June+14

So, you are taking a course on curriculum, and you probably assume we will begin the class with, if nothing else, a definition from which to work. Not quite. There are many definitions of curriculum. In his book,//Curriculum: Perspective, Paradigm, and Possibility// (1997, Prentice Hall), Bill Schubert shares a number of definitions of curriculum. Below is a file that summarizes the definitions in Bill's book:
 * What is currriculum? **

[|Curriculum Defined.doc] Did you see a definition that fits your current images of curriculum? You will be able to navigate through a number of the definitions as you think about curriculum work - we will think about it in terms of a model or a package to some degree as we talk about principles of design and evaluation. However, for the most part when I talk about curriculum, I am referring to the shared lived experience among those involved. For the most part, I believe this focuses on what happens in the classroom, but I also believe we cannot see the classroom in isolation of the social and historical context. That said, often we will use "curriculum as experience" as the frame of reference when we talk about curriculum.

This past year a colleague, Dan Marshall, and I were asked to define curriculum for the upcoming Sage Curriculum Encyclopedia. It took us about nine months to try to find 2500 words to define the word. Here's a draft: [|Curriculum definition 022409.doc]

Hopefully in this class you will be challenged to explore an enlarged vision of curriculum. Here is an introductory Power Point to get you thinking about curriculum in larger ways:

[|Curriculum introduction.ppt]

=**More Thoughts about Curriculum**=

**Dare the school build a new social order?**
The starting point for any discussion about curriculum needs to address purpose. Purpose drives decision making when we try to determine the kinds of experiences we want students to have and what we hope they achieve according to those experiences.
 * Curriculum and Purpose **

In his book, //Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction//, Tyler notes that four questions drive curriculum work. The first question is as follows:


 * What purposes do we hope to attain? **

and the second question -


 * What experiences should we plan to attain these purposes? **

As Tyler noted more than fifty years ago, curriculum begins with purpose, and it is animated by experiences. I think we often forget this - particularly when the language surrounding curriculum is limted to such things as standards and benchmarks. We focus on the target instead of the process it takes to develop one's skills and capacities to hit the target.

Here are some links for additional information about Ralph Tyler and his //Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction//:

[] [] [] [] []

**Keep in mind that Tyler wrote this over 60 years ago. Yes, there are some politically incorrect references, and yes, some of the examples are dated. Nevertheless, you can consider more modern equivalents for his suggestions. For example, as he describes sources of data around page 21 when looking at the community as a source for objectives, I imagine you can think of very relevant sources of community data today.**

== Note: In order to complete this and subsequent discussion questions you will need to identify your curriculum materials. Please refer to syllabus for details regarding the materials you need to select for your project. ==

=Discussion Questions= = Identify your curriculum materials (model, unit, etc.). Describe the materials and identify the boundaries of those materials. What is/is not included? What are the implications of these inclusions/exclusions? = = Please include your name in your discussion here and throughout the semester - otherwise everyone will try to figure out who you are from your email name. It makes it easier to connect with real names. Thanks. =

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