What Is Curriculum?

WHAT IS CURRICULUM?

The word curriculum comes from a Latin root meaning “racecourse” and, for many, the school curriculum is just that- a race to be run, a series of obstacles or hurdles (subjects) to be passed.

However, over the years a number of very different definitions have been expounded. A taste of the diversity and some of the problems associated with each one can be gleaned from sample below:

·         Tanner (1980) defined curriculum as “the planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth in personal social competence” (p.13).

·         Schubert (1987) defines curriculum as the contents of a subject, concepts and tasks to be acquired, planned activities, the desired learning outcomes and experiences, product of culture and an agenda to reform society.

·         Pratt (1980) defines curriculum as a written document that systematically describes goals planned, objectives, content, learning activities, evaluation procedures and so forth.

·         Goodlad and Su (1992) define curriculum as a plan that consists of learning opportunities for a specific time frame and place, a tool that aims to bring about behaviour changes in students as a result of planned activities and includes all learning experiences received by students with the guidance of the school.

·         Cronbleth (1992) defines curriculum as answering three questions: what knowledge, skills and values are most worthwhile? Why are they most worthwhile? How should the young acquire them?

·         Grundy (1987) defines curriculum as a programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives.

·         Hass (1987) provides a broader definition, stating that a curriculum includes “all of the experiences that individual learners have in a program of education whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives, which is planned in terms of a framework of theory and research or past and present professional practice” (p.5).

·         Grundy (1987) defines curriculum as a programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives.

·         A curriculum is a “plan or program of all experiences which the learner encounters under the direction of a school” (Tanner and Tanner, 1995: 158).

·         According to Gatawa (1990: 8), it is “the totality of the experiences of children for which schools are responsible”.

·          All this is in agreement with Sergiovanni and Starrat (1983), who argue that curriculum is “that which a student is supposed to encounter, study, practice and master… what the student learns”.

·         For others such as Beach and Reinhatz (1989: 97), a curriculum outlines a “prescribed series of courses to take”. 

·         ACT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA NUMBER 20, Year 2003; a curriculum is a set of plans and regulations about the aims, content and material of lessons and the method employed as the guidelines for the implementation of learning activities to achieve given education objectives.

Here are multiple definitions of curriculum, from Oliva (1997).  Curriculum is: 

1. That which is taught in schools
2. A set of subjects.
3. Content
4. A program of studies.
5. A set of materials
6. A sequence of courses.
7. A set of performance objectives
8. A course of study
9. Is everything that goes on within the school, including extra-class activities, guidance, and interpersonal relationships.
10. Everything that is planned by school personnel. 
11. A series of experiences undergone by learners in a school.
12. That which an individual learner experiences as a result of schooling

ELEMENTS OF CURRICULUM

The curriculum has four elements that are in constant interaction:

• purpose (goals and objectives)

• content or subject matter

• methods or learning experiences

• evaluation.

Elements of the Curriculum

	Purpose • Goals • Objectives

 

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CONTEXT (Social/Political/Technological/Environmental/Economic

Adapted from Gatawa, B. S. M. (1990: 11). The Politics of the

School Curriculum: An Introduction. Harare: Jongwe Press.

It is the interaction of these elements in the social, political, economic, technological and environmental context that constitutes a curriculum.

Now let us look at each element in turn.

Purpose

The purpose of a curriculum:

• is based on the social aspirations of society,

• outlines the goals and aims of the programme, and

• is expressed as goals and objectives.

There are three categories of goals and objectives:

• cognitive, referring to intellectual tasks,

• psychomotor, referring to muscular skills, and

• affective, referring to feeling and emotions.

Content or Subject Matter

The content of the curriculum:

• is divided into bodies of knowledge, for example, mathematics, English and science;

• outlines the desired attitudes and values;

• includes cherished skills;

• is determined by prevailing theories of knowledge; and

• caters to ideological, vocational and technical considerations.

Methods

The methods outlined in a curriculum:

• deal with teaching and learning experiences, and

• involve organizational strategies.

Flexible teaching methods facilitate learning.

Evaluation

Evaluation is used to:

• select appropriate content based on the aims and objectives of the curriculum;

• select appropriate methods to address the content and purpose;

• check the effectiveness of methods and learning experiences used;

• check on the suitability and the appropriateness of the curriculum in answering social needs;

• give feedback to the planners, learners, teachers, industry and society; and

• provide a rationale for making changes.

TYPES OF CURRICULUM

• The written curriculum, gives the basic lesson plan to be followed, including objectives, sequence, and materials. This provides the basis for accountability.

• The operational curriculum is what is taught by the teacher, and how it is communicated. This includes what the teacher teaches in class and the learning outcomes for the student.

• The hidden curriculum includes the norms and values of the surrounding society. These are stronger and more durable than the first two, and may be in conflict with the them. (I would add that it is something that is not explicitly taught, but that is part of what molds the school/university environment)

• The null curriculum consists of what is not taught. Consideration must be given to the reasons behind why things are not included in the official or operational curriculum.

• The extra curriculum is the planned experiences outside of the specific educational session.

• Formal is the accepted, committee passed, written documents that are supposed to guide practice. Here at Andrews we might find some of this in the University Bulletin.

• Informal curriculum is those activities that happen that are not designed, planned, or formally accepted by the school.