CURRICULUM

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INTRODUCTION to TMR

GREAT GIFT--especially for yourself!
TEACHING IN MIND
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Contents
Preface
Introduction
Reviews 
About the author

TEACHER THINKING
Beliefs
Metaphors
Values
Meaning

EDUCATION MYTHS
Curriculum 
Knowledge
Teaching
Learning

ARTICLES

WORKSHOPS  

MEDIA 

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The word curriculum comes from the Latin word meaning "a course for racing." It's interesting how closely this metaphor fits the way in which educators perceive the curriculum in schools. Teachers often speak about "covering" concepts as one would speak about "covering" ground. And that coverage is often a race against test deadlines.

School mission statements often wax poetic about the development of the “total child.” However, what drives the everyday functioning of those schools is the official curriculum and the tests that hold teachers and students accountable to that curriculum.

Components of a Curriculum

When people use the word curriculum, they are often referring to the content of that curriculum. In schools that have adopted standards, the official curriculum reflects the content of those standards. There is, however, more to a curriculum than the specific items listed in the official curriculum guide.

The following articles describe a number of alternative perspectives on the actual "courses" taught in schools.

The Four Curricula
Educational theorist Larry Cuban suggest that there are actually four different curricula taught in schools.

Explicit, Implicit, and Null Curricula
Elliot Eisner describes argues that a significant amount of what students learn are from unplanned or unexamined sources.