curriculum to be implemented;
 initiate the curriculum which is being introduced;
 innovate the curriculum to make it current and updated;
 implement the curriculum that has been written and planned; and
 evaluate the written, planned and learned curriculum.
OBSERVE, ANALYZE, REFLECT

Activity 8.1 Curricula in the School Setting

It’s time to look around. Discover what curriculum is operating in the school setting.
Recall the types of curriculum mentioned earlier. Can you spot where these are found? Let’s do a
hunting game!

OBSERVE

Resource Teacher: ____________________ Teacher’s Signature: _________  School: ________

Grade/Year Level: ___________________  Subject: ___________ Date: __________

1. Locate where you can find the following curriculum in the school setting. Secure a copy,
make observations of the process and record your information in the matrix below.
Describe your observations.
Type of Curriculum Where Found Description
1. Recommended Curriculum (K to
12 Guidelines)

2. Written Curriculum (Teacher's

Lesson Plan)

3. Taught Curriculum (Teaching

Learning Process)

4. Supported Curriculum (Subject

textbook)

5. Assessed Curriculum
(Assessment Process)

6. Learned Curriculum (Achieved

Learning Outcomes)

7. Hidden Curriculum (Media)

ANALYZE

Which of the seven types of curriculum in the school setting is easy to find? Why?

Which is difficult to observe? Why?

Are these all found in school setting? How do curricula relate to one another?

Draw a diagram to show us the relationship of one curriculum to the other.

REFLECT
Make a reflection on the diagram that you have drawn.
Activity 8.2 The Miniscule School Curriculum: The Lesson, A Core Look

Resource Teacher: ____________________ Teacher’s Signature: _________ School: ________

Grade/Year Level: ____________________ Subject: ___________ Date: __________

OBSERVE
This activity requires a full lesson observation from Motivation to Assessment.
Procedure:
1. Secure permit to observe one complete lesson in a particular subject, in a particular
grade/ year level.
2. Keep a close watch on the different components of the miniscule curriculum: the
lesson
3. Follow the three major components of a curriculum (Planning, Implementing and
Evaluating/Assessing). Observe and record your observation.

Observe and Record Observation on the Following Aspects

Major Curriculum Key Guide for Observation (Carefully look for the indicators/behavior
Components of the teacher along the key points. Write your observation and
description in your notebook.)
A. Planning 1. Borrow the teacher's lesson plan for the day. What major parts do
you see? Request a copy for your use.
Answer the following questions:
a. What are the lesson objectives/learning outcomes?
b. What are included in the subject matter?
c. What procedure or method will the teacher use to implement the
plan?
d. Will the teacher assess or evaluate the lesson? How will this be
done?
B. Implementing Now it's time to observe how the teacher implemented the prepared
lesson plan. Observe closely the procedure.
a. How did the teacher begin the lesson?
b. What procedure or steps were followed?
c. How did the teacher engage the learners?
d. Was the teacher a guide at the side?
e. Were the learners on task?/Or were they participating in the class
activity?
f. Was the lesson finished within the class period?

C. Evaluating/Assessing Did learning occur in the lesson taught? Here you make observations to
find evidence of learning.
a. Were the objectives as learned outcomes achieved?
b. How did the teacher assess/evaluate it?
c. What evidence was shown? Get pieces of evidence.
ANALYZE

Write a paragraph based on the data you gathered using these key questions?

1. How does the teacher whom you observed compare to the ideal characteristics or
competencies of global quality teachers?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. Was the lesson implemented as planned? Describe.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. Can you describe the disposition of the teacher after the lesson was taught? Happy and eager?
Satisfied and contented? Disappointed and exhausted?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4. Can you describe the majority of students' reactions after the lesson was taught? Confused?
Happy and eager? Contented? No reactions at all.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

REFLECT

Based on your observations and tasks in Activity 2 how will you prepare your lesson plan?
Make a short paragraph on the topic.
Activity 8.3 Constructive Alignment of the Components of a Lesson Plan
Resource Teacher: ____________________ Teacher’s Signature: _________ School: ________
Grade/Year Level: ____________________ Subject: ___________ Date: __________

OBSERVE

Using the diagram below fill up the component parts of a lesson plan
I. Title of the Lesson: ____________________________________________________
II. Subject area: _________________________________________________________
III. Grade Level: _________________________________________________________

Outcomes Teaching Method Assessment

ANALYZE

Answer the following questions based on the diagram.

Fill this up Fill this up Fill this up
1. Are the three components constructively aligned? Explain.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. Will the outcomes be achieved with the teaching methods used? Why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What component would tell if the outcomes have been achieved?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

REFLECT

What lessons have you learned in developing or writing a lesson plan?

What value will it give to the teacher if the three components are aligned?
SHOW Your Learning Artifacts

Learning Artifacts for Activity 1-3

Present an artifact for Activity 1, 2, and 3.
Activity 1 Artifact
1. Present an evidence for each kind of curriculum operating in the school setting. This
can be in pictures, realia, documents or others.
Activity 2 Artifact
1. Present a sample curriculum in a form of a Lesson Plan.

Activity 3 Artifact
1. Present a matrix to show the constructive alignment of the three components of a
lesson plan.
1. Example:
Lesson Title: _________________________________________________
Subject Area: ________________________________________________
Grade Level: _________________________________________________

Lesson Outcome Teaching Methods Evaluation

EVALUATE Performance Task
Evaluate Your Work Task Field Study 1, Episode 8- Close Encounter with the School Curriculum
Learning Outcome: identify the different curricula that prevail in the school setting; describe how the
teacher manages the school curriculum by planning, implementing lessons through different strategies
and assessment of learning outcomes; and analyze if the teacher aligns the objectives to subject matter, to
teaching strategies and assessment.

Name of FS Student: ______________________________________________ Date Submitted: _______

Year & Section: ___________________________________ Course: _____________________________
Learning Excellent Very Satisfactory Satisfactory Needs Improvement
Episode 4 3 2 1
Accomplished All observation One (1) to two (2) Three (3) observation Four (4) or more
Observation questions/ tasks observation questions/ questions/ tasks not observation questions/
Sheet completely answered/ tasks not answered/ answered/ tasks not answered/
accomplished accomplished. accomplished. accomplished.
Analysis All questions were All questions were Question were not Four (4) or more
answered completely; answered completely; answered completely; observation questions
answers are with answers are clearly answers are clearly were not answered;
depth and are connected to theories; connected to theories; answers are not clearly
thoroughly grounded grammar and spelling one (1) to three (3) connected to theories;
on theories; grammar are free from errors. grammatical/ spelling more than four (4)
and spelling are free errors. grammatical/ spelling
from error. errors.
Reflection Profound and clear; Clear but lacks depth; Not so clear and Unclear and shallow;
supported by what supported by what shallow; somewhat rarely supported by what
were observed and were observed and supported by what were observed and
analyzed. analyzed. were observed and analyzed.
analyzed.
Learning Portfolio is reflected Portfolio is reflected Portfolio is not Portfolio is not reflected
Artifacts on in the context of on in the context of the reflected on in the on in the context of the
the learning learning outcomes; context of the learning outcome; not
outcomes; Complete, Complete; well learning outcomes. complete; not organized,
well-organized, organized, very Complete, not not relevant.
highly relevant to the relevant to the learning organized, relevant to
learning outcome. outcome. the learning outcome.
Submission Submitted before the Submitted on the Submitted a day after Submitted two (2) days
deadline. deadline. the deadline or more after the
deadline
COMMENT/S Over-all Score Rating:
(Based on Transmutation)

TRANSMUTATION OF SCORE TO GRADE/RATING

Score 20 19-18 17 16 15 14 13-12 11 10 9-8 7-below
Grader 1.0 1.25 1.5 1.75 2.0 2.25 2.5 2.75 3.0 3.5 5.0
99 96 93 90 87 84 81 78 75 72 71-below

______________________________ __________________
Signature of FS Teacher above Printed Name Date
LINK Theory to Practice

Choose the correct answer from the options given.

1. When we say school curriculum it refers only to the K to 12 curriculum.
A. This statement is true.
B. This statement is not true.
C. This statement is half true.
D. This statement is silly.

2. A professional teacher should possess the following skills to address the need for a
curricularist EXCEPT one. Which one is NOT?
A. Knower of the curriculum
B. Believer of the curriculum
C. Implementer of the curriculum
D. Writer of the curriculum.

3. The influence of multimedia, peers, community tradition, advancement in technology,

though not deliberately taught in the lesson, will influence the curriculum. This is
referred to as ________.
A. written curriculum
B. recommended curriculum
C. implemented curriculum
D. hidden Curriculum

4. Which two components of the lesson plan (as a miniscule curriculum) should be aligned?
I. Outcomes and Assessment
II. Assessment and Teaching Methods
III. Outcomes and Teaching Methods
A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I, II and III

5. What is the most important reason why there should be constructive alignment of the
components of the curriculum?
A. For ease of correcting by the school principal.
B. To assure that each component contributes to the attainment of the learning outcomes.
C. As a required template when starting to write a lesson plan.
D. As a model of other lesson plans written and published.