Curriculum Basics

If you don't know where you are going, any road with get you there. - Lewis Carroll

This blog identifies several basic curriculum terms and processes to help educators know the path or road to construct in their planning. These terms include
-- Defining the word “curriculum,” 
-- Identifying four key curriculum questions,
-- Describing what is meant by “scope and sequence,” and
-- Defining the term “spiral curriculum.” 

Curriculum is defined as a course or path of study. The curriculum of an organization answers the questions: what, why, to whom, and how to accomplish the learning goals of an organization or group. These four questions help us move along the teaching-learning pathway.
1. What should we teach?
2. Why should we teach this topic or topics?
3. Who will we be teaching?
4. How are we going teach?

 What should we teach? This a question about the content or subject matter to be taught.

“What” is interrelated with “why.” These two questions should be dealt with simultaneously. If they are not, we may find ourselves teaching content without reason or having reason without content for accomplishing our purposes.

Why teach this topic or topics? “Why” is a question for identifying objectives, or goals (intentions). Why addresses the rationale for teaching a topic.

Goals are generally understood to be general purpose statements that apply to a thematically grouped number of lessons or units. Objectives are typically defined as behaviors that can be identified as a result of a specific lesson.

Who will we be teaching? This question asks us to identify a specific group of learners. Are they children, youth, adults, or a multi-generational group? What are their cultural characteristics?  Do they have an advanced or beginning knowledge of the subject matter?

How are we going to teach? The “how” question asks about the methods, procedures, environment, and conditions by which we plan to teach. Will teaching-learning methods be directive or participatory? Will we be giving a lecture (information giving), leading a discussion (discovery learning), telling a story (imagination), or something else? Where will this teaching take place?

Curriculum planning also deals with “scope and sequence.” Scope and sequence refer to the “what” and “how” of teaching. They are part of the curriculum planning process.

Scope refers to topics that are to be taught; specifically, how basic or difficult will the content be from beginning to the mastery levels? Sequence is the order in which topics are to be taught over time.

Another component of is referred to as the “spiral curriculum.” The term “spiral curriculum” refers to concepts being repeated throughout the curriculum, repeated with increasing depth and complexity according to the prior knowledge and development level of the learners.

This presentation has been an introduction to several basic curriculum topics. These include defining curriculum, four curriculum questions, scope and sequence, and spiral curriculum.

These areas are key to planning teaching and learning experiences in any educational organization.

Following are references on which this material is based.

Bruner, Jerome. The Process of Education. Harvard, 1960 and The Spiral Curriculum

Tyler, Ralph W. Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. University of Chicago Press, 1949

Ward, Ted. Curriculum: The Path to High-Worth Outcomes. Common Ground Journal. v10 n1 (Fall 2012) 43

This blog is also available as a YouTube video, click here.