Curriculum: Traditional vs. Progressive Views

• Curriculum is the total effort of the school to bring about desired outcomes in school and out-of-school situations.
• Curriculum is a sequence of potential experiences set up in school for disciplining children and youth in group ways of thinking and acting.
• Curriculum is a structured set of learning outcomes or tasks educators call goals and objectives.
• Howell and Evans defined curriculum is a structured set of learning outcomes in 1995.
• Curriculum includes listings of subjects to be taught in school and is the "what" of teaching.
• Curriculum is a document describing structured learning objectives and outcomes for a subject matter area.
• Curriculum specifies what should be learned, how it should be taught, and the plan for implementing/assessing the learning.

Traditional vs Progressive Points of View

• Traditional View is where curriculum is a body of subjects or subject matter prepared for students to learn.
• Traditional View is synonymous with the "course of study" and "syllabus" from the early 20th century.
• Progressive View defines curriculum as the total learning experiences of the individual, as anchored on John Dewey's definition of experience and education.
• John Dewey believed that thinking is a means that unifies curricular, thought is not derived from action but is tested by application.

Curriculum Classifications

• Curriculum can be classified as a list of subjects, learning experiences, intended learning outcomes, planned learning experience or as a discipline.
• It can also be classified as a content or subject matter

Curriculum Types

• Ideal or Recommended Curriculum refers to what scholars propose as most appropriate for learners.
• Intended, Official, or Written Curriculum refers to the official curriculum embodied in approved state curriculum guides.
• Implemented Curriculum refers to the actual implementation of the curriculum or what teachers use in the school.
• Achieved Curriculum or Learned Curriculum refers to the result of the curriculum or what students actually learned in school.
• Tested Curriculum is a set of learning assessed in teacher-made classroom tests, curriculum reference tests, and standardized tests.
• Entitlement Curriculum refers to what the general society believes learners should learn to become good members of society.
• Supported Curriculum is reflected on and shaped by the resources allocated to support or deliver the official curriculum.
• Null or Censored Curriculum refers to curriculum content or topics that must not be taught to students.
• Hidden Curriculum refers to skills, knowledge, and attitudes learned through interaction with students, staff, and faculty.

Curriculum Foundations

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Philosophy

Curriculum Conceptions

• Academic Rationalist Conception is considered the oldest among curriculum conceptions.
• Cognitive Processes Conception seeks to develop a repertoire of cognitive skills applicable to a wide range of intellectual problems.
• Humanistic Conception stresses curriculum or education as an instrument for developing the full potentials of individuals.
• Social Reconstructionist Conception views the school or schooling as an agency for social change.
• Technological Conception is preoccupied with developing means to achieve curriculum or educational goals.
• Eclectic Conception is where curriculum workers align their ideas with two or more curriculum conceptions.

Elements of the Curriculum

• Curriculum Intent include broad statements of social educational expectations.
• Goals include general statements of what concepts, skills, and values should be learned.
• Objectives are specific learning outcomes.
• Learning Experiences include all instructional strategies that are useful in the implementation of the curriculum.
• Evaluation is used to determine the performance of the learners after they have undergone the curriculum.

Process Questions

• Failure of an institution to provide a curriculum design for the learners is an underlying factor for a poor educational system.
• Cultural, political, and personal characteristics of students are considerations in a curriculum, especially that they will not be a self-served curriculum.
• Designing a curriculum is time bounded.