In the dictionary, the curriculum is defined as a course of study in one subject at a school or college, a list of all the courses of study offered by a school or college or any programme or plan of activities.
Curricularists define curriculum differently. For Ralph Tyler, curriculum is a plan and static program where students preoccupied with testing. In his book, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction, he divided the curriculum into four sections, focusing on setting objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing instruction and evaluating progress. Hilda Taba has a similar idea to Ralph Taba. She described
curriculum as a statement of aims with specific objectives that
indicates some organization of content
or manifests certain patterns of learning and teaching. She also includes a program of evaluation of the outcomes.
Most behavioral people agree with this definition. For example, J. Galen Saylor, William M. Alexander, and Arthur J. Lewis (1974) define curriculum as a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities in an organised formal education to achieve specific objectives set for people to be educated. Jon Wiles and Joseph Bondi (1989 view curriculum as four-step plan that includes purpose, design, implementation and assessment. The educator develops the plan set to achieve goal, culminating in classroom experiences for students. The plan carried out must determine the purpose of achieving.
However, the curriculum can be defined broadly. John Dewey defined curriculum as experiences learners learnt. Where as Caswell and Campbell supported Dewey view's as all the experiences children learn in school with the guidance of teachers.
In Malaysia, its curriculum was defined with the guidance of National Philosophy of education. Its curriculum is a uniform system of education in both primary and secondary schools, a set of plan whereby a national curriculum is used in all schools. Common central assessment and examinations at the end of the respective periods of schooling are also being practiced.
** My note
Most behavioral people agree with this definition. For example, J. Galen Saylor, William M. Alexander, and Arthur J. Lewis (1974) define curriculum as a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities in an organised formal education to achieve specific objectives set for people to be educated. Jon Wiles and Joseph Bondi (1989 view curriculum as four-step plan that includes purpose, design, implementation and assessment. The educator develops the plan set to achieve goal, culminating in classroom experiences for students. The plan carried out must determine the purpose of achieving.
However, the curriculum can be defined broadly. John Dewey defined curriculum as experiences learners learnt. Where as Caswell and Campbell supported Dewey view's as all the experiences children learn in school with the guidance of teachers.
In Malaysia, its curriculum was defined with the guidance of National Philosophy of education. Its curriculum is a uniform system of education in both primary and secondary schools, a set of plan whereby a national curriculum is used in all schools. Common central assessment and examinations at the end of the respective periods of schooling are also being practiced.
** My note
