Curriculum: Introduction

Lecture 1
PLG 517
Curriculum Studies

Lecturers
Dr. Shaik Abdul Malik & Assoc. Prof. Dr Shuki Osman
 Points to Ponder
“What we want to see the child in pursuit of
knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of
the child.” (G B Shaw)

“Everything depends on the quality of the

experience which is had.” (John Dewey)
 Introduction
Ornstein & Hunkins (2009)
Argues: Curriculum as a field of study has
been characterized as vague, fragmentary,
and confusing

The field of curriculum is not intended to

provide precise answers but to increase our
understanding of its complexities
• Curriculum results from social activity
• It is designed for both present and
emerging purposes
• Curriculum is a dynamic field
 Curriculum as a Term
• Course
• Course of Study
• Racecourse
• Currere
• “A course; spec. a regular course of study
or training, as at a school or university”
(Oxford English Dictionary)
 Racecourse
• The school curriculum is a race to be run
• A series of obstacles or hurdles (subjects)
to be passed
• Historically, the word curriculum has been
used to describe the subjects taught
during the classical period of Greek
civilization (Plato and Aristotle)
• The word broadened in the 20th century to
include subjects other than the classics
 Curriculum as Plans
• A planned programme of learning
• All learning planned and directed by
institution
• A plan for what is to be taught
• A set of planned and guided learning
experiences
• A PLAN FOR LEARNING
 Curriculum as Products
• Curriculum guides
• Syllabuses
• Modules
• Books
 Curriculum as Subject Matter
• A set of subjects: Science, Mathematics,
etc.
• A sequence of courses
• A programme of study
• All knowledge that comes from the
disciplines
• Content that is taught in schools
 Curriculum as Processes
• Curriculum development
• Curriculum revision
• Curriculum improvement
• Curriculum design/organization
• Curriculum implementation
• Curriculum evaluation
 Curriculum as
Experience
• All of the experiences that learners
have
• Series of things that students
do and experience
• What students learn as
consequence of what they do
• STUDENTS‟ EXPERIENCE AND
LEARNING OUTCOME
 Curriculum as Outcomes
• A planned learning outcome for which
school is responsible
• A set of structured learning outcomes
resulting from instruction
• What the students learn in school
 Relationships between Curriculum
and Instruction
Curriculum
• What is taught
• A plan, programme, content and learning experiences
• WHAT

Instruction
• Means to teach
• HOW

Method, teaching act, implementation, presentation

Instructions as “interaction between a teaching agent and
one or more individuals intending to learn”
 Intention and Action
• DO ALL PLANS GET IMPLEMENTED?
– Do all content get taught by teachers?
– Do all teachers taught as planned?
– Do all students acquire knowledge and
skill taught by teachers?
– Do students acquire all knowledge
taught by teachers?
 School curriculum
• The planned vs. the enacted curriculum
• Delivered vs. received curriculum
– „cascading effect”
• Explicit vs. hidden curriculum
• Null curriculum: those that were not
implemented as planned
Issues: Curriculum and Instruction
• Undesirable to separate curriculum from
instruction
• We are aware that a curriculum consists of
structured series of intended learning
outcomes and that instruction is the
means by which these ends are realized
• Separating ends and means is part of the
logic employed in technical work
• Logically, the process of curriculum
planning and development isn‟t inherently
technical
• Viewing curriculum and instruction as
technical:
– Confusion
– Frustration
– Teachers know their students potentials
– Hopes sometimes difficult to realize
• Yet the technical view suggests: unless
hopes are completely realized, something
is wrong with the curriculum, with
instruction
• What then? Teachers attempt to gloss
over the discrepancies or sometimes take
the blame
• Holistic view of C & I encourages teachers
to be directly involved in making decisions
about both curriculum and teaching
• Constantly monitoring and adjusting ends
and means within unfolding classroom
situations
 Problem of Definition
• Must be watchful about definitions that capture
only a few of the various characteristics of
curriculum
• For example Soltis (1978) once said:
“Those who look for the definition of curriculum
are like a sincere but misguided centaur (a
creature half animal half human) hunter who,
even with a fully provisioned safari and a gun
kept always at the ready, nonetheless will never
require the services of a taxidermist (a person who
produced hunting trophies)”
 Examples of Definitions:
Curriculum
• Curriculum is such permanent subjects as
grammar, reading, logic, rhetoric,
mathematics, and the greatest books of
the Western world that best embody
essential knowledge
Problems: curriculum is limited to only a few
academic subjects. It assumes that what is
studied is what is learned. It does not
address questions such as, Does the state
of knowledge change? What makes
learning such subjects essential?
• Curriculum is those subjects that are most
useful for living in contemporary society
Problems: This definition seems to imply
that what is contemporary has more value
than what is long-lasting. It encourages
schools and students to accommodate
themselves to society as it exists instead of
attempting to improve it
• Curriculum is all planned learnings for
which the school is responsible
Problems: Seems to assume that what is studied
is what is what is learned. It may limit “planned
learnings” to those that are easiest to achieve, not
those that are most desirable. It does address
questions such as, On what basis does the school
select and take responsibility for certain learnings
while excluding others? Is it possible for teachers
to separate the ends of instruction from the
means? Are unplanned, but actual, learnings
excluded from the curriculum?
• Curriculum is all the experiences learners
have under the guidance of the school

What are the problems ? …

Problems: No basis of differentiating
Desirable and undesirable experiences.
May see activities and experiences as the
same. This may lead to questions such as,
Do all experiences (planned and unplanned)
count as part of the curriculum? What experiences
are unique to the school? How can experiences
(as opposed to activities) be guided? What is the
relationship between subject matter and
experience?
 More things to ponder…
• There is no one definition of curriculum that
accommodates all perspectives and priorities in
curriculum making. However if the definition
accounts for the role of the school, will the
school of the future be found in:
– Traditional classrooms?
– Computer Labs?
– Resource Centres?
– Workplaces?
– Homes?
• If the definition accounts for the role of the
teacher, should that role be asa
– Information-giver?
– Subject matter specialists?
– Motivator?
– Gatekeeper?
– Resource Person?
– Counselor?
– Mentor?
 Final Question
• “The struggle over the definition of curriculum is
a matter of social and political priorities as well
as intellectual discourse (Goodson, 1988, p. 23).
Reflect on the current social and political
priorities of your country. Are these stronger
than the current “intellectual discourse” of
books/literature in influencing practical
curriculum decisions? If so why? What does this
relationship between the political concerns of
society and the concerns of curriculum
academics promise for the future?
 Concluding Remarks
Not all decisions about curriculum can be
equally wise or equally defensible. Only rarely,
in fact, can all alternatives be fully considered,
seldom is the best of these alternatives clear,
and inevitably the most controversial issues
surrounding a decision for any particular
alternative will remain. That is the curriculum
planning and development
 END

Question or Concerns
Write to:
samalik@usm.my