What is Curriculum?

In my search to understand how curriculum is defined and what this means for educators and their practice, I have attempted to develop a working definition. I propose that curriculum is the collection of resources and instructional materials available to educators to aid in their successful implementation of educational standards and objectives.  Essentially, curriculum should serve as a toolbox for educators.  The curriculum toolbox should include:

• strategies for teaching content
• activities to allow students to explore and understand the content
• differentiated lesson plans, and
• a list of essential materials for implementing each lesson plan

According to  the website for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), "curriculum as a concept, as a discrete idea, is almost without boundaries.  It can mean anything from the "bundle" of programs an institution offers to the individual experience of a particular student." 

So, given the definition offered by ASCD, it clear that curriculum can be just about anything that educators use to develop thoughtful and reflective learners.  Unlike my working definition, the ASCD definition of curriculum encompasses so much more than just the supports for a prescribed program of learning. Curriculum is what sets the stage for the educational experience, and this is the lens I choose to use as the focus for my analysis.

Reference:  http://www.ascd.org/publications/jcs/spring1993/Curriculum-Definitions-and-Reference-Points.aspx