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Concept of a Curriculum-1

The document explores the concept of curriculum in education, emphasizing its definitions, types, and the importance of effective program planning for institutions like nursing schools. It discusses various curriculum types, including overt, hidden, and null curricula, and highlights the roles of educational leaders in shaping these experiences. The text also raises questions about the organization and implementation of curricula in nursing education to ensure competent graduates.

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ATORSAH NKPETRI
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2 views

Concept of a Curriculum-1

The document explores the concept of curriculum in education, emphasizing its definitions, types, and the importance of effective program planning for institutions like nursing schools. It discusses various curriculum types, including overt, hidden, and null curricula, and highlights the roles of educational leaders in shaping these experiences. The text also raises questions about the organization and implementation of curricula in nursing education to ensure competent graduates.

Uploaded by

ATORSAH NKPETRI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE CONCEPT OF

A CURRICULUM

ISAAC NKRUMAH
MSc NURS EDU, BSc, RGN
Food for thought
• What should the schools do before admitting
students to a program?
• Did you know the courses you were going to offer
when you applied to the GCUC?
• How did GCUC select those courses?
• How did they know which ones to teach in 1st year, 2nd
etc?
• How did your NMTC organize clinical practice for
you?
• Who are these people in a school:
- Principal
- Dean
- Provost etc
• These & more in CURRICULUM …
Case Scenario

• Upon completion of BSc Midwifery and


Nursing at GCUC, Anita, Susan and Prince
decided to establish a midwifery training
school and name it Trinity Nursing and
Midwifery Training College in Tema
• They have agreed to offer these programs:
o Diploma in Neonatal Nursing
o Diploma in Pediatric Nursing
o Diploma in Midwifery
• What should they do in order to:
a) run effective programs and
b) produce competent graduates
Introduction
• The word “curriculum” comes from a latin
root meaning “racecourse” or “running
course “of the horse in the game of
ancient Rome.
• Taking it in the area of education , it may
imply a course to be followed
• In a narrow sense, it means subjects to be
taught in school
• However, in a broad sense, refers to total
learning experience not only in schools
but in society at large.
• Like many others concept related to
education, of curriculum is difficult to
define
• Some of the attempts that have been
made to describe it have contributed
immensely towards understanding it
• Gagne, (1967), defined curriculum as a “series of
content unit”.
• Bantock (1980) said it is “the aggregate of
courses of study provided in an educational
institution
Some Definitions • Stenhouse, (1975), defined curriculum as an
attempt to communicate the essential principles
and features of an educational proposal in such
a form that it is often open to critical scrutiny
and capable of effective translation into practice.
• Taba, (1962), defined curriculum as a way of
preparing young people to participate as
productive members of our culture
• Tamakloe, (1992): A curriculum is composed of a selection of socially
valued knowledge, skills and attitudes which an educand is made to
acquire through various forms of planning
• Quinn (1994): offers a definition based upon the principal
components of the concept; to him, a Curriculum is a plan or design
for education and training that addresses the following questions:
- Who is to be taught?
- What is to be taught
- Why is it to be taught
- How is it going to be taught?
- Where is it to be taught.
- When is it to be taught ?
• Curriculum here therefore refers to planned learning experiences
that the educational institution intends to provide for its learners.
Other related definitions

• Course: A building block of a program, consisting of a time-limited


component, usually over a term - 3 months, a semester - 4 months
• Program: A coherent set of courses, leading to a certain degree,
diploma or certificate.
• Competence: The ability to deliver a specified professional service
• Discipline: A field of study and practice often associated with a
specific profession, or the group of scientists studying a specific
subject e. g. midwifery
• Head of School: The person, usually a nurse, who is the executive
director of the school. The title might be Dean, Principal, but the
job is to give academic and administrative leadership.
• School of Nursing: A department within a university, or a college
or any other higher education institution that is in charge of
offering formal nursing and midwifery programs.
Types of Curriculum

• Among the different types of


curriculum include:
 Overt/written curriculum
 Covert/Hidden curriculum
 Societal curriculum
 Null curriculum
 Taught Curriculum
 Supported Curriculum
 Assessed Curriculum
 Learned Curriculum
• The type which is written as part of formal
instruction of schooling experiences.
• It encompasses anything that is part of the
process of formal schooling, from written
lesson plans and activities to textbooks and
Overt/written films
curriculum • Specifically, it includes:
 curriculum document
 texts books
 handouts
 syllabus
Share your experiences

Have you ever met a nursing student on the ward, and


you were able to correctly predict his or her NMTC or
university WITHOUT seeing any identification?

If YES, how did you get that What measurement did you use?
right? What did you see or observe?
Hidden curriculum

• The hidden curriculum describes those aspects of the


educational environment and student learning which are
not formally or explicitly stated but which relate to the
culture and ethics of the institution.
• They are not deliberately planned but may modify
behaviour or influence learning outcomes
• Thus, this curriculum is what students learn from the
administrative structure of schools and the attitudes of
teachers and administrators.
• Includes values and expectations that students acquire as
a result of going through an educational process
• Specific examples are:
 standing in line
 raising hands to be called on
 following a rigid class schedule
 Peer influence
 Teacher-student relation
Null Curriculum
• The null curriculum is any subject matter that is not taught
in school, which can give students the impression that these
materials are less important
• Helps teachers implement a
written curriculum thus
enables the students to
become life-long learners
Supported • Include:

Curriculum  Instructional materials, such as


audio-visual materials, blogs, wikis
 Other examples are educational
visits to zoo, morgue and dummies

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