Lynch , Smith , Howarth
2 . Economic influences : In recent decades , what knowledge is packaged in education systems has been a lively discussion issue by those interests intent on ensuring that education contributes to economic prosperity and competitiveness . Similarly , those interests opposed to such a focus are equally vocal in pointing out that education plays a leading role in reproducing the existing unequal distribution of power , goods , and services in society ( Bowles , n . d ).
3 . Epistemological influences : At the philosophical level , what counts as knowledge and what should be properly labelled as “ knowing ” are on-going matters for analysis and debate . For example , it is possible to divide knowledge and knowing into the well-known behavioural elements of cognitive , affective , and psychomotor . In contrast , knowledge and the mind can be seen as more integrated so that knowledge is a process . Moreover , there are aesthetic elements to curriculum as well . Linking curriculum knowledge to the biography and subjective meanings of students and acting as curriculum designers and teachers in an artful way are legitimate issues in debates about what should be taught ( Blake , Smeyers , Smith , and Standish , 2003 ).
4 . Historical influences : All of the important knowledge and curriculum matters of the present have historical precedents and solutions . They do not just happen in a social vacuum . Trying to decipher what is really new and what are re-runs of past experiences in new clothes is an important aspect of curriculum theory and analysis . Identifying which traditions can help answer curriculum questions and knowing which additional resources are needed to deal with the future are core concerns ( Connolly , He and Phillion , 2008 ).
5 . Pedagogical influences : How curricular knowledge can be made accessible to students is a core issue for contemporary societies because of the centrality of education and credentials for life-chances . How students and teachers are treated , responsibility and justice in education imply that accessibility to the curriculum is a moral as well as technical matter for the community and the teaching profession . Pedagogical practices then , while they are analytically distinct from curriculum as such , have prime importance in the curriculum story ( see Hattie , 2005 ) and deserve far more close attention than they have received in the past .
6 . Ideological influences : What knowledge is of most worth is not easily resolved because individuals and social groups have a kaleidoscope of views about it . Often these views are incommensurate and charged with emotion . The related issue of who “ owns ” curriculum is similarly value-loaded . Teachers for example sometimes claim that they “ own ” the curriculum , a view that is hotly contested by governments , parent groups and others . The implication is that , inevitably , most curriculum decisions will be settlements rather than consensus-based agreements and that some participants in the education process will have to temporarily give up some of their most prized beliefs in order to work in the education field . Taken together , these influences have a direct impact on the goals of the school and , by direct association , the classroom teacher ’ s capacity to develop and implement curriculum .
How is the Term Curriculum Used in the Teaching Lexicon ?
Having now outlined the concept of curriculum and its influences we now explore the various ways in which the term curriculum is used to explain an aspect of the teachers work .
Curriculum is defined as a course of study in a school or college . But curriculum as a term is used primarily in three situations : as a body of knowledge to be taught , as a product , or as a process and praxis . We discuss each in turn .
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