The Nature of Curriculum

1
Chapter 1 The Nature of Curriculum

• What is curriculum?
• prescriptive what ought to happen
• descriptive how things are in real classrooms

2

• Why is curriculum important?
• guides the learning in schools
• implies plans made for learning and actual
  learning experiences

3

• What are the types of curricula?
• recommended curriculum
• --recommended by scholars, professional
  associations,
• reform commissions, policy making groups
• --stresses oughtness
• --formulated a high level of generality
• --influenced by policymakers, technology,
  professional
• associations and individuals, courts,
  legislation

4

• written curriculum
• --more specific and comprehensive
• --embodied in approved state and district
  curriculum
• guides
• --generic and site specific
• --site-specific curricula influenced by
  legislation, courts,
• textbooks and tests in use, parent and
  community
• groups
• --function-mediating, standardizing and
  controlling

5

• supported curriculum
• --reflected in and shaped by resources allocated
  to
• support or deliver the curriculum
• --four kinds of resources (time allocation,
  personnel
• allocation, textbooks, learning materials)
• --influences-state, local school board,
  superintendent,
• principals, teachers
• --Tomlinson-flexible options and parallel
  curriculum
• model

6

• taught curriculum
• --the delivered curriculum
• tested curriculum
• --assessed in teacher-made, district developed,
  and
• standardized tests

7

• written, supported, taught and tested curricula
• --constitute the intentional curriculum
• --learning experiences the school system
  consciously
• intends for its students

8

• learned curriculum
• --all the changes in values, perceptions, and
  behaviors
• that occur as a result of school experiences
• --includes what the student understands, learns
  and
• retains from both the intentional and hidden
• curriculum

9

• What are the components of the curriculum?
• curricular policies
• curricular goals
• fields of study
• programs of study
• courses of study
• units of study
• lessons

10

• What are the mastery, organic and enrichment
  curricula?
• basic learning-essential for all students
• enrichment-not essential, but nice to know
• structured-sequencing, planning, measurable
  outcomes, clearly
• delineated content
• nonstructured-skills, knowledge and attitudes can
  be mastered
• without structure
• mastery-both basic and structured
• organic-both basic and nonstructured

11

• What is the hidden curriculum?
• aspects of schooling, other than intentional
  curriculum, that
• produce changes in student values, perceptions
  and
• behaviors
• constant-ideology of larger society
• variables of hidden curriculum
• --organizational variables
• --social-system variables
• --culture variables