Curriculum Definition

8/20/2019 Curriculum Definition

1/35

What is Curriculum?A variety of definitions

But I don’twork in a

classroom,

what does

curriculumhave to do

with me?


2/35

What is a curriculum? What is a program?• A set of materials

• A sequence of courses/projects• A set of performance objectives

• A course of study

• That which is taught in school/org

• Content

• Everything that goes on within the school/org including extra-classactivities, guidance, and interpersonal relationships

• Everything that is planned by school/org personnel

• A series of experiences undergone by learners in school/org

• That which an individual learner experiences as a result of schooling/orgparticipation

How do the two differ? How are


3/35

According to Google.com define: program,

Programs are:

• a system of projects or services intended to meet a public need;"he proposed an elaborate program of public works"; "workingmothers rely on the day care program”

• course of study: an integrated course of academic studies; "he wasadmitted to a new program at the university"

• (computer science) a sequence of instructions that a computer caninterpret and execute; "the program required several hundred linesof code”


4/35

• A program or programme (in management) has at

least two senses: 1) A collection of projects that aredirected toward a common goal, e.g., the NASAspace program; 2) A broad framework of goals to beachieved, serving as a basis to define and planspecific projects, e.g. the EU's SAPARD Programme.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_(management)

• Generally defined as an organized set of activitiesdirected toward a common purpose or goal,undertaken or proposed by an agency in order to carryout its responsibilities. In practice, however, the term

program has many uses and is used to describe anagency's mission, programs, functions, activities,services, projects, and processes.data2.itc.nps.gov/budget2/glossary.htm

More definitions of program….


5/35

Curriculum is:Albert Oliver…

Curriculum is an educational program with four basicelements

1. The program of studies

2. The program of experiences

3. The program of services4. The hidden curriculum

Robert Gagne…

Curriculum encompasses

1. Subject matter (content)

2. Statement of ends (end objectives)

3. The sequencing of content4. Preassessment of entr skills


6/35

Hass… the curriculum is all of the experiences thatindividual learners have in a program of education

whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related

specific objectives, which is planned in terms of a

framework of theory and research or past and presentprofessional practice.

Kerr… All the learning which is planned and guided

by the school, whether it is carried on in groups orindividually, inside or outside the school.


7/35

How does curriculum/program apply to:

• The university (athletics, student services, etc.)

• Business/Industry Training

• Other settings

How do you define curriculum/program in

your preferred setting?


8/35

But wait,

there are other types of curriculum.

What are they?


9/35

Curriculum Definitions

Curriculum Planning VS Planned Curriculum

(what’s the difference???)

• Tested curriculum

• Experienced

curriculum

• Hidden curriculum

• Learned curriculum

• Core curriculum

• Written curriculum

• Planned curriculum

• Taught curriculum

• Supported curriculum

How do these terms apply to programs?


10/35

Glatthorn’s Four Curriculums

Basic Enrichment

Structured Mastery Team Planned

Nonstructured Organic Student Determined

Thought question...

What types of curriculum do you value most? Why?

What does your organization advocate?

How do these terms apply to programs?


11/35

Now for a bit of history vis-à-vis

curriculum and schools ….

https://reader012.{domain}/reader012/html5/0810/5b6db16c2925


12/35

How did schooling in the US evolve?

How has that shaped the curriculum?

How has that shaped educational access?•

1600’s Pre-US…. Historically, in England, there was a two tiered educational system. Forthe wealthy a tutorial system existed with classical training. For the poor, an

apprenticeship system. Politically it was believed that the great body of the people were to

obey and not to govern, and that the social status of unborn generations was already fixed.

This was the tradition brought to the colonies.1

•Massachusetts Laws of 1647, Deluder Satan Act, ….

Ordered that every township… after the Lord hath increased them to the number of fiftyhouseholders,… shall… appoint one within their town to teach all children as shall resort

to him to read and write. It is further ordered, that where any town shall increase to the

number of one hundred families… they shall set up a grammar school, the master thereof

being able to instruct youth so far as they may be fitted for the university. 2

Note: This Act recognizes the importance of education but did not requireattendance by all students nor was it necessarily paid for with public funds.

•1776 – Thomas Jefferson, in a report to the Virginia legislature, called for a public school

system. Its purpose was to develop an intelligent citizenry and to provide educational

opportunities that guarantee each individual the chance for optimal development. It was

turned down.3


13/35

Elementary Schools• The graded elementary school with eight levels was established in 1818. 4

• Until the 1840s -- The education system was highly localized and available only to

wealthy people. 4

•By 1850, 45% of children attended school and direct tax support for elementaryeducation was a generally accepted practice. 5

• Massachusetts passed the first compulsory school attendance laws in 1852, followed

by New York in 1853. 6

• By 1918 all states had passed laws requiring children to attend at least elementary

school.6

• In the South public schools were much slower to emerge.

“With agriculture as the mainstay of the Southern colonists and with the large

plantations in great measure self-sustaining communities, the planters soon became

economically independent. The reciprocity of needs and services, so essential to the

development of community enterprises, was not widely known. With the industrial

system of the South resting on the institution of slavery, political power was for the

most part in the hands of the planters, sharp social distinctions were inevitable, and

the South naturally became aristocratic. This condition tended to retard the growth

of a strong middle class, with which free public-school systems always originate. …

delayed also the [belief that] education as [is] a vital community interest.” 7


14/35

• While the concept of public education gained momentum and popularity, what was

to be taught in schools and who would attend them was heavily debated starting in

the 1820’s. The question was: Would there be “a common (public) school system

with a common curriculum for rich or poor alike or a special system for poor

children”? 8

• The concern was “that the free schools might degenerate into, as Carter put it,

‘mechanized seminaries,’ such as those seen in Europe, for educating the poor, while

private institutions would provide an improved curriculum for the well-to-do

(1824b, p. 20)” 8

•

Arguing against such divisions were Ward (1883, Dynamic Sociology), Parker(1894, Talks on Pedagogics), and Dewey (1910, Democracy and Education).

According to Ward, “unless the curriculum fostered the development of intelligence,

education could not be a means of social reform” 9

• Parker built on this thought writing that “more important even than the formalized

curriculum was the social power of the school to break down the clannishness and

prejudices of people from all parts of the world who were learning together inschool” 10

• Dewey echoes these ideas saying “educational opportunity is shared knowledge and

concerns, and progress is achieved through breaking the class barriers to sharing.

Thus, the problem was one of learning together as well as what is to be learned” 11

Have these debates been solved today?


15/35

John Franklin Bobbitt• 1918 (wrote first textbook on curriculum)

• Belief: Curriculum is an arena for social engineering.

• Assumption: “Scientific” experts are qualified and justified in designing

curricula based on expert knowledge of what qualities are desirable in

adult members of society and it can be know what experiences would

produce those qualities. Thus, curriculum is defined as the experiences

that someone ought to have in order to become the kind of adult they

ought to become. Curriculum is an ideal rather than reality of what will

actually happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum

Do you agree with Bobbitt?

How do his writings influence curriculum today?


16/35

Secondary Schools• 1635 -- Boston Latin School, the first publicly

supported secondary school in the US. 12

• 1751 -- Benjamin Franklin’s American Academy,

Philadelphia, a new kind of secondary school to

serve the demand for skilled workers. 12

• 1892 – NEA Committee of 10

Purpose of American high schools debated

College preparatory OR a people’s school offering a range of practical courses? 13

• Establishment of a standard curriculum and liberalizing the high school by offering

alternatives to the Latin and Greek classic curricula. 13

• Goal of high school was to prepare all students to do well in life, contributing to their

own well-being and society’s good, and to prepare some students for college. 13

• From 1900 to 1996 the percentage of teenagers who graduated from high school

increased from about 6 percent to about 85 percent. 14

• In the 1920s and 30s, “progressive education” was the word of the day; the focus then

shifted to intellectual discipline and curriculum development projects in the later

decades. 14

https://reader012.{domain}/reader012/html5/0810/5b6db16c2925f/5b6db17e28e0a

Have these debates been solved today?


17/35

Post Secondary Schools• 1636 – Harvard University established 15

• 20th century participation in higher or postsecondary education in the United States

increased tremendously. At the beginning of the century about 2 percent of

Americans from the ages of 18 to 24 were enrolled in a college. Near the end of the

century more than 60 percent of this age group, or over 14 million students, were

enrolled in about 3500 four-year and two-year colleges. 16

• We will discuss post secondary schools more in subsequent classes…

1. Knight, 1922, p. 21

2. Pulliam & Van Patten, 2007, p. 81-82.

3. Tanner and Tanner, p. 4

4. Thattai

5. Pulliam & Van Patten, 2007, p. 140

6. Thattai

7. Knight, 1922, p. 26

8. Tanner & Tanner, 2007, p. 7




12. Thattai

13. Weidner

14. Thattai

15. Harvard University

16. Thattai

• Harvard University. http://www.harvard.edu/harvard-glance

• Knight, E.W. (1922). Public education in the South. Chicago: Ginn

and Company.• Pulliam, J. D. & Van Patten, J. J. (2007). History of education in

America, 9th

ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.• Tanner, D. & Tanner, L. (2007). Curriculum development: Theory

into practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.• Thattai, D. (n.d.) A history of public education in the United States .

http://www.servintfree.net/~aidmn-ejournal/publications/2001-

11/PublicEducationInTheUnitedStates.html• Weidner, L. The N.E.A. Committee of Ten.

http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/neacom10.html

References

http://www.harvard.edu/harvard-glancehttp://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/neacom10.htmlhttp://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/neacom10.htmlhttp://www.harvard.edu/harvard-glance


18/35

Bonus Section ---

Review if you wish, we will

not be discussing this in class

unless you ask questions.

Explore the research paradigm

you most affiliate with and

then select a curriculumdevelopment model. If you

agree with Bobbit you are

Technical-Scientific in nature,

if not, then naturalistic is

probably more your style.


19/35

Defining curriculum is one thing,

Developing curriculum is another….

Research paradigms, value systems, and

beliefs about the world in general willinfluence the model of curriculum planning

you advocate.

Which “camp” do you most readily fall into?

OR


20/35

Applies scientific methods and principles to the

task of curriculum development.

Assumptions:

• Reality is definable

• The goals of education are knowable

• A linear, objective process will yield a useful

documents and high quality plans

--->


21/35

Deductive Process

• Top down

• Extensive administrator involvement

• Starts by examining broader questions/purposesof education and societal needs before

addressing the classroom level

Key authors: Tyler, Hass, Hunkins, WIDS

--->


22/35

Inductive Process

• Bottom up

• Curriculum development

by classroom teachers

• Starts by developing individual units

which will be assembled into a cohesive

programKey author: Taba


23/35

Tyler Model(Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993,j p. 267-8; Wiles & Bondi, 1989, p. 10)

1. Define purpose of school

Identify instructional objectives

2. Relate educational experiences to schoolpurposes

3. Organize educational experiences

4. Evaluate purposes for

program effectiveness.


24/35

Hass & Parkay Model (Hass & Parkay, 1993, p. 294)

1. Identify context (gather data about intended

learners and the human, social, and

environmental variables within which learners

interact)2. Determine objectives

Set goals

3. Select , Prepare, & Implement ---->

Strategies and Alternatives

4. Evaluate


25/35

Hunkins Model (Hass & Parkay, 1993, p. 329-32; Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993, p. 207-73)

1. Curr. conceptualization and legitimization

• built on society’s values, beliefs,

knowledge bases, institutions, and artifacts

• complete front end analysis:

� ask philosophical questions

� debate purpose of schooling� debate curriculum designs

� develop master curriculum plan


26/35

2. Curriculum diagnosis

• Identify reasons for human performance

deficiencies• Translate needs into causes

• Generate goals, objectives, expected

learner outcomes

3. Content selection

• Identify criteria for content selection

(ie. economy, significance, validity,

interest, learnability, feasibility)

• Sequence content --->


27/35

4. Experiencs and material selection (by teacher)

• Determine methods, strategies, activities,incentives, materials, nature of educational

environment

5. Implementation• Pilot curriculum (assess curriculum not

students)

• Modify where necessary• Full implementation

--->


28/35

6. Evaluation

•Determine if curriculum ispresented/taught as written and

recommended (supervision function)

• Furnish data so decisions can be made tocontinue, modify or discontinue program

7. Maintenance

• Monitor and maintain

curriculum


29/35

Taba Course Development Model(Oliva, 1992, p. 160-2)

1. Produce pilot units (see next slide)

2. Test experimental units

3. Revise and consolidate units

4. Develop a framework

5. Install and disseminate new units

T b Pil t U it D l t M d l


30/35

Taba Pilot Unit Development Model

1. Diagnose needs - what are current gaps in

student learning2. Formulate objectives

3. Select content

4. Organize content

5. Select learning experiences

6. Organize learning activites

7. Determine what to evaluate and ways and

means of evaluation

8. Check for balance and sequence


31/35

9. Specify

Assessment

Strategies

14. Create

A Class

Syllabus

13. Layout

Learning/

Lesson Plans

12. Develop

Instructional

Materials

11. Design

Learning

Activities

10. Develop

Assessment/

Record Plan

7. Sequence

Competencies

8. Develop

Course/goalDescription

6. Designate

CoreAbilities

5. Develop

Performancestandards

1. Perform

needs/taskanalysis

2. Write

CourseCompetencies

3. Analyze

CourseCompetencies

4. Develop

LearningObjectives

Wisconsin Instructional Design System


32/35

Nontechnical-nonrational approach

Assumptions:

• Curriculum evolves as learners, teachers, and knowledge interact• All goals of education cannot be predefined

• Content can only be tentatively selected

•Learning will be based on the creation of knowledge, especiallyself-knowledge

• Curriculum development is highly political requiring

administrators and teachers to work together

Key author: Glatthorn (naturalistic model)


33/35

Glatthorn Naturalistic Model(Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993, p. 274; Glatthorn, 1987, p. 89+)

1. Assess the alternatives - evaluate currentapproaches

2. Stake out the territory

• define course parameters

• define learning audience

• define learning activities

3. Develop a constituency

--->


34/35

4. Build the knowledge base

• identify content

• gather data on faculty skill and support

• gather data on student audience

5. Block the unit• select unit topics

• write general objectives

6. Develop unit planning guide

--->


35/35

7. Plan quality learning experiences

• Select experiences not content to be learned

8. Develop course examination

• Tell how learning will be documented (not

test development)

9. Develop learning scenarios

10. Package the product

Curriculum Definition

Documents

Transcript of Curriculum Definition