Here in this article, it has been explained about the philosophical foundation of curriculum construction. Learn about philosophy and curriculum. Know how the philosophy directs the curriculum makers to construct the curriculum.
Philosophy and curriculum |
Philosophical Foundation of the curriculum in brief
Most great educationists are also great philosophers. Their educational thoughts are based on their philosophy. Philosophy is the search for truth and wisdom. One’s philosophy of life represents his commitment towards individual and society. It also reflects one’s way of life. Philosophers are a seeker of knowledge. They are in constant search of the truth. They also want to unveil the meaning of life.
Education should also be based on a solid foundation of g philosophy. It provides the right direction to education. Philosophy decides the content of education. Educational philosophy is the ideas, attitudes and belief about the nature of knowledge. John Goodlad says that philosophy is the beginning point in the curriculum decision making and is the basis for all subsequent decisions regarding curriculum. Philosophy helps curriculum developers to know the answer to various questions such as what students should learn? How value develops? What methods and materials should be used and many more. It also helps in preparation of textbooks and teaching materials.
Philosophical Foundation and curriculum
The activities which are organised for the students and experiences which are provided to them in order to attain the goals of education is called the curriculum. When philosophy determines the goals of education it must also determine the curriculum to achieve those aims. But the problem is that the life span of man is very short and the knowledge and experiences accumulated so for is very vast. As a result, nobody can acquire all the experiences and knowledge however hard-working he is. Besides, the universe continues to change what is true or believed tomorrow. Philosophy solves all these problems of curriculum construction and development in the following ways:
1. Philosophy evaluates all the human experiences and knowledge from the point of view of usefulness and gives its judgement as to what should be taught and at what stage.
2. Since human can not accumulate all the experiences in their life span, philosophy divides these experiences into sections and subsections and determines what portion of knowledge a person should study on the basis of his need and interest.
3. Capacity to digest a particular amount of knowledge develops with age and maternity. By taking the help of psychology, philosophy determines how much titbits of knowledge and experiences should be provided to an individual at different stages of his life.
4. It also gives us knowledge of what is worth teaching and what is not. Thus, philosophy talks in terms of values of life and ethics of education.
5. It also tells us which part of the curriculum should be given special emphasis and why.
6. Since knowledge and experience change with time, philosophy adapts itself to the changing needs and modifies the curriculum accordingly.
Provide Your Feedback. ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon