Difference between Planned and Received Curriculum and the Role of Teacher - Coursework Example

Difference between Planned and Received Curriculum and the Role of Teacher Izzat M. Waseem Oxford This essay includes different definitions of curriculum and its origin. It explains that ‘curriculum’ is a term that is wider than the term ‘syllabus’. ‘Syllabus’ is a part of ‘curriculum’. This essay also includes the definitions and details of the planned curriculum, the type of curriculum that is planned for the students before it is actually taught; and the received curriculum, the type of the curriculum that the students actually learn or receive; or what they are, in fact, able to utilise practically. It differentiates between both the above kinds of curriculum with examples. The role of teacher to convey the planned curriculum is also discussed in this essay to ensure the maximum ratio of the received curriculum. The teacher is the one, who can ensure ‘the planned curriculum’ to become ‘the received curriculum’ to its maximum, using different strategies and techniques. Thus, a teacher’s role becomes very important in the entire teaching-learning process. Key words: definitions curriculum planned received teacher Difference between Planned and Received Curriculum and the Role of Teacher Curriculum is a word that originated from Latin, which means ‘a running’, ‘course’ or ‘current (of life)’. It is said that it was first used in English in 16th century. Educationists and other people take it in many ways. Peter F.Oliva defines the curriculum as, that which is taught in schools; a set of subjects; a programme of studies; a set of materials; a sequence of course; a set of performance objectives, a course of study; is every thing that goes on within the school, including extra-class activities, guidance and interpersonal relationships; every thing that is planned by school personnel; a series of experiences undergone by learners in a school; that which an individual learner experiences as result of schooling (1997) In the early 2000, Curriculum was defined as follows: “Definition 1: Curriculum is such “permanent” subjects as grammar, reading, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, and the greatest books of the Western world that best embody essential knowledge. Definition 2: Curriculum is those subjects that are most useful for living in contemporary society. Definition 3: Curriculum is all planned learnings for which the school is responsible.  Definition 4: Curriculum is all the experiences learners have under the guidance of the school. Definition 5: Curriculum is the totality of learning experiences provided to students so that they can attain general skills and knowledge at a variety of learning sites.  Definition 6: Curriculum is what the student constructs from working with the computer and its various networks, such as the Internet. Definition 7: Curriculum is the questioning of authority and the searching for complex views of human situations. Definition 8: Curriculum is all the experiences that learners have in the course of living. (Marsh, C. J. & Willis, G. 2003) That is how, curriculum is every thing that is included in or is related to a course to teach to the students for one or more purposes, which they are required to, or supposed to utilise in their real lives. After the definitions of curriculum, I will distinguish between planned and received curriculums. A planned curriculum is the kind of curriculum that is planned in the very beginning of the entire teaching-learning process. It is the stage where planning takes place to design a curriculum, keeping in mind some considerations and some limitations. Then a curriculum is planned and designed to teach the students. It is a stage before the implementation of that curriculum. That is how, a planned curriculum can be defined in easy terms as, knowledge or skill, pre-decided to teach to the students and then actually taught to the students; knowledge or skill, told to the students; knowledge or skill, about which the students are informed; or knowledge, delivered to the students. Received curriculum is commonly defined as those things that students actually learn after a lesson is delivered; the parts of the taught lesson or taught skills or behaviours that they are able to utilise practically, in their lives, one way or the other. Cuban calls it “the learned curriculum” (1992). "The gap between what is taught and what is learned—both intended and unintended—is large." (Cuban, 1992, p. 223). That is how, it can easily be concluded that received curriculum is, knowledge or skill, learnt by the student; knowledge or skill, gained by the student; knowledge or skill, achieved by the student; knowledge or skill, attained by the student or knowledge or skill, which student is able to apply in real life, practically. The difference between the planned curriculum and the received curriculum can be understood through many examples. There could be cases where what was planned, was exactly, or almost exactly learnt by the students but there are a large number of times in teaching-learning process when what is taught, is received differently by the students, or by some of the students. There could be many possibilities in this regard, such as the cases in which all the students did not receive the taught curriculum, some of the students did not receive the planned curriculum, or the students received some thing, which was not planned at all. An example of receiving the taught curriculum exactly is about teaching ‘Parts of body’ to students. Suppose, if the planned curriculum was to teach the names of ten parts of body to the students; and the students learnt the same, it means that the planned and the received curriculum are the same. On the contrary, there could be times where the planned curriculum was to teach a rhyme to the students but none of the students received it in its entirety and learnt only some of the lines of the poem taught. An example of receiving an entirely different thing, from the planned one, is when a teacher tells a story to the students through which s/he wants to teach about the rewards of hard work, and the students learn only about the benefits of riches. Some other examples of receiving different things than the planned ones are as follows: The teacher lets the students work in groups to prepare a project, and some of the students learn to become and behave like leaders. The instructor takes the students to the playground for physical exercise through different sports, and the students learn sportsmanship automatically and unconsciously, which was not planned in fact. Following the planned curriculum, the teacher teaches some mathematical problems but some of the students, instead, learn only how to memorise and work accordingly. For communication exercise, the teacher gives a speaking task to the students to prepare as part of the planned curriculum, and the students learn to respect the old people, as the topic concerns the old ones. The role of a teacher in conveying the planned curriculum is very important. Teachers, because they teach the planned curriculum, are "the real implementers of the curriculum"(Marsch & Willis, 2003, p. 347). “The teachers or planning committees (a) set goals and rational for instruction, (b) define the objectives, (c) decide on means of assessment, (d) construct a breakdown of units of study for the course, and (e) create lessons using various instructional models and activities” (Gunter, Estes & Schwab, 2003). Assessment of the learning of the students, by the concerned teacher, "integrates curriculum and assessment" (Wiggins, 1996/1997, p. 25). That is how, a teacher’s role is very important in conveying to the students, what was planned. A teacher can improve the ratio of the received curriculum through different tactics and techniques. For example, focusing on the main points and the actual behaviour or skill to be taught, keeping a check on students’ behaviour and activities, guiding at the appropriate times, giving clear and simple instructions, using latest and interesting activities, being empathetic and becoming friendly to students when required. Using these strategies, a teacher can implement a large part of what was planned to teach to the students. Work Cited Cuban, L. (1992) Curriculum stability and change. Jackson, Philip. Handbook of Research on Curriculum. American Educational Research Association Gunter, M.A., Estes, T.H., & Schwab, J. (2003). Instruction: A model approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Marsh, C.J. & Willis, G. (2003). Curriculum: Alternative approaches, ongoing issues. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle Silver, NJ: Pearson Oliva, P. (1997) the curriculum: Theoretical dimensions. New York; Longman. Wiggins, G. (1996/1997, December/January). Practicing what we preach in designing authentic assessment: Educational Leadership, 54()4, 18-26. retrieved November 17, 2006, from EBSCOhost database. Read More