What is Curriculum?
AMY STRANGE
TE 818
CURRICULUM SYNTHESIS PROJECT
FALL 2010
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Objectives
 Exploration of the
following:

Define curriculum
Types of curricula
 Goals of curriculum
 Problems with the
curriculum
 The 7 dimensions of
curriculum


Synthesis of curriculum
Prior view of curriculum
 New view of curriculum



Summary
References
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
 What is curriculum?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.), curriculum
is defined as the following:
the courses offered by an educational institution
 a set of courses constituting an area of specialization

Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
 Elliot Eisner defines three
types of curricula that are
found in school (1994).
 These include the following:
Explicit Curriculum
1.

Material that is specifically
chosen to be taught in
schools
Implicit Curriculum
2.

Material that is
unintentionally taught in
schools
Null Curriculum
3.

Material that is not taught in
schools
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
• David Labaree has identified the following competing goals of the curriculum
(1997).
Democratic
Equality
Social
Efficiency
Social
Mobility
• The goal of education is to prepare students to become democratic citizens who
contribute to the public good of society.
• The goal of education is to prepare students so that they can participate and be
successful in the workforce.
• The goal of education is to prepare students to compete for desirable social
positions in society.
• Labaree concludes that these 3 competing goals cannot all be fulfilled at the same
time. Therefore, a balancing act is required.
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
 According to John Dewey (1990),
there are a few key problems with
the educational curriculum.
 Two of these problems include
the following:
1.
2.

Students don’t have a
connection to the curricular
material
Students are not motivated by
the curriculum
These problems stem from
the lack of a connection
between the student’s mind
and the curriculum.
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
 In order to get a clear understanding of what curriculum
entails, consideration of the seven dimensions of
curriculum is necessary.
1. Philosophical
The 7 Key
Dimensions of
Curriculum
7. Technological
2. Historical
Dimensions
of
Curriculum
6. Global
3. Political
5. Cultural
4. Ethical / Moral
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
1. Philosophical Dimension
 Hochschild & Scovronick (2003)
claim that one of the goals of the
educational system is to create equal
opportunities for the development of
democratic citizens.
 They argue, however, that not all
students are afforded the same
educational opportunities due to
their race, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic backgrounds.
 Variance in these areas are
embedded into the structure of the
educational system which squelches
any attempts to create equal
opportunities for students.
 A citizen’s financial and political background
1. Philosophical
Dimension
(Cont.)
shapes their access to educational opportunities
(Hochschild & Scovronick, 2003).
 Therefore, the climate that a student is raised in
shapes their success in school.

The climate that a student is raised in is also what
dictates, shapes, and impacts the following:




state wide differences in educational opportunities
district wide differences in educational opportunities
school wide differences in educational opportunities
class wide differences in educational opportunities
 The result is a perpetual cycle of the old adage:

The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
2. Historical Dimension
 A few key views/events
influenced the educational
system and it’s curriculum
during the 19th and 20th
Centuries.
Horace Mann:
Education should be
available for all
students
A Nation at Risk: Led
movement toward
standardization, high
stakes testing, and
common core
curriculum
Sputnik: Increase in
US curricular focus
on math and science
Herbert Kliebard:
American curriculum
is a “potpourri” of
approaches
David Labaree: The
conflicting goals in
education need to be
addressed by
reordering their
priority
(Mann, 1884; Kliebard, 1998; Lararee, 2010; & TE 818, 10/13)

“A Nation At Risk” (1983) examined and drew conclusions
about the educational system and its curriculum.

The recommendations of this study are summarized below:
2. Historical
Dimension
(Cont.)
Increase
graduation
requirements
Increase
leadership
and fiscal
support
Increase the
preparation
of the
teachers
“A
Nation at
Risk”
results:
Increase
standards and
expectations
Increase the
amount of
time
dedicated to
instruction
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
3. Political Dimension
 Philips & Hawthorne (1978)
and Apple (1991) argue that:


Curriculum design, development,
and evaluation are all political
behaviors.
The state holds responsibility for
education through the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Legislature mandates the time
spent in school
Textbook adoption
State approval of charters /
curriculum
State certification
 Although the state is responsible for
making educational decisions,
individuals at the local level have a
greater understanding of curricular
issues.
 Therefore, there are the following
problems with this system:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students, parents, teachers, and
principals aren’t involved in the
curricular / educational decision
making process
Other administrators make the
decisions
There is no involvement of the
community or social activists
There needs to be understanding of the
system to change the system
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
4. Ethical / Moral Dimension
 David Hansen (1995) claims
that all teaching and
curriculum is a moral act.
 In fact, he claims that there are
moral messages in the
classroom, that teachers are
unaware of, which are as
important as the formal
curriculum.
Classroom
rituals:
Display
what values
are
important
to the
teacher
Teacher
demeanor:
Gestures,
facial
expressions,
tone of
voice
Teacher
character:
Disposition,
attitudes,
values
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
5. Cultural Dimension
 Lisa Delpit (1988) claims that there
is a “culture of power” that
encompasses the following:



Those in power are least aware of the
existence of the culture of power
The rules of the culture of power are not
explicitly taught to minority students
As a result, minority students fail
 Cultural literacy is the possession
of basic skills that all people have
in order to succeed in modern
world (Hirsch, 1988).
 Hirsch states the following:



These basic skills are referred to as a
set of “background knowledge”
There has been a decline in the
acquisition of background knowledge
This decline impacts the cultural
literacy and success of our students in
adulthood
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
6. Global Dimension
 The No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB) was spawned due to the
inability of the United States to keep
up with the accomplishments of
competitive nations.
 Zhao (2007) claims, however, that
NCLB will not help prepare students
for a life in a globalized and
technological world.
 The attempted fixes as a result of
NCLB were the wrong fixes; they
killed creativity.


Creativity is what leads to scientific
innovations
Creativity is needed in order to remain
competitive in the world market
• Therefore, there needs to be
implementation of the following fixes:
Focus on
what is worth
teaching
Prepare
global
citizens
Cultivate
diverse
talents
Decrease
high stakes
testing
Increase
tools for
teachers
Increase
subject
choice
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Definition
7. Technological Dimension
 Technology is referred to as the
tools which people use for
communication and information
purposes (TE 818, Nov 17).
 This includes technology used for
educative purposes. Including
the following:



Computers
Laptops
Computer software / programs
 There is a debate about the use of
technology in schools.
 This debate includes the following
viewpoints:
1.
2.
3.
The high cost for technological tools
The lack of evidence supporting the
claim that the utilization of technology
improves academic performance
The increase in instructional options
with using technology
 This debate involves the following
groups:



Techno-phobes: against technology
Techno-utopians: for technology
Techno-realists: middle ground
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Synthesis
 Prior to my increased understanding of the seven dimensions of
curriculum, my knowledge about the complexity of curriculum
was inadequate.
 My prior view of curriculum encompassed:
 A lack of understanding of the degree to which philosophical, political,
and cultural variables impact students from different races, ethnicities,
and socioeconomic classes.
 An invalid assumption that teachers have a say in choosing the content
of the curriculum that they teach.
 A misguided understanding of why teachers focus on rote memorization
of facts, and teaching to the test.
 Misunderstanding about the role of Sputnik in shaping the change in
focus of the United States curriculum.
 Incorrect knowledge about the role of the United States educational
system / curriculum in the context of a global economy.
Curriculum Synthesis Project: Synthesis
 After learning about the seven dimensions of curriculum, I have amended some
of my views about the curriculum in the United States educational system.
 My altered view(s) about the curriculum include:
 Students from all races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes should be provided
equal opportunities to receive a high-quality education. This includes ensuring that
they are provided the background knowledge necessary to be successful.
 Concepts from the implicit & null curriculum should be included in the explicit
curriculum.
 Teachers should be aware of how their values & morals are modeled in the classroom.
 Curricular content should be driven by the knowledge of individuals at all educational
levels. This includes educational professionals, teachers, administrators, parents, and
students.
 Teaching methodologies should not focus on teaching to the test, and rote
memorization. Rather, it should focus on fostering understanding and creativity.
 The educational system should shift their focus to increasing their students’
understanding of multiculturalism so that they can become global citizens.
 Although teaching methods should not be antiquated, there is not a necessity for
teachers / schools to get expensive technological items.
 I have reviewed the following in
hopes of defining the question:
Curriculum
Synthesis
Project:
Summary
“What is curriculum?”

Define curriculum
Types of curricula
 Goals of curriculum
 Problems with the curriculum
 The 7 dimensions of curriculum


Synthesis of curriculum
Prior view of curriculum
 New view of curriculum

THE END
Curriculum Synthesis Project: References
 Apple, M. (1991). Conservative agendas and progressive possibilities:

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Understanding the wider politics of the curriculum and teaching. Education and
Urban Society, 23(3), 279-291.
“Curriculum” (n.d). Retrieved from: http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/curriculum.
Delpit, L. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other
people’s children. Harvard Educational Review, 58(3), 280-298.
Dewey, J. (1990). The child and the curriculum. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press.
Eisner, E. (1994). The educational imagination: On the design and evaluation of
school programs. (3rd Edition). New York: Macmillian College Publishing
Company.
Hansen, D.T. (1995). Teaching and the moral life of classrooms. Journal for a Just
and Caring Education, 2, 59-74.
Hirsch, E.D. (1988). Cultural literacy. (Preface and Chapter 1). New York: Vintage
Books.
Hochschild, J., & Scovronick, N., (2003). The American dream and the public
schools. Oxford: University Press.
Curriculum Synthesis Project: References
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Kliebard, H. (1998). Effort to reconstruct the modern American curriculum. In Landon E.
Beyer and Michael W. Apple (Eds.), The Curriculum: Problems, Politics, and Possibilities.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Mann, H. (1848). 12th annual report on education in the State of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts State Board of Education.
Labaree, D. (2010). Educational formalism and the language of goals in American education,
educational reform, and educational history. Educational Research, 4, 41-60.
Labaree, D. (1997). Public goods, private goods: The American struggle over educational
goals. American Educational Research Journal, 34(1), 39-81.
Phillips, J. A. & Hawthorne, R. (1978). Political dimensions of curriculum decision making.
Educational Leadership, 2, 362-366.
TE 818 Lecture. November 17 Class Section: Lesson # 11 – Technological Dimensions of the
Curriculum.
TE 818 Lecture. October 13 Class Session: Lesson # 6 - Historical Dimensions of the
Curriculum, Part 2.
U.S. Department of Education. (1983). A Nation At Risk. A report by the National Commission
on Excellence in Education.
Zhao, Y. (2007). Education in the flat world: Implications of globalization on education. Edge
Magazine (Phi Delta Kappa International), 2(4). 1-19.