ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC: TYPES OF CURRICULUM

Submitted by,

Ancy.P.L

Roll No: 17

B.Ed Natural Science

INTRODUCTION

The term curriculum is delivered from the Latin word currere which

means path. In this sense curriculum is the path through which the student

has to go forward in order to reach the goal envisaged by education.

Usually the term curriculum is understood as a group g subjects prescribed

for study in a particular course. But curriculum is not confined to this

narrow concept. Curriculum should in no way be considered as

synonymous with courses g study.

Since curriculum reflects the models g instructional delivery chosen

and used, some night indicate that curriculum could be categorized

according to the common psychological classifications g the four families g

learning theories; Social, Information processing, personalist and

Behavioral. Longstreet and shane have dubbed divisions in curricular

orientations as: Child-centered, Society-centered, Knowledge – centered, or

electric. Common philosophical orientations g curriculum parallel those

beliefs espoused by different philosophical orientations. Idealism, Realism,

Perennialism, experimentalism, existentialism, constructivism,

Reconstructivism and the like.

Whatever classification one gravitates to, the fact remains that

curricula in the United States has at some level been impacted at one time

or other by all g the above. In essence, American curriculum is hard to pin

down because it is layered and highly electric.

TYPES OF CURRICULUM

Corresponding to the differences in the nature g various educational

systems there have been variations in the concept and nature g their

curricula too. The modern concept g education is much different from that g

the traditional one. New systems g education have developed in tune with

new philosophical, sociological and psychological principles and outlooks.

In tune with the characteristics g these systems, new types g curricula also

have emerged. Some g the major types g curricula are discussed below.

Traditional or Subject-centered Curriculum

The traditional curriculum which has been in vogue for a sufficiently

long time, is conceived in terms g subjects g study. Such a curriculum is

facts, concepts, principles, processes and skills in the subject concerned. All

streets was in this cognitive attainment g the learners rather than on their

personal and social development.

Activity- centered Curriculum

Comenius suggested that, “whatever has to be learnt, must be learnt,

must be learnt by doing”. Pestalozzi declared that, “Verbal system g

teaching neither suits the facilities g the child nor the circumstances g life”.

All these to the activity principle in education which laid the foundation for

activity- centered curriculum. In activity centered curriculum, subject

matter is translated in terms g activities and knowledge is gained as an

outcome and product g these activities. Activities are used as the medium

for impacting knowledge, attitude as well as skills.

Child – centered Curriculum

This is learner oriented. Subjects should be chosen and taught

keeping in view the social, emotional and intellectual needs g children as

well as their capabilities and developmental status.

Experience – centered curriculum

This lays stress on the experience which the individual is to get while

participating in the process g learning. Under this pattern, experience g the

individual is the starting point g learning and the subject matter or the

interest g the individual.

Undifferentiated curriculum

Development g all round personality is possible only through

integrated experiences and the only means g bringing about this integration

is the unification g subjects. Herein lies the importance g undifferentiated

curriculum

Written curriculum

Is simply that which is written as part g formal instruction g

schooling experiences. It may refer to curriculum documents, texts, films

and supportive teaching materials that are overt chosen to support the

intentional instructioned agenda g a school. Thus, the overt curriculum is

usually confined to those written understandings and directions formally

designated and reviewed by administrators, curriculum directors and

teachers, often collectively.

Social Curriculum

Cortes defines this curriculum as: the massive, ongoing informal

curriculum g family, per groups, neighbor hoods, churches organizations,

occupations, mass, media and other socializing forces that “Educate” all g

us throughout our lives.

The hidden curriculum

The “hidden curriculum”, which refers to the kinds g learning

children derive from the very nature and organizational design g the public

school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes g teaches and

administrators.

Phantom curriculum

The messages prevalent in and through exposure to any type g media.

These components and messages play a major part in the enculturation

students into narrower or generational subcultures.

Received curriculum

Those things that students actually take out g class room; those

concepts and content that are truly learned and remembered.

Concentric and Spiral Curriculum

The whole curriculum is spread over a number g years. A general

treatment g almost all the topics one attempted at the beginning and it is

development g the pupils. In the beginning g the course, the whole aspect is

given to pupils in a simplified way. In the next year more and more details

its parts are added. It follows the maxims g teaching, such as from whole to

part, simple to complex, easy to difficult etc. Among educationists g

modern times, Bruner is the main exponent g this approach on he thinks a

that discovery learning is possible only if this approach is maintained.

Sometimes this approach is referred to as concentric approach. The term

„Spiral approach‟ is preferred to the other. The term spiral gives the

additional implication that while attempting gradation the linkage too is

taken care g and the continuity g they topic concerned is never broken.

While conceiving it as concentric only the widening g the scope is indicated

but the linkage is not taken care g.

Topical and Unit curriculum

There are a large number g concepts, principles, processes and skills

associated with this area, which this area, which act as related parts g a

„whole‟. Since these aspects are interrelated and maintain certain logical

sequences and correlations, it is often advised that the topic should be

thoroughly dealt with and mastered before passing on to another topic. This

is known as the topical approach in curriculum.

Through a unit may be only part g the same topic it can be given

holistic unity by properly linking the closely unit ideas involved. Taking

fundamental units g the topic first and then gradually taking other units one

by one in due course will make learning more psychological and hence

sound. This approach in curriculum planning is said to be „unit approach‟.

CONCLUSION

Curriculum is the crux g the whole educational process. Without

curriculum, we cannot conceive any educational endeavor. School

curriculum g a country, like its constitution reflects the ethos g that country.

Curriculum for a course g study may be conceived as the totally g

experience a pupil is exposed to within the boundaries g the school and

achieve the anticipated educational goals. Curriculum includes all those

experiences, activities and environmental influences which the students

receives during his educational, mental, social, moral, religious and spiritual

developments g the educand. The curriculum aims at making such a

complete development possible.

REFERENCES

Cortes, C.C. (1981) The societal curriculum: Implications for multiethnic

educations.

Eisner, E.W (1994) The educational imagination: On design and evaluation

g school programs (3rd

, ed) NewYork: Macmillan

Science Education - Dr. K. Sivarajan

- Prof. A. Faziluddin