LET Secondary Curriculum Development — Foundations, Types and Elements of CurriculumRevision Notes

Exam Tips

• When an item mentions 'total learning experiences under the school's guidance,' match it to the progressive/experience view (Caswell and Campbell, Dewey).
• When an item says curriculum is a 'body of subjects,' that is the traditional view.
• If the item asks for the Latin root or meaning of curriculum, the answer is currere—'to run.'
• RA 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013) is the legal basis of the K to 12 curriculum—memorize this law number for policy-related items.

Key Points

• The word 'curriculum' comes from the Latin word currere, meaning 'to run' or a 'runway' toward a goal.
• Traditional (subject-matter) view: curriculum is a body of subjects or a course of study that learners must complete—the 'what to teach' perspective.
• Progressive (experience) view: curriculum is the total learning experiences of the individual, planned and guided by the school—inside and outside the classroom (Dewey, Caswell and Campbell).
• Modern view: curriculum is a planned and guided set of learning experiences intended to achieve specific educational outcomes, formally designed and delivered by the school.
• In Philippine basic education, the DepEd K to 12 Curriculum Guides represent the modern, outcomes-based view of curriculum.
• Franklin Bobbitt is called the 'Father of Curriculum'—he treated curriculum-making as a science that prepares learners for adult life.
• Key distinction: curriculum is the PLAN; instruction is the DELIVERY. A syllabus is only a PART of the curriculum.
• Formal curriculum = structured school program; Non-formal = organized but outside school (e.g., ALS, livelihood training); Informal = unstructured learning from daily life.

Definitions

Section Title

Defining Curriculum: Three Views You Must Know

Common Mistakes

• Treating the syllabus and the curriculum as synonyms—the syllabus is just one document within the broader curriculum.
• Confusing curriculum (the plan) with instruction (the real-time delivery).
• Attributing all curriculum definitions to one person—different curricularists hold different views (Bobbitt = science/adult activities; Dewey = experience; Caswell = total experiences).
• Forgetting that informal learning (from family, environment, media) is NOT the same as the hidden curriculum (which operates within the school setting).

Exam Tips

• Bobbitt = Father of Curriculum. If the item says 'treated curriculum as a science,' the answer is Bobbitt.
• Taba = grass-roots/inductive model (teachers first). Tyler = deductive/rational model (goals first).
• Glatthorn = seven types of curriculum. Any item listing recommended, written, taught, supported, assessed, learned, hidden is using Glatthorn's framework.
• In a matching-type item, sort curricularists by: (1) who defined curriculum, (2) who developed a model, and (3) who identified types.

Key Points

• Franklin Bobbitt: Father of Curriculum; curriculum-making as a science; objectives derived from adult life activities.
• Werrett Charters: Activity analysis; objectives come from analyzing what people actually do in life.
• William Kilpatrick: The project method; purposeful, child-centered activity as the basic unit of learning.
• Harold Rugg: Develop the whole child; all objectives and experiences must be planned in advance.
• Hollis Caswell: Curriculum = total set of experiences learners have under the school's guidance.
• Ralph Tyler: Four fundamental questions model (covered deeply in Chapter 2)—the basis of the four curriculum elements.
• Hilda Taba: Inductive/grass-roots model of curriculum development; teachers should be the primary curriculum developers.
• Allan Glatthorn: Identified the seven types of curriculum operating simultaneously in schools—the most heavily tested concept in this chapter.

Definitions

Section Title

Key Curricularists and Their Contributions

Common Mistakes

• Mixing up Bobbitt (Father of Curriculum, adult activities) with Tyler (four-question model of curriculum development).
• Attributing the grass-roots or inductive curriculum model to Tyler instead of Taba.
• Forgetting that Glatthorn—not Tyler—is credited with the seven types of curriculum framework.

Exam Tips

• Use the guiding question of each foundation as your key: Philosophical = why and what; Historical = how it evolved; Psychological = how learners learn; Sociological = what society needs.
• If a scenario describes classic literature or the Great Books, the philosophy is Perennialism.
• If a scenario describes a curriculum targeting social reform or addressing poverty, the philosophy is Reconstructionism.
• For psychology-linked items: Skinner = behaviorism; Piaget/Bruner = cognitivism; Maslow/Rogers = humanism.
• MTB-MLE, local content, and Values Education in K to 12 are best explained by the sociological foundation.

Key Points

• Every curriculum decision rests on four foundations: Philosophical, Historical, Psychological, and Sociological.
• Philosophical foundation answers: What should be taught and why? (Aims, values, and purposes of education.)
• Historical foundation traces how curriculum thought evolved from Bobbitt and Charters to Tyler and Taba—curriculum reflects the concerns of its era.
• Psychological foundation answers: How do learners learn and how do they develop?
• Sociological foundation answers: What does society need and value? (Culture, social change, national goals, globalization, and community needs.)
• In the Philippine context, the sociological foundation explains why MTB-MLE (Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education), Values Education, and contextualization appear in K to 12.
• The three learning theory families under the psychological foundation: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Humanism.
• Behaviorism (Thorndike, Skinner, Pavlov): learning = conditioning; objectives, drill, reinforcement.
• Cognitivism (Piaget, Bruner, Ausubel, Gagne): learning = mental processing; readiness, structure of knowledge, meaningful learning.
• Humanism (Maslow, Rogers): learning = personal growth and self-actualization; the affective dimension of the learner.
• The four educational philosophies under the philosophical foundation: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, Reconstructionism.

Definitions

Section Title

Four Foundations of Curriculum

Common Mistakes

• Mixing up perennialism (timeless classics) with essentialism (essential skills for today).
• Confusing the philosophical foundation (what to teach and why) with the sociological foundation (what society needs).
• Attributing MTB-MLE only to the historical foundation—it is primarily a sociological and philosophical decision.
• Forgetting that Piaget (cognitive development stages) belongs to the psychological foundation, not the philosophical one.
• Mixing up Maslow (hierarchy of needs, humanism) with Skinner (operant conditioning, behaviorism).

Exam Tips

• Use the THREE-CHECK METHOD for any types-of-curriculum item: (1) WHO is acting? (2) WHAT STAGE is the curriculum at? (3) Was the learning PLANNED or UNPLANNED?
• Prescribing agency (DepEd, CHED, experts) = RECOMMENDED. The resulting printed document = WRITTEN.
• Materials, equipment, books, technology budget = SUPPORTED. The teacher delivering the lesson = TAUGHT. Student test results = ASSESSED. What students actually know = LEARNED.
• If the scenario says 'without any formal lesson' or 'absorbed from school culture' or 'the teacher never planned it'—the answer is HIDDEN curriculum.
• Memorize the seven types in order: Recommended → Written → Taught → Supported → Assessed → Learned → Hidden. Think of it as the journey of a curriculum from expert recommendation all the way to student learning.

Key Points

• Allan Glatthorn identified seven types of curriculum that operate SIMULTANEOUSLY in every school.
• 1. RECOMMENDED curriculum: proposed by experts, scholars, and agencies (e.g., DepEd, CHED, professional organizations) as what OUGHT to be taught.
• 2. WRITTEN curriculum: the official, documented curriculum—K to 12 Curriculum Guides, syllabi, lesson plans, textbook content as planned.
• 3. TAUGHT curriculum: what the teacher actually delivers and implements in the classroom—the lesson as enacted, with real-time adjustments.
• 4. SUPPORTED curriculum: the resources and materials that support delivery—textbooks, modules, ICT tools, laboratory equipment, library resources.
• 5. ASSESSED curriculum: the tested and evaluated curriculum—quizzes, unit tests, performance tasks, standardized assessments like the LET itself.
• 6. LEARNED curriculum: what learners actually learn and retain—the actual knowledge, skills, and values demonstrated by the student afterward.
• 7. HIDDEN curriculum: the unintended, unplanned curriculum—values, norms, school culture, peer influence, and teacher behavior absorbed without formal instruction.
• The NULL curriculum (Eisner) refers to what schools deliberately OMIT or choose NOT to teach—recognize this as a bonus term.
• The CONCOMITANT curriculum refers to values taught at home that coincide with and support the school curriculum.
• KEY CONTRASTS: Recommended (experts/agencies) vs. Written (documents); Taught (delivery) vs. Learned (absorption); Hidden (unplanned/unintended) vs. all others (planned).
• The HIDDEN curriculum is often the most powerful because it shapes attitudes, values, and behavior through the school's culture and climate—without anyone writing it down.
• In a Philippine public school classroom, the hidden curriculum includes: a teacher who is always on time (modeling punctuality), gendered seating arrangements, or language of instruction choices.

Definitions

Section Title

Glatthorn's Seven Types of Curriculum – The Most Tested Topic

Common Mistakes

• Confusing recommended curriculum (the prescribing agency's proposal) with written curriculum (the resulting document)—look at WHO is acting in the scenario.
• Confusing supported curriculum (resources and materials) with taught curriculum (the actual delivery/instruction).
• Forgetting that the hidden curriculum is UNPLANNED and UNINTENDED—if it is written down anywhere, it is not hidden.
• Mixing up learned curriculum (actual student outcomes) with the assessed curriculum (what is tested)—the learned curriculum is what the student actually knows, not just what was measured.
• Assuming hidden curriculum is always negative—it can transmit positive values like respect, punctuality, and cooperation.

Exam Tips

• Remember the four elements in sequence: Aims/Goals/Objectives → Content → Learning Experiences → Evaluation. These parallel Tyler's four questions.
• For hierarchy of intent: Aims (widest, most general) → Goals (intermediate) → Objectives (narrowest, most specific and measurable).
• Any scenario describing a teacher whose test does not match what was taught or what the objective required is testing curriculum ALIGNMENT.
• In the K to 12 framework: the Learning Competency in the Curriculum Guide = the objective level of the elements hierarchy.

Key Points

• Every curriculum, regardless of design, contains four essential elements or components.
• These four elements map directly to Ralph Tyler's four fundamental curriculum questions—this is why the LET links Tyler's model to curriculum elements.
• Element 1: AIMS, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES – What should learners achieve? (The 'why' and 'what for' of the curriculum.)
• Element 2: CONTENT / SUBJECT MATTER – What subject matter should be included? (The 'what' of teaching.)
• Element 3: LEARNING EXPERIENCES / METHODS – What instructional strategies, resources, and activities will be used? (The 'how' of teaching.)
• Element 4: EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT – How will we determine whether the outcomes were achieved? (The 'how well' of the curriculum.)
• Aims are broad, system-wide, and long-range (e.g., to develop every Filipino into a responsible, productive citizen).
• Goals are more specific than aims—set for a subject area or grade level (e.g., to develop numeracy skills in Grade 3).
• Objectives are the most specific and immediately measurable—written for a single lesson and classified under cognitive, affective, or psychomotor domains.
• ALIGNMENT is the critical concept: all four elements must be consistent with each other. If the objective targets application but the test only measures recall, there is MISALIGNMENT.
• A well-aligned curriculum in a Philippine Grade 4 classroom: The learning competency (objective) targets comprehension → the lesson (learning experience) uses text analysis → the assessment (quiz) asks the pupil to explain the main idea in their own words.
• Misalignment is a common LET trap—the scenario will describe a teacher whose test does not match what was taught or what the objective said.

Definitions

Section Title

Four Elements (Components) of Curriculum

Common Mistakes

• Confusing aims (system-wide, very broad) with objectives (lesson-specific, very precise and measurable).
• Treating learning experiences as only classroom activities—they include all planned interactions, materials, field trips, projects, and instructional strategies.
• Forgetting that evaluation is an element of the CURRICULUM itself, not just a teacher's grading tool.
• Overlooking misalignment in scenario items—always check if the objective, activity, and assessment in the scenario match each other.

Exam Tips

• If an item asks 'What factor led DepEd to include MTB-MLE in the K to 12 curriculum?' the answer draws on both the sociological determinant (cultural/linguistic diversity) and the legal/political determinant (RA 10533).
• Technology as a determinant explains why ICT integration, e-learning modules, and blended learning appear in modern curriculum designs.
• Always associate RA 10533 with the K to 12 curriculum as its legal basis—this law number frequently appears in LET policy items.

Key Points

• Beyond the four foundations, several DETERMINANTS shape what actually gets built into a curriculum.
• The LEARNER: developmental stage, needs, interests, prior knowledge, and readiness (e.g., Grade 1 pupils need concrete, play-based learning).
• SOCIETY AND CULTURE: national goals, social issues, values, community needs, and the demands of the 21st-century workplace.
• KNOWLEDGE AND THE DISCIPLINES: the structure, content, and advances of the subject fields themselves (e.g., new scientific discoveries enter the science curriculum).
• PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY: beliefs about the purpose of education and about how learning occurs.
• POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND LEGAL FACTORS: government policy, funding decisions, and laws—RA 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013) legally mandated the K to 12 curriculum.
• TECHNOLOGY: the tools and media available for teaching and learning (e.g., integration of ICT in DepEd classrooms under various technology programs).
• All determinants interact: a new law (legal/political) may respond to societal needs, reflecting a philosophical stance, and must account for learner characteristics.

Definitions

Section Title

Curriculum Determinants

Common Mistakes

• Treating the learner as only one factor when in fact all determinants work together to shape the curriculum.
• Forgetting that laws and government policies (legal/political determinants) can override other factors—RA 10533 mandated K to 12 regardless of community preferences.
• Confusing curriculum determinants (factors that shape the curriculum) with curriculum foundations (philosophical bases that justify the curriculum).