Foundations of Curriculum

The literal meaning of the term curriculum is a program of study, a set of courses, or a prescribed syllabus. However, the curriculum of any educational institution is defined as all the planned and unplanned activities provided to learners for the purpose of their learning to be taken place within the premises of that institution. While developing curriculum for educational institutions, three foundations are vital to be kept in consideration. 

Philosophy plays the role of foundation for curriculum as it provides the base for setting aims, goals, and objectives for developing curriculum. The philosophy of the people in society will reveal the type of learners or citizens that they want to produce from educational institutions to fulfill the needs of society. Sociology is considered another foundation that helps the curriculum developers decide the values, traditions, ideals, costumes, and rituals in short cultural heritage to be inculcated among the learners through interactions. 

Psychology is a foundation for curriculum because psychology guides the curriculum developers to select the methods and strategies which would be suitable to teach learners of different ages in different contexts. It also helps in choosing assessment and evaluation techniques. The techniques to motivate learners, theories of learning and development, and the ways that the personalities of learners are shaped are also given by psychology. 

Thus, it is said that philosophy, sociology, and psychology are the foundations on which the building curriculum is constructed. If carefully addressed these three foundations while developing any curriculum, then educational institutions will face no hindrances in achieving the goals set for a certain period in their educational journey.

Broadening Horizons