An Essay About The Nature of Curriculum

AN ESSAY ABOUT "THE NATURE OF CURRICULUM"

The Chapter 1 ( "The Nature of Curriculum") from the article provides a

general overview of the curriculum field and a set of concepts for analyzing
that field. It defines the concept of curriculum and standards. It define the
Curriculum as prescriptive, descriptive, or both. It explains that
prescriptive definitions provide us with what "ought" to happen and what
need to take place in the course of study while the descriptive definition
provide us how things are in real classrooms.
The chapter examines several types of Curriculum. It describes different

forms of curriculum planning as follows:
1) The recommended Curriculum (The ideological curriculum)

A curriculum of ideas intended to reflect funded knowledge. It is a ideal
curriculum constructed by scholars and teachers - a curriculum of ideas
intended to reflect funded knowledge.
2) The written Curriculum (Formal Curriculum)

It is that officially approved by state and local school boards.
3) The supported Curriculum (Sanctioned Curriculum)

The curriculum that represents society's interests.
4) The Taught Curriculum (Perceived Curriculum)

It is the curriculum of the mind - what teachers, parents, and others think
the curriculum to be.
5) The tested Curriculum (Operational Curriculum)

It is the observed curriculum of what actually goes on hour after hour in
the classroom.
6) The learned Curriculum (Experiential Curriculum)

The curriculum that what the learners actually experience.
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The article also describes the contrasting nature of curriculum components
as follows. Curriculum planning should emphasize meta-cognitive control
of all processes.
1) Curricular Policies
It designates the set of rules, criteria, and guidelines intended to control
curriculum development and implementation. Policy making is essentially
the "authoritative allocation of competing values". Educators,
administrators and teachers are well advised to re-examine policies
affecting curriculum and the accepted practices at their school.
2) Curricular goals
The goals are the general, long term educational outcomes that the school
system expects to achieve through its curriculum. Goals are stated much
more generally than objectives and goals are long-term, not short term
outcomes. The curricular goals are those outcomes the school system
hopes to achieve through its curriculum. Educational goals are the long-
term outcomes that the school system expects to accomplish through the
entire educational process over which it has control.
3) Fields of Study
It is an organized and clearly demarcated set of learning experiences
typically offered over a multiyear period
4) Programs of Study
It is the total set of learning experiences offered by a school for a particular
group of learners. It is described in a policy statement that delineates
which subjects are required and which are electives, with corresponding
time allocations and credits.
5) Courses of study
It is a subset of both a programme of study and field of study. It is a set of
organized learning experiences, within a field of study offered over a
specified period of time.
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6)Units of study
It is a subset of course of study and an organized set of learning
experiences offered as part of a course of study. when developing units of
study at any level, it is best to view the process as a series of phases.
Teachers should present students with the components and
subcomponents of the unit process and then structure tasks to emphasize a
specific component or subcomponent.
7) Lessons
A lesson is a set of related learning experiences typically lasting 20 to 90
minutes, focusing on a relatively small number of objectives. It is a subset
of a unit, although the unit level is sometimes omitted by teachers while
planning for instruction.
The chapter also describes what mastery, organic, and enrichment

curricula are and the roles they play in the development of curriculum.
Divide the learnings in that field between those are basic and those that are
basic and those that are enrichment. Then divide the basic learnings into
those that require structure and those that do not require structure.
The chapter lists three level of learning.

1) Concrete experience
It is a combination of repeated experiences and visualizations that allow
the brain to store, network, and recall when necessary.
2) Representational or Symbolic Learning

It is based on the brain linking and cross-referencing information. All
sensory data are linked through association and become part of memory.
With concrete experiences available, sensory data can be "activiated" when
remembered.
3) Abstract Learning
It involves the brain using only abstract information, primarily words and
numbers.
The chapter explains why knowledge of the "hidden curriculum" is

important to curriculum leaders. There are three categories of Hidden
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curriculum variables: Organizational variables, social-system variables, and
culture variables.
The chapter ends with a case study of Bridging the gap between theory and
practice.

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AN ESSAY ABOUT "THE NATURE OF CURRICULUM"

The Chapter 1 ( "The Nature of Curriculum") from the article provides a

The chapter examines several types of Curriculum. It describes different

1) The recommended Curriculum (The ideological curriculum)

2) The written Curriculum (Formal Curriculum)

3) The supported Curriculum (Sanctioned Curriculum)

4) The Taught Curriculum (Perceived Curriculum)

5) The tested Curriculum (Operational Curriculum)

6) The learned Curriculum (Experiential Curriculum)

The chapter also describes what mastery, organic, and enrichment

The chapter lists three level of learning.

2) Representational or Symbolic Learning

The chapter explains why knowledge of the "hidden curriculum" is

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