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Module III
Curriculum Planning
Implementing & Evaluating

Lesson 1 Curriculum Planning

Lesson 2 Curriculum Implementation
Lesson 3 Curriculum Evaluation
Lesson 4 Curriculum Change and Innovation

MODULE 3 topics revolve around the three (3) big processes in curriculum
development; namely, CURRICULUM PLANNING, CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION, AND
CURRICULUM EVALUATION. These are the core topics in Curriculum Development which
you must pour much attention to.

OBJECTIVES

Given the reading texts and tasks to work on for a period of four (4) weeks and with a
once-a-week online meet up (when possible) with your instructor, you must be able to do the
following with moderate competence:

A. Describe the process of curriculum planning with focus on key steps.

B. Identify and discuss at least 2 critical issues in curriculum implementation.
C. Cite and describe at least 2 models for curriculum evaluation.
D. Propose at least one curriculum innovation at the classroom level.

 Lesson 1 Curriculum Planning

Introduction
Lesson 1 deals with the basic steps and concepts in planning a curriculum. In the
course of the discussions, some other significant and helpful topics will be included under
planning. These include: 1. Curriculum Models, 2. Approaches to Curriculum Design which
may include such topics as Organization, Types, Components, and Principles in curriculum
design.
Lesson 1 Objectives:

When you are through with lesson 1, you must be able to:
1. identify with ease the basic steps in curriculum planning;
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2. cite the important requisites of planning a school’s curriculum;

3. enumerate the salient factors for curriculum planning;
4. cite practical importance of curriculum planning at the classroom level;
5. cite the similarities of a standard curriculum and a standard lesson plan;
6. give insights on controversial and current issues in curriculum planning.

 Task 1. Test your knowledge.

Activity A. Directions. Write Yes if you agree on each of the following statements;
No if you don’t, and Uncertain if you are not sure, on the blank
provided before each item.

_____ 1. A daily lesson plan is crafted very similarly as in a standard curriculum.

_____ 2. The daily lesson plan is considered a curriculum, just like a course syllabus.
_____ 3. Every school teacher is considered a curriculum planner.
_____ 4. Employers hold an important stake in planning a school curriculum.
_____ 5. Teachers’ experiences are great sources of data for curriculum innovations.
_____ 6. We consider global situation in planning the schools’ curriculum.
_____ 7. Student performances are important inputs for curriculum planning.
_____ 8. Students are the primary stakeholders in a curriculum.
_____ 9. Students’ rating in state tests are inputs for curriculum innovations.
_____10. Curriculum planning is a continuous process and can happen anytime.

Activity B. Read and study the following lecture notes regarding curriculum planning.
Note down important points.

In curriculum planning, each curriculum planner must consider the school’s vision,
mission and goals including its philosophy or strong education belief of the school. All of
these are eventually being translated to classroom desired learning outcomes for the
learners.

A good curriculum must be a product of careful planning. The teacher makes a yearly,
monthly or daily plan of the curriculum. This will guide him in the implementation of the
curriculum. Because of this, he must consider several factors in planning a curriculum. These
factors include the learners, the support material, time, subject matter or content, the
desired outcomes, the context of the learners among others. By doing this, the teacher
becomes a curriculum planner.

Planning a school curriculum is much like planning a daily lesson plan. This is
because a standard school curriculum is very much similar to a standard lesson plan in all
aspects. The parts of a standard school curriculum are very much similar to the parts of a
standard lesson plan. Aims (including goals and objectives), content or subject matter,
learning experiences, and evaluation are common in both. In fact, the lesson plan is a
MINIATURE CURRICULUM.

Ponder on the following questions:

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Why is there a need for curriculum planning?

At the micro level, what is good in planning a daily lesson or topic?
At the macro level, what benefits does curriculum planning for revision and
enhancement bring?
Who does the planning and what planning inputs are needed?
What are the basic steps in curriculum planning?
What are the important considerations for planning the curriculum?

A. Planning
1. Convening a Curriculum Development Committee.

What composes a curriculum development committee? A curriculum

development committee is usually composed of the following:

a. Teachers.
These teachers represent the various schools and grade levels at a given
geographic location. Usually, these teachers teach in the so-called pilot or central
schools in certain districts where most curricular studies and experiments are
conducted. Most importantly, teachers are frontline implementers of the curriculum.
The role they assume in the committee is very crucial since they hold considerable
first-hand data and information regarding existing curriculum.

b. School Administrators.
These are seasoned administrators who have had lengthy experiences in curriculum
administration and they usually work in key public and private schools in the country
where curriculum innovations and enhancements usually emanate.

c. Student Representatives.
Students as members of a curriculum committee may be so ideal but largely
significant. Students are the primary stakeholders of schools and they represent the
largest end-users of the curriculum that runs them. It is for them that a curriculum is
crafted.

d. The Public being stakeholders.

By ‘public’ we mean the major social institutions that compose it. These include
the family represented by parents, the local government units, the church, and most
importantly the business and economic sector. The public tells the schools what
they want to see in the students when they graduate in terms of knowledge and
skills necessary to be able to perform tasks required of them in the community. For
instance: managers of private banks and government financing institutions (GFIs)
participate in curriculum planning because they want to tell business and
accountancy schools to improve their curriculum by accommodating contemporary
topics much needed in the field of work.

e. A Committee Chairperson.
The position of a committee chairperson is very important. The chairperson must be
effective, knowledgeable, respected, and committed. Alongside must be an equally
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knowledgeable and committed members who eventually act as experts during the
development phases and implementation phases.

The committee chairperson must be a capable leader; one who can stand the
heat and the rigors of a long-term process of curriculum change and innovation.

2. Identifying Key Issues and Trends in the Specific Content Area. The first step in
any curriculum development process involves research that reviews recent issues
and trends of the discipline, both within the district and across the nation. This
research allows a curriculum committee to identify key issues and trends that will
support the needs assessment that should be conducted and the philosophy that
should be developed.

For instance: The recent developments in our country’s basic education curriculum
was a product of extensive studies on the issues and concerns in Philippine basic
education curriculum. Trends and issues in basic education worldwide were taken
as benchmarks or models, issues on language for instruction were also considered,
prevailing methods of instruction and learner readiness issues were reviewed, labor
force requirements were addressed, continuing professional development of
teachers and many other issues were highlighted as inputs for curriculum
development, including the inception of technology in instruction as part of
instructional materials and their availability, and assessment of student
performance. The result: the shift from a 10-year to a 12-year basic education
curriculum which you are a product of.

3. Assessing Needs and Issues. Assessing student needs and identifying pressing
issues and concerns generally leads to improvement of student learning. The
primary source of data for this is the students. The intensive data gathered from
them is transformed into an information that will describe the present state of the
curriculum and how students perform in it.
Examples of data that may be gathered in the field include the following:
a) desired outcomes or expectations of a high-quality program
b) the role of assessment
c) the current status of student achievement
d) actual program content
e) concerns and attitudes of teachers, administrators, parents and students
f) samples of assessments,
g) lessons from teachers,
h) assignments,
i) scores on state standardized tests,
j) textbooks currently used,
k) student perception and feedback from parents.

With a common set of understandings that arise from the identification of issues and
trends, a curriculum development committee can conduct a needs assessment to best
ascertain the perceptions, concerns and desires of each of the stakeholders in the process.
By examining this data carefully, it may reveal key issues that should influence the curriculum
design. For example:
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 teachers may be dissatisfied with older content and techniques in light of recent
research;
 test scores may be declining or lower than expected in some or all areas;
 teachers may not have materials or may not know how to use materials to
enhance understandings;
 teachers may want to make far greater use of technology to enhance learning;
 teachers and others may wish to relate the content of the program more closely
to contemporary problems and issues;
 teachers may be looking for ways to increase the amount of interdisciplinary work
in which students are engaged;
 students may express a need for different and enriched curricular opportunities;
 parents and others may have concerns about implementation.

Whatever the particular circumstances, an effective curriculum development process

usually entails a structured needs assessment to gather information and guide the curriculum
development process. The information, commonly gathered through surveys, structured
discussions and test data, most frequently includes:

 teacher analysis of the present curriculum to identify strengths, weaknesses,

omissions and/or problems;
 sample lessons that illustrate curriculum implementation;
 sample assessments that illustrate the implementation of the curriculum;
 identification of what teachers at each grade level perceive to be the most
serious issues within the curriculum;
 suggestions for change and improvement generated by meetings with teachers,
guidance counselors and administrators; and
 parents’ and other community members’ concerns and expectations for the
program obtained through surveys and invitational meetings.

The data collected from the needs assessment in conjunction with information obtained
from research and various resources become the basis upon which the entire written curriculum
- from philosophy to goals to assessment – is then formulated.

 Task 2. Look into the major points.

Activity A. In a simple diagram, show the basic steps in curriculum planning and outline
its components as described.
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Activity B. Fill out the following table to show the similarities of a daily lesson plan and
a school curriculum. One has been given for you.

Daily Lesson Plan School Curriculum

A daily lesson plan has . . . A school’s curriculum has . . .
A. Goals / Objectives A. Aims / Goals / Objectives
B. B.
C. C.
D. D.

 Task 3. Look into the details.

Activity A. Name the basic requisites of curriculum planning for a particular school.
One is given for you.

a. Philosophy
b. ____________________
c. _____________________
d. _____________________
e. _____________________

Activity B. Name some of the factors for curriculum planning. One is given
for you.

a. Learners or Nature of Learners

b.
c.
d.
e.

 Task 4. Find some Application. Choose ONE ONLY.

Activity A. As a student in the College of Education suggest at least 2 enhancements

or improvements you would like to happen in the existing curriculum.

A.
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B.
Activity B. You have been a product of the K to 12 basic education curriculum. Which
feature of that curriculum would you like to change or modify to improve the
teaching and learning process. Name just ONE.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Task 5. Give your insights

Activity A. Why is there a need for teachers to make a Daily Lesson Plan? What
are the benefits of planning a day’s lesson or topic to be presented in class?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Activity B. With all the instructional materials in the world-wide web that are pre-
cooked, readily available and easily accessible by teachers on mere click of a
button, would you consider planning a day’s lesson still relevant and necessary?
Justify your ideas with sensible examples.

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 1 ends here.