What is Curriculum?

What is Curriculum?

1. The word originates from the Latin word currere referring to the oval track upon which Roman chariots raced. The New International Dictionary defines curriculum as the whole body of a course in an educational institution or by a department

   • Tanner defined curriculum as „the planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge
   • THE HIDDEN CURRUCULUM
     • It was coined by the sociologist Philip Jackson in 1968. He drew attention to the idea that schools did more than simply transmit knowledge from one generation to another. Students learn things that are not actually taught in the formal curriculum.
     • The hidden curriculum involves learning such things as how to respond to and cope with authority, how to get on with others, how to conform to the expectations of teachers and their peers.
   • CURRICULUM APPROACHES
     • There are three definitions provided by the experts. As content, as a product, and as a process
       • Curriculum as content: is a concise document listing the topics of a subject. Generally, indicate the relative importance of the topics or the order in which they are to be studied.
       • Curriculum as Product: is focused on the setting of instructional or behavioral objectives.
       • Curriculum as a process: It is not seen as a physical thing, but rather the interaction of teachers, students, and knowledge. It is what actually happens in the classroom.

2. Schubert defines curriculum as the contents of a subject, concepts and tasks to be acquired

3. Pratt (1980) defines curriculum as a written document that systematically describes goals planned, objectives, content

4. Goodlad and Su define curriculum as a plan that consists of learning opportunities for a specific time frame and place

5. Grundy (1987) defines curriculum as a programme of activities by teachers and pupils

6. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

   • Curriculum development is a process involving many different people and procedures and follows a logical step-by-step
     • First is, curriculum planning which involves decisions about the philosophy of education and the aims of education.
     • The second phase is curriculum design which refers to the way curriculum is conceptualised and involves the selection and organisation of content, and the selection and organisation of learning experiences or activities.
     • The third phase is curriculum implementation in the classroom setting. It involves getting people to practice the ideas in the curriculum, providing them with the necessary resources, training and encouragement.
     • The fourth phase is curriculum evaluation which is determining the extent to which the efforts in implementing the ideas of the curriculum have been successful

7. CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

   • The relationship between curriculum and instruction is a partnership. We may think of the curriculum as a plan stipulating the content to be taught along with the learning experiences to be included. Instruction may be thought of as methodology, the teaching act and assessing of achievement.