FIELD STUDY 1

Learning Episode 8: Close Encounter with School

Curriculum
Name: Mark Gerald P. Lagran
Year and Course: BSEd – Social Studies IV

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Learning 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.

LEARNING ESSENTIALS
SCHOOL CURRICULUM: What is this all about?
From a broad perspective, curriculum is defined as the total 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 and 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 feature. 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 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 progress 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 career 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.

TYPES OF A SCHOOL CURRICULUM

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 Curriculum 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 curriculum 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;
plan 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;
implemented 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. Describe what curriculum is operating in the school setting you are
assigned. Recall the types of curriculum mentioned earlier. Can you spot where these are found?
Let’s do a hunting game!

OBSERVE

Resource Teacher: Mr. Enrico O. Regencia Teacher's Signature

School: SLSU Laboratory School Grade/Year Level: Grade 8
Subject Area: Social Studies Date: November 9, 2021

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.
TYPES OF CURRICULUM WHERE FOUND DESCRIPTION

1. Recommended It is located or can be found The Recommended Curriculum

Curriculum (K to 12 inside of course the classroom, is the name given to the
Guidelines) from which the teacher is using curriculum construed by the
this as recommended by the educational stakeholders at the
Department of Education. national level. It is more general
and usually consists of policy
guidelines. It actually reflects the
impact of “opinion shapers”
such as: policy makers. For
example, is the K-12 in the
Philippines.
2.Written Curriculum It is located in the teacher’s The written curriculum refers to
(Teacher’s Lesson Plan” lesson plan from which it guides a lesson plan or syllabus written
the teachers in their teaching by teachers. Another example is
strategy. It is mostly can be seen the one written by curriculum
in the faculty areas. experts with the help of subject
teachers. They come in the form
of course of study, syllabi,
modules, books or instructional
guides among others. A packet
of this written curriculum is the
teacher's lesson plan.
3.Taught Curriculum It can be located inside the Whatever is being taught or
(Teaching Learning classroom. activity being done in the
Process) classroom is a taught curriculum.
So, when teachers give a lecture,
initiate group work, or ask
students to do a laboratory
experiment with their guidance,
the taught curriculum is
demonstrated
4. Supported Curriculum It can be found inside the The Supported Curriculum is the
(Subject Textbook) classroom, laboratory, library, curriculum supported by
faculty or in any school setting available resources. Such
where learning is exposed. resources include both human
(teachers) as well as physical
(such as textbooks, workbooks,
audio visual aids, teacher guides,
grounds, buildings, library books
and laboratory equipment)
5. Assessed Curriculum It can be found inside the The curriculum that is reflected
(Assessment Process) classroom. by the assessment or evaluation
of the learners is called the
Assessed Curriculum. It includes
both formative and summative
evaluation of learners conducted
by teachers, schools, or external
organizations. It involves all the
tests (teacher- made, district or
standardized) in all formats
(such as portfolio, performance,
production, demonstration, etc.).
6.Learned Curriculum It can be found within the It is the curriculum that a learner
(Achieved Learning student’s performance, the absorbs or makes sense of as a
Outcomes) knowledge and skill that they result of interaction with the
acquire as they learned inside the teacher, class-fellows or the
school setting. institution. ... It includes the
knowledge, attitudes and skills
acquired by the student.
 7.Hidden Curriculum Hidden curriculum can be found Hidden curriculum refers to the
(Media) in the attitude that the students unwritten, unofficial, and often
are manifesting, the values and unintended lessons, values, and
the norms that they have as they perspectives that students learn
are learning in the school. in school. While the “formal”
curriculum consists of the
courses, lessons, and learning
activities students participate in,
as well as the knowledge and
skills educators intentionally
teach to students, the hidden
curriculum consists of the
unspoken or implicit academic,
social, and cultural messages
that are communicated to
students while they are in
school.

ANALYZE

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

Learned Curriculum and Hidden Curriculum are the easiest to find in a classroom setting.
Learned Curriculum is a curriculum that aims to achieve learning objectives that are much easier to test
and observe in a school context, since this form of curriculum is crucial in evaluating and changing a
teacher's approach and methods in a school setting. Hidden Curriculum is a type of curriculum that is
more visible, especially in the new normal of education, when media plays a significant role in every
student's learning process.

Which is difficult to observe? Why?

The recommended curriculum is difficult to observe since some teachers modifies the curriculum
that is more suitable and fits to the needs of every students.

Are these all found in the school setting?

All of this type of curriculum may be found in a school setting because curriculum is at the heart of
education. Curriculum refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific
course or program that fulfill the needs of all students.

How do curricula relate to one another?

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

Make a reflection on the diagram that you have drawn.

The curriculum is linked since each has its own set of objectives. Let's start with the left-
hand boxed curriculum, which is followed by the first-in-line written curriculum. It's thought that it's
the teachers' lesson plans that help educators plan and have guides as part of their teaching
style. The supported curriculum comes next, because it must include materials such as textbooks
as one of the teachers' guides to proper instruction in order to carry out the written curriculum. It is
then followed by the taught curriculum, which serves as a vehicle for putting the lesson plan into
reality. All of this is connected to the material being studied, and we may assess students'
progress based on what they did or performed in the classroom.
Activity 8.2 THE MINISCULE SCHOOL CURRICULUM: THE LESSON, A CLOSER LOOK

Resource Teacher: Mr. Enrico O. Regencia Teacher's Signature

School: SLSU Laboratory School Grade/Year Level: Grade 8
Subject Area: Social Studies Date: November 9, 2021

OBSERVE

This activity requires a full lesson observation from Motivation to Assessment.

Procedure: (There’s no lesson plan)
1. 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; and
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
Key Guide for Observation (Carefully look for
Major Curriculum Components the indicators/behaviors of the teacher along
the key points. Write your observation and
description in your paper/document.
A. PLANNING 1. Borrow the cooperating 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.
Answer the following questions:
a. How did the teacher begin the lesson?
b. What procedures 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.
Answer the following questions:
a. Were the objectives as learned
outcomes achieved?
b. How did the teachers
assessed/evaluate it?
c. What evidence was shown?
Get pieces of evidence.
 ANALYZE

Answer the following questions briefly based on the data you gathered.
1. How does the teacher whom you observed compare to the ideal characteristics or
competencies of global quality teachers?
My resource teacher is a teacher who assists students by allowing them to bring their own
self into the classroom. He encourages his students to be themselves and do what they enjoy in
class because this would help them enhance their skills and knowledge. He also encourages his
students to tell stories that inspire and drive them to be more imaginative and creative, as this is
what the class should be about.
2. Was the lesson implemented as planned? Describe.
I feel it was carried out correctly and in accordance with the plan. It appeared natural to take
place in a virtual classroom because the planning was so transparent and uncomplicated. The
curriculum for the lesson plan has been prepared. It is also made possible by the entire class's
participation.
3. Can you describe the disposition of the teacher after the lesson was
taught? Happy and eager? Satisfied and contented? Disappointed and
exhausted?
The collaborating teacher was ecstatic and happy as he taught the subject in class. He is very
communicative with the students since they are also engaged in the session. I believe he is
satisfied and content at the end of the course because the children learn with him as he instructs
them.
4. Can you describe the majority of students’ reactions after the lesson was
taught? Confused? Happy and eager? Contented? No reactions at all.
I feel that some students are happy and pleased, while others are bewildered, and that this is
appropriate in the classroom, especially now that we have a new normal. I propose that the
institution revise their class plan by defining the desired learning outcomes and giving a wide
variety of experiences to their students.

REFLECT

Based on your observations and tasks in the activities, how will you prepare a
lesson plan?

The most difficult part was planning a lesson because it is the foundation for
how the lesson will be delivered. When designing a lesson, having a curriculum
outline for a specific year level is essential. I'll use the curriculum guide to figure out
when and how to start my lesson plan. The lesson plan must include the learning
objectives and expected learning outcomes; these two pieces should be considered
because they are the most significant aspects of constructing a lesson plan. I want to
build an engaging lesson by outlining it on my lesson. It is vital to offer an engaging
learning environment for our students because this will influence whether or not they
understand our lesson. The needs and interests of each student should be
addressed in the lesson.