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By:
Shah Faisal
ID:
1164-3000236
Program: B. Ed.
Course:
WHAT IS CURRICULUM?
Different educationalists use different set of words to define the
word curriculum. It is considered the heart of any learning
institution. In a broader perspective we may say that curriculum is
the total learning experience of individuals not only in any
institution, but in society as well. 1 It is the path on which a learner
walks to achieve the desired destination. One more comprehensive
definition of curriculum states that it is the totality of learning
experiences provided to students so that they can attain general
skills and knowledge at a variety of learning sites. 2
Curriculum refers to the means and materials with which students
will interact for the purpose of achieving identified educational
outcomes.3
IMPORTANCE OF CURRICULUM
Schools or universities cannot exist without a curriculum. With its
importance in formal education, curriculum has become a dynamic
process due to the changes that occur in our society. School
education transfers the values of one generation to another
generation. Curriculum plays the main role in providing the
sequenced learning experiences to the learners of different ages.
When we talk about the college and university education it includes
the necessary knowledge and skills required to survive in the
society. Any learning institution sets the main aim of education and
develops the curriculum to achieve the required objectives.
Curriculum is not limited to the content presented in textbooks,
workbooks, activity sheets; it also includes the setting of aims and
objectives for different learning stages. To achieve the educational
objectives curriculum guides the path and ways to the learner.
There are different audiences for the curriculum in the schools,
colleges and universities. They include but not limited to students,
teachers, parents, taxpayers, accreditation agencies, government
1 Bilbao et al., 2008.
2 http://coefaculty.valdosta.edu/stgrubbs/Definitions%20of%20Curriculum.htm
3 www.education.com
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TYPES OF CURRICULUM
According to some educationalists, in a broader prospective, there
are at least three different types of curriculum in schools 6.
1. Formal curriculum: Formal curriculum is the one that usually
appears in curriculum guides, state regulations, or officially
sanctioned scope and sequence charts. This is the one that is
debated in public.
2. Informal curriculum: Informal curriculum represents the
unrecognized and unofficial aspects of designing or delivering
the curriculum. For example, in design, the informal curriculum
would represent the values at work in selecting curriculum
content that is only tangentially public. Such a value base is
always at work when it comes to selecting the content to be
included in schools. The informal curriculum may be the one in
delivery that is epitomized in various tracking plans that group
children by ability and then differentiate among them by
delivering a very different curriculum. The informal curriculum
also involves the subtle but important personality variables of
the teacher and the way these interact with students positively
or negatively to encourage improved pupil learning. 7
3. Hidden curriculum: Hidden curriculum refers to the unwritten,
unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and
perspectives that students learn in school. 8 It is taught without
formal recognition. It is based on the students learning other
than formal and informal curriculum in school environment.
Children derive this learning from the very nature and
organizational design of the school, as well as from the behaviors
and attitudes of teachers and administrators. 9 Usually such
learning is not examined formally.
POLICY
TRENDS
DEVELOPMENT
IN
TEXTBOOK
7 Deciding What to Teach and Test: Developing, Aligning, and Auditing the Curriculum
by Fenwick W. English
8 http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum/
9 https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/differentiate-among-the-formalinformal-and-hidden-curriculum-education-essay.php
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11 Keith, 1991, p. 45
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TEXTBOOKS
Textbooks are those books that are designated as the primary
source of instruction for students in a course, or unit of instruction
within a course. The textbook definition also includes those
materials pertaining to textbooks that are an integral part of the
textbook. They include, but are not limited to, textbooks, trade
books, slides, compact discs, computer software, CD-ROMS, and
digital content.
Supplemental materials: Supplemental materials are those
items used to extend and support instruction and address the
needs of all learners. They include, but are not limited to, books,
flashcards, periodicals, pamphlets, visual aids, video recordings,
sound recordings, compact discs, computer software, and other
digital content and peripherals.
Objectives of textbooks/instructional material: The primary
objective of instructional materials is to support, enrich, and help
implement the educational program of any school through the
interaction of professional teaching staff and other members.
Other objectives are:
1. To enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration
the varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels
of the students
2. To stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation,
aesthetic values, and societal standards
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