LSU Shreveport Types of Curriculum Definitions Discussion

“Which definition or definitions of curriculum resonates with you from the article? And why?”

APA format. 250 Words minimal. No Plagiarism.

Instructor Notes

What is Curriculum? Basic Understanding of Curriculum

To build upon the article reading for the week, I will share some basics to understanding what curriculum is and how it is broken into many defined categories. One important thing to remember is that the diversity in curriculum definition also continues to exist in describing its types. Different researchers have used different terminology and categories of curriculum. However, it is interesting that many curriculum experts have used different terminology for the same type of curriculum.

Different philosophies of education, divergent learning theories, and different approaches and theories of curriculum have contributed to the establishment of assorted definitions of curriculum. Each definition communicates a particular aspect or characteristic of curriculum, adding its depth and breadth. Some educationists think that curriculum is confined to content as it is “a systematic group of courses or sequences of subjects” (Good, 1988); others consider it to consist of “the formal and informal content and the process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills, and alter attitudes, appreciations, and values under the auspices of school” (Doll, 1996). Some think it to be an “output of the ‘curriculum development system’ and an input to the ‘instructional system’” (Johnson, 1967); some others consider it to be a “plan for providing sets of learning opportunities for persons to be educated” (Saylor, Alexander & Lewis, 1981), and some others suggest that curriculum includes the “entire range of experiences, both directed and undirected, concerned with unfolding the abilities of the individual” (Bobbit, 1918) or “all experiences children have under the guidance of teachers” (Caswell & Campbell, 1935)

Types of Curriculum Definitions

Ellis (2004) has grouped these definitions into two categories below:

Prescriptive: Some curriculum definitions are prescriptive because these define curriculum as “how things should be” in the schools. These definitions acknowledge the dominant role of the institution or teacher who is influencing the learners. Here, the institution or teacher is responsible for transforming the learners’ personality in such a way that it is accepted by society (Bhatti and Jumani, 2016). Prescriptive definition of curriculum suggests that:

• Curriculum is revamping of child’s experience to “the organized body of truth.
• Curriculum prepares learners for “meeting and controlling life situations”.
• Curriculum is a sum of “all the learning experiences planned and directed by the school”.
• Curriculum is purposeful and embodies “a society’s past, present, and future beliefs”.

Descriptive: Some definitions are descriptive because these define curriculum as “how things are” in the schools. In these definitions, educationists put the learners in focus and define things happening concerning the learners (Bhatti and Jumani, 2016). Some definitions of this category are given below.

• Curriculum includes everything which the learner willingly receives and assimilates so that it shapes his future behavior.
• Curriculum is the “interaction” of students with the teacher, knowledge, and environment.
• Curriculum causes a change in the learner’s knowledge and experience that helps the learner in managing situations around him wisely.

Types of Curriculum

The categories suggest that there is a major difference between the planned curriculum and the actualized curriculum. Yet these categories are not precise to include the several different types of curricula. These types are broken into two categories: intentional and unintentional.

1. Intentional is defined as the standards that the school system consciously intends.

• • Types of Intentional Curriculum
    • Written Curriculum: The Written Curriculum is the curriculum that is sanctioned and approved for classroom delivery. It represents society’s needs and interests. It translates the broad goals of the “Recommended Curriculum” into specific learning outcomes: rationale of curriculum, general goals, specific objectives, sequence of objectives, and kinds of learning activities.
    • Supported Curriculum: The Supported Curriculum is the curriculum supported by available resources. Such resources include both human (teachers) as well as physical (such as textbooks, workbooks, audiovisual aids, teacher guides, grounds, buildings, library books, and laboratory equipment). The Supported Curriculum not only plays a vital role in developing, implementing, and evaluating the curriculum, but it also affects the quantity and nature of the learned content.
    • Taught Curriculum (Operational): The curriculum that is delivered by the teachers is Taught Curriculum. Teachers, the chief implementers of curriculum, occupy a crucial role in curriculum decision-making. Taking the students into consideration, they decide how to achieve the intended learning outcomes. They decide the distribution of time to a particular activity/content. Even external pressures like external exams cannot limit their freedom to exercise their philosophy of instruction. In some countries, teachers are given considerable authority regarding curriculum, instruction, and choice of instructional resources; in others, these choices are limited.
    • Learned Curriculum: All the changes that occurred in the learners due to their school experience are called the Learned Curriculum. It is the curriculum that a learner absorbs or makes sense of as a result of interaction with the teacher, class fellows, or the institution. It includes the knowledge, attitudes, and skills acquired by the student. Many educationists have defined curriculum as everything the learner experiences. This emphasizes the dominance of the learner in the curriculum and excludes all that does not affect the learner. Thus, only the learned curriculum becomes the curriculum.
    • Assessed Curriculum (also known as Tested Curriculum): The curriculum that is reflected by the assessment or evaluation of the learners is called the Assessed Curriculum. It includes both formative and summative evaluations of learners conducted by teachers, schools, or external organizations. The assessed curriculum is significant as it enables the stakeholders to evaluate the impact of Written and Taught curricula upon the learners.
    • Recommended Curriculum: The Recommended Curriculum is the name given to the curriculum construed by the educational stakeholders at the national level. It is more general and usually consists of policy guidelines. It reflects the impact of “opinion shapers”; it provides recommended curriculum provides a basic framework for the curriculum. It identifies the key learning areas. It specifies the boundaries as well as the destination. So, it guides the curriculum coordinator in formulating the academic standards to be achieved through various teaching-learning programs.

2. Unintentional is defined as which, by and large, is not a product of conscious intention.

• • Types of Unintentional Curriculums
    • Hidden Curriculum: Part of the Learned Curriculum due to its unintended results of activities or efforts of the institutions. This is called the hidden curriculum. It is unintentional because the teachers, as well as other members of the educational institution, convey messages that are not part of the officially approved curriculum. For example, the behavior and attitude of the teachers may affect the students. Moreover, it may also be the unintentional consequence of some acts. An example of a Hidden Curriculum occurs when a student (dis)likes some teacher’s teaching strategy and consequently begins (dis)liking the subject taught by that teacher. Both positive and negative messages are included in the hidden curriculum. The Hidden Curriculum is “part of school ethos” and controls much of the student’s learning, behavior, and social conduct.
    • Null Curriculum (also known as Excluded Curriculum): The Null Curriculum is that which is not taught. Sometimes the teacher ignores some content or skill, deliberately or unknowingly. A teacher may consider some ideas unimportant and ignore them. Similarly, teachers may avoid detailed descriptions of some topic for one or another reason. Sometimes also, the learner fails to learn certain knowledge, skills, or attitude for various reasons.