Curriculum Defined
The word “curriculum” means “what it
intended to be taught.” It actually comes from the Latin word
currere, meaning to run. It is the same root from which we get the word
course, as in a running track. This view of curriculum, as a set course,
helps us to view our curriculum in a somewhat different way than exists
in most public schools. While the popular fad in education is to individualize
instruction, classical education defines a course, or curriculum, through
which every student progresses. Our curriculum is deliberately chosen,
based on what has been tried and true and taught to children across
the centuries. Of course, there are always adjustments to content as
new knowledge is discovered, but the basic truths and methods do not
change.
There are, however, some categories of curriculum which
must be considered when discussing a school’s curriculum. This
guide is intended to spell out the “written curriculum,”
the documentation that describes the scope and sequence of what students
will be taught in each subject. There are two more kinds of curriculum
that certainly exist but are not usually described in written form.
They are the “living curriculum” and the “cultural
curriculum.” The “living curriculum” is the result
of what an individual teacher brings to the “written curriculum.”
While each teacher may be provided with the same list of learning objectives,
she brings her own experience and teaching flair to that topic. So,
the “written curriculum” may be taught in a slightly different
way and to a slightly varying level of detail depending on who is teaching
it.
The “cultural curriculum” refers to
the atmosphere in which the “written curriculum” is taught.
The culture of the school itself (and each classroom) provides a foundation
upon which the learning experience is created. Therefore, the written
curriculum described in this document must be considered in light of
the living and cultural curricula of the school.
