Historical Foundations of Curriculum

Prepared bySiti Maryam binti Kamaruzaman

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

1642-1776

COLONIAL SCHOOLS

IMPORTANT !A MUCH SMALLER OF CHILDREN THAN NOWADAYS.

TOWN SCHOOLS• A public elementary schools

attended by boys and girls of the community.

• Children ranging from 5-6 years old to 13-14 years old.

• Weather and farming conditions decided the children attendance.

• Elementary schools based on religion and ethnicity.

• Focused on reading, writing and religious sermons.

• Attended by upper-class children.

• Focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, primer and bible.

PAROCHIALSCHOOLS

PRIVATESCHOOLS

CHARITYSCHOOLS

• Attended by less fortunate children.

• Learned to recite religious hymns and vocational skills.

LATIN GRAMMAR SCHOOLS• Secondary level for

upper-class boys as preparation for college.

• For boys at age 8 or 9 and remains for 8 years.

• Catered to those who planned to enter the professionsMedicine, law,

teaching, the ministry, business or merchants

• Latin apparently three-quarters of the curriculum taught.

• One of colonial America’s closest links to European schools.

• The classical humanist curriculum of the Renaissance Support the era's religious

and social institutions

ACADEMIES (1751)• Second American institution

provide education.• Based on Benjamin

Franklin’s ideas and offered practical studies.

• Commons studies• English grammar, classics,

composition, rhetoric and public speaking.

• Students can choose foreign language based on their vocational needs.

• Introduced practical and manual skills• Carpentry, engraving,

printing, painting, cabinet making, farming and bookkeeping.

COLLEGES

• Harvard or Yale.

• Admitted into college upon examination.

• College curriculum- Latin - Ethics- Grammar - Logic- Metaphysics - Natural- Rhetoric - Sciences- Arithmetic- Astronomy

Showing competency in being able to- Read- Construe- Parce Tully- Vergil and the

Greek Testament- write in Latin- understand the

Rules of Prosodia- Common

Arithmetic

TEXTBOOKS

FOR THE COLONIOL PERIOD

Example of textbooks:

Hornbook, Primer, Westminster Catechism, Old Testament and

Bible

• Children learned the alphabet, the Lord’s prayer and some syllables, words and sentences by memorizing hornbook.

• In 1960’s, the New England Primer was published.• Most used textbooks for 100

years.• 3 millions copies were sold• ABC’s were learned through

rote and drill.

In 1740, the new guide to English tongue was published followed byThe School Master’s

Assistant(Mathematics text)

THE NATIONAL PERIOD

1776 - 1850

Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)Science, Progress and Free Education

• Outlined a plan of education for Pennsylvania

• Free elementary schools for towns with 100 or more families.

• A free academy at the country level

• Free colleges and universities at the state level for societies future leaders

• Tax dollars pay for expenses, but ultimately reduced taxes because a productive, well managed work force was a result of the plan Elementary schools- Reading- Writing- Arithmetic

Secondary and college

- English- German- Arts- Sciences

All levels- Good manners- Moral principles

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)Education for Citizenship• Created a bill for

Virginia to allows taxes to finance schools.

• Divides Virginia’s counties into wards• free elementary schools

for teaching of reading, writing, arithmetic and history.

• There was an Elementary school, secondary school and William and Mary school.

• The proposal was never enacted. But did provide good education for society.

Noah Webster (1758-1843)Schoolmaster and Cultural Nationalist “unshackle your mind and act like independent being”• Created the US American

Language.

• Known for Webster dictionary.

• Identified the US as nation.

• The use of a US language would eliminate the European language, and make the US more uniform.

William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873)The Readers and American Virtues

• Paved the way for the grading system in the US.

• His book still used today in rural, conservative school

• Created the most popular textbook of his era called 5 readers• Patriotism• Heroism• Hard work• Diligence• Virtuous living

NINTEENTH-CENTURY

EUROPEAN EDUCATORS

Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827)General and Special Methods

Created the basics principals

in education

• General Teaching• Educators provide

emotional security and affection.

• Special teaching• Considers children’s

auditory and visual senses.McClure, Neef, Mann and Barnard introduced these

ideas to US schools.

Freidrich Froebel (1782-1852)The Kindergarten Movement• Focused on 3 and 4

years old.• Surrounded their

schooling with play and individual group interests and activities.

• Encouraged and child centered curriculum based on love trust and freedom.

• The formal curriculum consisted of • Colourful materials • Song• Stories and games

Johann Herbart (1776-1841)Moral and Intellectual Development• Contributed to morals in

education.• Five ideas to found moral

character• Inner freedom• Perfection• Benevolence• Justice• Retribution

• Two major bodies of interest• Knowledge of interest• Factual data and

speculative ideas• Ethical interest• Sympathy and social

relationship

Herbart Spencer (1820-1903)Utilitarian and Scientific Education• English social scientist • Based on his ideas of education

on Charles Darwin’s theory:“Survival of the fittest”

• Teach HOW to think not WHAT to think.

• His popular books• “What knowledge is of

most worth”If you were lazy or weak, you would not

survive

THE RISE OF UNIVERSAL

EDUCATION

1820-1900

Monitorial Schools• European invention.• Highly structured

school with lots of rote learning and drilling the three R’s education.

• Focused on systematic instruction and good citizenship.

• Monitorial teaching kept all students busy while teacher could focus on one student.

• It was mechanical way of teaching and the students were poorly informed by their educators.

Common schools• Established by Massachusetts

(1826).• Every town was able to choose

a board of education to be responsible for the local schools.

• Devoted to elementary education with large emphasis on the Three R’s of Education.

• Attended by children from 6-14 years old and the school districts elected the schools board.

• It flourished on the frontier with all of the pioneers.

• Abe Lincoln said that, it was a boring school but it was where common kids could come learn the basic.

Elementary Schools• Through 1800’s people could

not agree on the appropriate curriculum for a child.

• It was ever changing which reading, spelling, grammar and arithmetic.

• In 1825 Religion mandated that, morality and manners should be taught as well.

• 1850• Geography and history

• 1875• Science and visual arts

• 1900s• nature study and biology• music and homemaking

Secondary schools• Attendance was very rare in

1900s.• 1930

• School enrolment figure exceed 50%.

• 1970• 98% of elementary children

would move on to secondary school.

• Form of high school students to graduate up to after elementary school

Academies• 1800’s, academies

replaced the Latin Grammar School.

• Offered better range in curriculum.

• Taught useful things and subjects of modern nature.

• Help focus on preparing students for college.

• Academies taught• Latin, Greek, English

Grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, Algebra, Composition, Rhetoric, Natural philosophy and US history.

• Continued through the 1870’s

High Schools• Kalamazoo School Case.• Attended by only small

amount of youth.• Many families did not

care about college preparatory.

• Curriculum continued expand.

• Making it easier for student to determine their interest and capabilities

THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD

1893-1918

Committee of Fifteen• Harvard University

President Charles Eliot influenced the committee.

• The committee adopted Eliot’s plan to move from 10 grades to 8 in elementary school.

• Emphasizes of the three R’s, English Grammar, literature, geography and history.

• Hygiene, culture, vocal music and drawing were part of curriculum.

• 7th and 8th grades• Sewing, manual training,

cooking, algebra and Latin

Committee of ten• Also chaired by Charles

Eliot.• 9 subject matters in the high

school curriculum• Latin, Greek, English, Other

Modern Languages, Mathematics, Physical sciences, Natural history, Social sciences and geography.

• Committee recommended four different tracks• Classical, Latin scientific,

modern language and English• The committee ignored

physical education and arts.• The committee started

college preparatory courses.

Committee on College Entrance Requirements

• Met in 1985• Affirmation of the

college preparatory curriculum.

• Created college admission requirements

• Discussed credits required for different subjects during college,

• Discussed credits for admission imposed during high school

Harris and EliotTwo Conservative Reformers• Dominated the reform movement during the transitional period.

• Eliot played a role in shaping higher education.

• He allowed independent learning.

• Advocated for vocational schools to be different from high school

• Harris wrote that common high schools should teach morality and citizenship.

• Instill social order.• View school as one of

the many factors in educating and socializing children

Vocational education

• 1917, Smith - Hughes act provided federal aid for vocational education.

• Working class students were placed in vocational programs due to biases of middle class educators

Abraham Flexner (1866-1959)A modern curriculum• Advocate for abolishing

Latin in America schooling.

• He argued that tradition was inadequate criteria for students and educators should make changes to the curriculum.

• 4 basics areas in modern curriculum• Science, industry, civics

and aesthetics• The Lincoln school of

teachers college, Columbia University adopted this curriculum in 1971

DeweyPragmatic and scientific principles of education

• Believes in democracy and education (has a book)

• Democracy was a social process that needed to be enhanced through schooling

• Study of any subject could enhance a child’s development.

• He formed the basis of child development movement in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Charles Judd (1873-1946)Systematic studies and social sciences

• An evolutionist who believed in laws of nature.

• Prepare to change the world

• Believed in preparing students to deal with problems and not acquire endless knowledge.

• Emphasized reading, writing and spelling based on words, science and mathematics

Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education

• 1918’s, NEA’s Commission published the “cardinal principles of secondary education”

• The principles for democratic society• Educations should promotes seven aims• High schools should be a comprehensive institution• High schools curriculum should meet varied needs of students• Current educational psychology should be applied to secondary

education• US educational should function with one another

Franklin Bobbitt (1876-1956)W.W.Charters (1875-1952)

• A major goal in the 1920’s was to eliminate small classes and increase the students to teacher ratio.

• Behaviourist ideas included• Objectives derived from students

needs• Learning experiences relate to

objectives• Activities organized by teacher

should be integrated into subjects matter

• Instructional outcomes should be evaluated

• Bobbitt curriculum should outline the knowledge important for each subjects.

• Bobbitt guideline for objectives• Eliminate objectives• Emphasizes objectives• Avoid objectives opposed by

communities• Involve the community

KilpatrickThe Progressive Influence• Divided methodology in four

steps• Purposing, planning, executing

and judging

• He argued for integrated subject matter and a general education emphasizing values and social issues.

• Organized experiences or activities that related and developmental in nature:• One activity should lead to

another

• Curriculum should derive from real life experiences not organized bodies of subject matter.

The 26th Yearbook

The books outlining of the ideal curriculum

Focus on affairs on human life. Deal with local national and international

issues. Enable students to think critically about various

forms of government. Foster open minds. Consider students interests and needs. Deal with the issues of modern life and society’s

cultural historical aspects. Consider problem activities. Organize problems and exercise in graded

organization Deal with humanitari an themes in purposeful

way.

• The committee that developed the yearbook • Rugg, Bagley, Bobbitt,

Charters, Counts, Judd and Kilpatrick.

• Created in 1930

Harold Rugg and Hollis CaswellCurriculum should address the students needs and

provide proper scope and sequences of subject matter• Caswell wanted to improve

instruction and help teachers to coordinate their activities with students needs.

• Caswell coordinated step by step curriculum building procedures.

• Rugg insisted that teacher should pre-plan and implement the curriculum needed for the students

• Rugg advocated for cooperation among educational professionals

Eight Year Study (1932-1940)

• Launched by The Progressive Education Association.

• A study designated to show that curriculum can meet the needs of students interests as well as a curriculum based on tests.

• Members understood that evaluation must determine whether a curriculum objectives had been achieved.

• The showed that they needed data on• Students achievement• Social factors • Teaching and learning processes• Instructional methods

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)Basic principles

• Created more than 700 articles and 16 books

• Known for his books “Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction”

• Created 4 basics questions for any curriculum

• What educational goals should a school seeks?

• What educational experiences are likely to lead these goals?

• How can these educational experiences be effectively organizes?

• How can we determine whether a school’s goal are being accomplished?

John Goodlad (1920-)School Reform

• He views that schools should helps individuals fulfil their potential but should promote societal goals.

• He launched a study of 260 kindergarten and first grade classrooms in 100 schools to discuss curriculums.

• His conclusion in his study showed that schools are emphasis on test score and they are the bottom line!

THE ENDTHANK YOU