02ProfEd06

Session Guide
At the end of this session, students are expected to:
 Come up with a concrete concept of a curriculum;
 Differentiate the types of curriculum
 Distinguish between the term “curriculum” and other
associated terminologies such as “syllabus”, “scheme of work,
“course of study” and “lesson note”.
 Explain the nature and importance of curriculum in various
levels
 Nature of
Curriculum Big Idea:
The way we view curriculum reflects our approach to it.
Curriculum
 Comes from the Latin word currere which means “to run” or
“to run a course.”

 It is a course of study, which contains a body of subject

matter approved for teaching in schools
Meaning of Curriculum

Prescriptive [curriculum] definitions provide us with

what “ought” to happen, and they more often than not
take the form of a plan, an integrated program, or
some kind of expert opinion about what needs to take
place in the course of study (Ellis, 2004, p. 4).
Meaning of Curriculum
• Curriculum is a continuous reconstruction, moving from the
child’s present experience out into that represented by the
organized bodies of truth that we call studies… the various
studies… are themselves experience – they are that of the
race (John Dewey, 1902).
• Curriculum is the entire range of experiences, both directed
and undirected, concerned in unfolding the abilities of the
individual (Franklin Bobbit, 1918)
Meaning of Curriculum
• (The curriculum is) a succession of experiences and
enterprises having a maximum lifelikeness for the learner…
giving the learner that development most helpful in meeting
and controlling life situations (Harold O. Rugg, 1927),
• The curriculum is composed of all the experiences children
have under the guidance of teachers… Thus, curriculum
considered as a field of study represents no strictly limited
body of content, but rather a process or procedure (Hollis
Caswell, 1935 in Caswell & Campbell)
Meaning of Curriculum
• [The curriculum is] all the learning experiences planned and
directed by the school to attain its educational goals (Ralph
Tyler, 1957)
• Curriculum is a sequence of content units arranged in such a
way that the learning of each unit may be accomplished as
a single act, provided the capabilities described by specified
prior units (in the sequence) have already been mastered by
the learner (Robert Gagne, 1967)
Meaning of Curriculum
• [Curriculum is] all planned learning outcomes for which the
school is responsible… Curriculum refers to the desired
consequences of instruction (James Popham & Eva Baker,
1970)
• [Curriculum] refers to a written plan outlining what students
will be taught (a course of study). Curriculum may refer to all
the courses offered at a given school, or all the courses
offered at a school in a particular area of study (J. L. McBrien
& R. Brandt, 1997)
Meaning of Curriculum

• Curriculum means the planned interaction of pupils

with instructional content, materials, resources and
processes for evaluating the attainment of education
objectives (Indiana Department of Education, 2010)
Meaning of Curriculum

Descriptive [curriculum] definitions are “not merely in

terms of how things ought to be… but how things are in
real classrooms” (Ellis, 2004, p.5). It is also known as the
experienced curriculum that provides “glimpses” of the
curriculum in action.
Meaning of Curriculum
• All the experiences children have under the guidance of
teachers (Caswell & Campbell, 1935)
• Those learnings each child selects, accepts and incorporates
into himself to act with, on and upon, in subsequent
experiences (Hopkins, 1941)
• All experiences of the child for which the school accepts
responsibility (Ragan, 1960)
• The set of actual experiences and perceptions of the
experiences that each individual learner has of his or her
program of education (Hass, 1987)
Meaning of Curriculum
• The reconstruction of knowledge and experience that enables the
learner to grow in exercising intelligent control of subsequent
knowledge and experience (Tanner & Tanner, 1995)
• All student school experiences relating to the improvement of skills
and strategies in thinking critically and creatively, solving
problems, working collaboratively with others, communicating
well, writing more effectively, reading more analytically, and
conducting research to solve problems (Brown, 2006)
• An emphasis on what students can do with knowledge, rather than
what units of knowledge they have, is the essence of 21st century
skills (Silva, 2009)
Points for Emphasis on the Definitions
1. Curriculum includes both the plans made for learning and the
actual learning experiences provided.
2. The “retrievable documents” is sufficiently broad in its denotation
to include curricula stored in digital form.
3. Key dimensions of actualized curriculum: as experienced by the
learner and that which might be observed by a disinterested
observer.
4. The experienced curriculum takes place in an environment that
influences and impinges on learning – usually termed as hidden
curriculum
Characteristics of Curriculum
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018)

• It includes all the experiences of children for which the school

is responsible;
• It has content;
• It is a system for dealing with people;
• It is planned; and
• It is a series of courses to be taken by students
 Types of
Curriculum Big Idea:
The definition of curriculum is multi-layered and highly eclectic.
Studying the types of curriculum gives more holistic meaning.
 Types
Goodlad and associates (1979) 5
Glatthorn, 1980; 2006 7
Wilson, 1990 11
Types of Curriculum
Goodlad and associates (1979) 5 forms of curriculum planning:
• Ideological curriculum – the ideal as construed by scholars
and teachers – a curriculum of ideas intended to reflect
funded knowledge.
• Formal curriculum – is that officially approved by state and
local school boards – the sanctioned curriculum that
represents society’s interest.
Types of Curriculum
Goodlad and associates (1979) 5 forms of curriculum planning:
• Perceived curriculum – is the curriculum of the mind – what
teachers, parents and others think the curriculum to be
• Operational curriculum – is the observed curriculum of what
actually goes on hour after hour in the classroom
• Experiential curriculum – is what the learners actually
experience
Types of Curriculum (Glatthorn, 1980; 2006)
Recommended Curriculum – are typically formulated
at a rather high level of generality; they are most often
presented as policy recommendations, lists of goals,
suggested graduation requirements, and general
recommendations about the content and sequence of
a field of study. It is recommended by the individual
scholars, professional associations, and reform
commissions.
Types of Curriculum (Glatthorn, 1980; 2006)
Written Curriculum – it is intended primarily to ensure
that the educational goals of the system are being
accomplished; it is a curriculum of control. It indicates
a rationale that supports the curriculum, the general
goals to be accomplished, the specific objectives to
be mastered, the sequence in which those objectives
should be studied, and the kinds of learning activities
that should be used
Types of Curriculum (Glatthorn, 1980; 2006)
Supported Curriculum – the curriculum as reflected and
shaped by the resources allocated to a given subject
at a particular level of schooling, the time allocated by
the classroom teacher within that overall subject
allocation to particular aspects of the curriculum;
personnel allocations as reflected in and resulting from
class-size decisions; and the textbooks and other
learning materials provided for use in the classroom.
Types of Curriculum (Glatthorn, 1980; 2006)
Taught Curriculum – is the delivered curriculum, a
curriculum that an observer sees in action as the
teacher teaches.
Tested/ Assessed Curriculum – set of learning that is
assessed in teacher-made classroom tests; in district-
developed, curriculum-referenced tests; and in
standardized tests
Types of Curriculum (Glatthorn, 1980; 2006)
Learned Curriculum – all the changes in values,
perceptions, and behavior that occur as a result of
school experiences. It includes what the student
understands, learns, and retains from both the
intentional curriculum and the hidden curriculum
Hidden Curriculum – which by and large is not a
product of conscious or intentional curriculum
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
1. Overt, explicit or written curriculum – written as
part of formal instruction of schooling experiences. It
may refer to curriculum document, texts, films and
supportive teaching materials that are overtly chosen
to support the intentional instructional agenda of a
school. Thus, it is usually confined to those written
understandings and directions formally designated and
reviewed by administrators curriculum directors and
teachers, often collectively.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
2. Societal/ Social Curriculum – the massive,
ongoing, informal curriculum of family, peer groups,
neighborhood, churches, organizations, occupations,
mass media, and other socializing forces that
“educate” all of us throughout our lives (Cortes, 1981).
It can now be expanded to include the powerful
effects of social media and how it actively helps
create new perspectives, and can help shape both
individual and public opinion.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)

3. Hidden or Covert Curriculum – implied by the

structure and nature of schools, much of what revolves
around daily or established routines. It may include
both positive or negative messages, depending on the
models provided and the perspectives of the learner or
the observer.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)

4. Null Curriculum – that which we do not teach, thus

giving students the message that these elements are
not important in their educational experiences or in our
society.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)

5. Phantom Curriculum – the messages prevalent in

and through exposure to any type of media. These
components and messages play a major part in the
enculturation of students into the predominant meta-
culture, or in acculturating students into narrower or
generational subcultures.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)

6. Concomittant Curriculum – What is taught, or

emphasized at home, or those experiences that are
part of a family’s experiences, or related experiences
sanctioned by the family. This type of curriculum may
be received at church, in the context of religious
expression, lessons on values, ethics or morals, molded
behaviors, or social experiences based on the family’s
preferences.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
7. Rhetorical Curriculum – Elements from this curriculum
are comprised from ideas offered by policymakers, school
officials, administrators or politicians. This curriculum may
also come from those professionals involved in concept
formation and content changes; or from those
educational initiatives resulting from decisions based on
national and state reports, public speeches, or from texts
critiquing outdated educational practices. It may also
come from the publicized works offering updates in
pedagogical knowledge.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
8. Curriculum-In-Use – the formal curriculum (written or
overt) comprises those things in textbooks, and
content and concepts in the curriculum guides.
However, those “formal” elements are frequently not
taught. The curriculum-in-use is the actual curriculum
that is delivered and presented by each teacher.
9. Received Curriculum – Those things that students
actually take out of classrooms; those concepts and
content that are truly learned and remembered.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
10. Internal Curriculum – Processes, content,
knowledge combined with the experiences and
realities of the learner to create new knowledge. While
educators should be aware of this curriculum, they
have little control over the internal curriculum since it is
unique to each student. Educators can explore this
curricula by using instructional assessments like “exit
slips”, reflective exercises, or debriefing discussions to
see what students really remember from a lesson.
Types of Curriculum (Wilson, 1990)
11. Electronic Curriculum – It may either be formal or
informal, and inherent lessons may be overt or covert,
good or bad, correct or incorrect depending on ones’
views. Students who use the internet on a regular basis,
both for recreational purposes and for personal online
research and information gathering are bombarded with
all types of media and messages. It is part of the overt
curriculum needs to include lessons on how to be wise
consumers of information, how to critically appraise the
accuracy and correctness of e-information, as well as how
to determine the reliability of electronic resources.
 Curriculum and
Related Terms Big Idea:
Distinctions between terms and concepts are important to
better define the curriculum.
Related Concepts and Terms
Syllabus – part of a curriculum. It is the content of the
school subjects offered in the school and a sub-set of
the curriculum.
 It normally contains what students will learn in the
various school subjects in a year leading to
certification.
It is a long term plan of work for students and normally
prepared by the classroom teachers.
Related Concepts and Terms
Scheme of Work – it is a breakdown of contents of
what students are expected to learn in a given period.
It is the systematic arrangement of subject matter
and activities within a given time period.
 It is a guide in planning what is to be done per week
over a term in an academic year.
Related Concepts and Terms

Course of Study – It refers mainly to a program of

learning that are offered to students -with various
course contents- at the end of which they are
awarded a certificate indicating the type of course of
study they had undergone.
Related Concepts and Terms

Lesson Note – (lesson plan) is a guide for teachers to

assist them in the orderly presentation of a lesson to the
learners in order to facilitate learning.
 It is an important aspect of curriculum
implementation, especially the program of learning
component of the curriculum
 Levels of
Curriculum Big Idea:
There are different perceptions of the curriculum in various
levels. It is important to recognize perspectives.
Levels of Curriculum

Societal - the farthest from the learners since this is

where the public stakeholders (politicians, special
interest groups, administrators, professional specialists)
participate in identifying goals, the topics to be
studied, time to be spent in teaching/ learning, and
materials to aid instruction.
Levels of Curriculum

Institutional - refers to the curriculum derived from the

societal level, with modification by local educators or
lay people; often organized according to subjects and
includes topics and themes to be studied; may also
include standards, philosophies, lesson plans and
teaching guides.
Levels of Curriculum

Instructional - refers to how teachers use the curriculum

developed in the societal level and modified in the
institutional level, or what authorities have determined;
involves the teachers’ instructional strategies, styles and
materials used.
Levels of Curriculum
Experiential - the curriculum perceived and
experienced by each student and may, therefore
includes both curriculum processes (procedures in
creating, using and evaluating the curricula) and
curriculum product or projects, resulting from
curriculum development processes; includes curriculum
guides, courses of study, syllabi, resource units and
other document that deal with content of schooling.