EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM
PLANNING DEVELOPMENT &
SUPERVISION
Chapter 19. The Conceptual Approach
Chapter 20. Community School Education
THE CONCEPTUAL APPROACH
The Conceptual Approach may be considered either as
a way of organizing the curriculum or a way of
developing concepts through scientific inquiry.
Conceptual Approach is a method of organizing the
curriculum around basic concepts and generalization.
Concept is the categorization or classification of things,
events, or ideas.
THINGS TO CONSIDER…
We should not expect the learner to instantly grasp a concept.
He should first be led into learning such concept in a hierarchical
and developmental pattern.
We should start with specific facts which, when connected and
interrelated, may be used to form concepts with low level of
abstraction.
The process of conceptualizing is subjective; it is personal to the
learner.
THINGS TO CONSIDER…
It is something only the conceptualizer or learner can do.
It is not memorizing what someone else thinks a specific
concept is.
Conceptualizing means examining and reflecting on similar
experiences in order to identify their common elements and
build an orderly image of them.
The conceptual approach aims at developing a thinkingfeeling-acting man.
Structure is the foundational concepts and generalizations
of a discipline.
“Every minute 2,000 pages of books, newspaper, or reports
are published somewhere in the world” – Paul Todd
It is important that instruction is focused on the fundamental
ideas or on the concepts and generalizations of each major
branch of knowledge.
EXAMPLE:
Generalization: “Natural resources are indispensable for the
development and progress of a nation.”
Concept: Natural Resources, Development, Progress, Nation
Subconcept: Trees, Land, Minerals, Water
The strategy preferred in the conceptual approach may be
generally described as inquiry which is mainly premised on
the idea that due to the fast ‘turnover’ of knowledge, it is
better to stress the ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to
learn.’
The experiential method in the conceptual approach is
based on the three basic educational principles, as stated
by Pine and Horne.
 Learning is change as a result of an experience which
is personally meaningful and relevant to the
individual.
 Learning is both an intellectual and an emotional
process.
 Learning is a cooperative and collaborative process.
“Learning is discovery. There is no other means of
effective learning. You can tell a child a thousand
times that the stove is hot. It doesn’t help. The child
has to discover for himself.” – Fritz Perls
COMMUNITY SCHOOL EDUCATION
The movement to community school education stems
from a variety of concerns about the learners and
societal structures.
The Nature of Community School Education
“Community education as a process that puts meaning
into the notion that people can and should make an
input into the educational system that serves their
community.” – Kerensky 1972
“The underlying premise of the community school to be belief
that the schools belong to the people, and that local
resources can be harnessed to attack community problems.”
– Hughes
School may serve a four-fold role as follows:
 An educational center where learner and adults have optimum
opportunities for study and learning.
 A neighborhood center for cultural and recreational activities.
 A center for social services.
 A center of neighborhood and community life assisting citizens in
the study and solution of neighborhood problems.
Community Education and Community Schools
Community Education is a concept based process of
education for children, youth, adults.
Community
Schools
are
vehicles
that
provides
opportunities for community involvement and decisionmaking.
END GAME