Hidden Curriculum
The Hidden Curriculum
The hidden curriculum is a well-recognised element of education. The term is often accredited to Philip W. Jackson as it was first coined in his publication “Life in classrooms” (1968) however the theory had been present in education for some time before, philosopher John Dewey had experimented with the idea in some of his early 20th century works. It deals with the covert area of curriculum. This piece will first and foremost explore the idea of curriculum beyond subjects and syllabus, over time, and furthermore look into the impact of teacher-student relationships on development and achievement.
Understanding the curriculum
Explicit Curriculum
In order to gain further insight into the hidden curriculum, it is crucial to define and breakdown the curriculum and understand the relationship between the various components. The first part of the curriculum, which is arguably the most important, is the Explicit curriculum (Eisner, 1985), this is the set of documents outlining the course of subjects, (including their content) which are offered within an educational institution. It is a body of knowledge which can be transmitted and in this respect, is seen to be a product, which is planned ahead for, with set objectives. Defining curriculum has always been a topic of discussion, particularly when dealing with the applying it to practice. The current definitions are heavily subjective and relate to traditional schooling, thus making it difficult to apply to non-traditional types of formal education.
One major concern which arises when defining curriculum is that it is often confounded with syllabus. The syllabus is purely the contents of a series of lectures designed to prepare for formal education, it is generally provided by the examination board while the curriculum on the other hand, is set out by the government.
The Null The second concept of curricula is the “null” (Eisner, 1985) this is the area which ideally includes what is not
The hidden curriculum is a well-recognised element of education. The term is often accredited to Philip W. Jackson as it was first coined in his publication “Life in classrooms” (1968) however the theory had been present in education for some time before, philosopher John Dewey had experimented with the idea in some of his early 20th century works. It deals with the covert area of curriculum. This piece will first and foremost explore the idea of curriculum beyond subjects and syllabus, over time, and furthermore look into the impact of teacher-student relationships on development and achievement.
Understanding the curriculum
Explicit Curriculum
In order to gain further insight into the hidden curriculum, it is crucial to define and breakdown the curriculum and understand the relationship between the various components. The first part of the curriculum, which is arguably the most important, is the Explicit curriculum (Eisner, 1985), this is the set of documents outlining the course of subjects, (including their content) which are offered within an educational institution. It is a body of knowledge which can be transmitted and in this respect, is seen to be a product, which is planned ahead for, with set objectives. Defining curriculum has always been a topic of discussion, particularly when dealing with the applying it to practice. The current definitions are heavily subjective and relate to traditional schooling, thus making it difficult to apply to non-traditional types of formal education.
One major concern which arises when defining curriculum is that it is often confounded with syllabus. The syllabus is purely the contents of a series of lectures designed to prepare for formal education, it is generally provided by the examination board while the curriculum on the other hand, is set out by the government.
The Null The second concept of curricula is the “null” (Eisner, 1985) this is the area which ideally includes what is not
References: - Texts, Facts, and Femininity: Exploring the Relations of Ruling –Dorothy E Smith (1990) - Das Kapital – Karl Marx (1867) - Teaching in further education an outline of principles and practice - LB Curzon (2003) - Salt & Industry – McCall et All (2001) - Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life – Bowles & Gintis (1976) - Visual, Auditory and Kinsethetic - Neil Flemming (1996) - Pedagogy, Symbolic Control and Identity - Bernstein (1996 / 2000 second edition) - A journal of modern society (2001-2005) - The Art of Educational Evaluation: a personal view - ELLIOTT W. EISNER (1985) - Sociology explained – Albert Abernathy (1998) - Howard (1987)