The document discusses different types of curriculum, including traditional subject-centered, activity-centered, child-centered, experience-centered, undifferentiated, written, social, hidden, phantom, received, concentric/spiral, and topical/unit curriculums. It provides definitions and explanations of each type of curriculum, noting that different educational systems and philosophies have led to variations in conceptualizations of curriculum over time. The document concludes that curriculum is central to the educational process and should aim to facilitate complete development of students.

1. ASSIGNMENT
TOPIC: TYPES OF CURRICULUM
Submitted by,
Ancy.P.L
Roll No: 17
B.Ed Natural Science

2. INTRODUCTION
The term curriculum is delivered from the Latin word currere which
means path. In this sense curriculum is the path through which the student
has to go forward in order to reach the goal envisaged by education.
Usually the term curriculum is understood as a group g subjects prescribed
for study in a particular course. But curriculum is not confined to this
narrow concept. Curriculum should in no way be considered as
synonymous with courses g study.
Since curriculum reflects the models g instructional delivery chosen
and used, some night indicate that curriculum could be categorized
according to the common psychological classifications g the four families g
learning theories; Social, Information processing, personalist and
Behavioral. Longstreet and shane have dubbed divisions in curricular
orientations as: Child-centered, Society-centered, Knowledge – centered, or
electric. Common philosophical orientations g curriculum parallel those
beliefs espoused by different philosophical orientations. Idealism, Realism,
Perennialism, experimentalism, existentialism, constructivism,
Reconstructivism and the like.
Whatever classification one gravitates to, the fact remains that
curricula in the United States has at some level been impacted at one time
or other by all g the above. In essence, American curriculum is hard to pin
down because it is layered and highly electric.

4. TYPES OF CURRICULUM
Corresponding to the differences in the nature g various educational
systems there have been variations in the concept and nature g their
curricula too. The modern concept g education is much different from that g
the traditional one. New systems g education have developed in tune with
new philosophical, sociological and psychological principles and outlooks.
In tune with the characteristics g these systems, new types g curricula also
have emerged. Some g the major types g curricula are discussed below.
Traditional or Subject-centered Curriculum
The traditional curriculum which has been in vogue for a sufficiently
long time, is conceived in terms g subjects g study. Such a curriculum is
facts, concepts, principles, processes and skills in the subject concerned. All
streets was in this cognitive attainment g the learners rather than on their
personal and social development.
Activity- centered Curriculum
Comenius suggested that, “whatever has to be learnt, must be learnt,
must be learnt by doing”. Pestalozzi declared that, “Verbal system g
teaching neither suits the facilities g the child nor the circumstances g life”.
All these to the activity principle in education which laid the foundation for
activity- centered curriculum. In activity centered curriculum, subject
matter is translated in terms g activities and knowledge is gained as an
outcome and product g these activities. Activities are used as the medium
for impacting knowledge, attitude as well as skills.

5. Child – centered Curriculum
This is learner oriented. Subjects should be chosen and taught
keeping in view the social, emotional and intellectual needs g children as
well as their capabilities and developmental status.
Experience – centered curriculum
This lays stress on the experience which the individual is to get while
participating in the process g learning. Under this pattern, experience g the
individual is the starting point g learning and the subject matter or the
interest g the individual.
Undifferentiated curriculum
Development g all round personality is possible only through
integrated experiences and the only means g bringing about this integration
is the unification g subjects. Herein lies the importance g undifferentiated
curriculum
Written curriculum
Is simply that which is written as part g formal instruction g
schooling experiences. It may refer to curriculum documents, texts, films
and supportive teaching materials that are overt chosen to support the
intentional instructioned agenda g a school. Thus, the overt curriculum is
usually confined to those written understandings and directions formally
designated and reviewed by administrators, curriculum directors and
teachers, often collectively.

6. Social Curriculum
Cortes defines this curriculum as: the massive, ongoing informal
curriculum g family, per groups, neighbor hoods, churches organizations,
occupations, mass, media and other socializing forces that “Educate” all g
us throughout our lives.
The hidden curriculum
The “hidden curriculum”, which refers to the kinds g learning
children derive from the very nature and organizational design g the public
school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes g teaches and
administrators.
Phantom curriculum
The messages prevalent in and through exposure to any type g media.
These components and messages play a major part in the enculturation
students into narrower or generational subcultures.
Received curriculum
Those things that students actually take out g class room; those
concepts and content that are truly learned and remembered.
Concentric and Spiral Curriculum
The whole curriculum is spread over a number g years. A general
treatment g almost all the topics one attempted at the beginning and it is
development g the pupils. In the beginning g the course, the whole aspect is

7. given to pupils in a simplified way. In the next year more and more details
its parts are added. It follows the maxims g teaching, such as from whole to
part, simple to complex, easy to difficult etc. Among educationists g
modern times, Bruner is the main exponent g this approach on he thinks a
that discovery learning is possible only if this approach is maintained.
Sometimes this approach is referred to as concentric approach. The term
‘Spiral approach’ is preferred to the other. The term spiral gives the
additional implication that while attempting gradation the linkage too is
taken care g and the continuity g they topic concerned is never broken.
While conceiving it as concentric only the widening g the scope is indicated
but the linkage is not taken care g.
Topical and Unit curriculum
There are a large number g concepts, principles, processes and skills
associated with this area, which this area, which act as related parts g a
‘whole’. Since these aspects are interrelated and maintain certain logical
sequences and correlations, it is often advised that the topic should be
thoroughly dealt with and mastered before passing on to another topic. This
is known as the topical approach in curriculum.
Through a unit may be only part g the same topic it can be given
holistic unity by properly linking the closely unit ideas involved. Taking
fundamental units g the topic first and then gradually taking other units one
by one in due course will make learning more psychological and hence
sound. This approach in curriculum planning is said to be ‘unit approach’.

8. CONCLUSION
Curriculum is the crux g the whole educational process. Without
curriculum, we cannot conceive any educational endeavor. School
curriculum g a country, like its constitution reflects the ethos g that country.
Curriculum for a course g study may be conceived as the totally g
experience a pupil is exposed to within the boundaries g the school and
achieve the anticipated educational goals. Curriculum includes all those
experiences, activities and environmental influences which the students
receives during his educational, mental, social, moral, religious and spiritual
developments g the educand. The curriculum aims at making such a
complete development possible.

9. REFERENCES
 Cortes, C.C. (1981) The societal curriculum: Implications for multiethnic
educations.
 Eisner, E.W (1994) The educational imagination: On design and evaluation
g school programs (3rd, ed) NewYork: Macmillan
 Science Education - Dr. K. Sivarajan
- Prof. A. Faziluddin