What is Curriculum?

Curriculum can be defined as the total experience, knowledge, skill, value, attitude an of an expert and skilled person (teacher) who inculcate all these into the mind of a novice (leaner) so as to improve his/her cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain while still under the umbrella of the school. The purpose of curriculum is to set the teaching learning culture of a school. It is a planned and structured process which directs and guides the teachers to successfully practice those processes to fulfill the learning needs of the students. In simple words curriculum can be defined as the means and materials that students will interact for the purpose of achieving (goals) identified educational outcomes. It is the totality of all experience attained by the learner inside/outside the class or school. Curriculum is defined as the total planed and unplanned learning experience to be thought by educators to educate learners to achieve a set goal within and outside school environment.

Curriculum is that
1. which is taught in schools
2. A set of subjects.
3. Content A program of studies.
4. A set of materials
5. A sequence of courses.
6. A set of performance objectives
6.A course of study
7. Is everything that goes on within the school, including extra-class activities, guidance, and interpersonal           relationships.
8. Everything that is planned by school personnel.
9. A series of experiences undergone by learners in a school.
10. That which an individual learner experiences as a result of schooling.

Types of curriculum
The following are the simple types of curriculm:
1:- subject centred curriculum
2:- Activity/Experience-centred curriculum
3:- Child-centred curriculum
4:- Hidden Curriculum
5:- Core-Curriculum

Some other Types of Curriculum 

Written Curriculum:
It appears in state and local documents like state standards, district curriculum guides, course of study, scope and sequence charts and teachers’ planning documents given to schools

Taught Curriculum
the one that teachers implement or deliver and which refers to the planned activities which are put into action in the classroom

Supported Curriculum has all the facilities and materials that will help the teacher in implementing the curriculum for a successful teaching-learning process

Assessed Curriculum
a tested or evaluated curriculum where teachers use paper-and-pencil tests, practical exams, and/or portfolios to assess the student's progress and for them to determine the extent of their teaching during and after each topic they teach

Learned Curriculum
the curriculum that students actually learn like the learning outcomes achieved by the students indicated by the results of the tests

Hidden Curriculum
is an unintended curriculum which is not planned but may modify behavior or influence learning outcomes that transpire in school

PRINCIPLES OF CURRICULUM
1. Curriculum change is inevitable and desirable.
2. Curriculum is a comprehensive process.
3. Curriculum is a systematic development.
4. Curriculum is a continuous process..
5. Curriculum encourages co-operative endeavor


Four basic concepts of curriculum:
1. Statement of objectives.
2.Content or subject matter.
3. Method of instruction.
4. Evaluation.

What is The Core Curriculum?
It is the set of common courses required of all undergraduates and considered the necessary general education for students, irrespective of their choice in major.


What is a Hidden Curriculum?
It is a side effect of an education, "[lessons] which are learned but not openly intended" such as the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment. Any learning experience may teach unintended lessons.

What is a formal curriculum?
The formal curriculum, or official curriculum, relating to an institution of higher learning, refers to the outlined objectives, content, learning experiences, resources and assessment required in order to earn a specific academic degree.