Four Common Definitions of Curriculum

by Well-known Curriculum Leaders

Curriculum as Subject Matter
The curriculum should consist of permanent studies the rules of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic,
mathematics and, at the secondary level, the greatest books of the Western world. (Robert Hutchins)
The curriculum must consist essentially of disciplined study in five areas: command of the mother tongue
and systematic study of grammar, literature, and writing; mathematics; the science; history; and foreign
language. (Arthur Bestor)
The curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge that comes from the disciplines. (Philip Phenix)
A curriculum is a written document. (George Beauchamp)

Curriculum as a Plan
The curriculum is a planned program of learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and
related objectives. (William Alexander)
The curriculum is all of the learning of students that is planned by and directed by the school to attain its
educational goals. (Ralph Tyler)
The curriculum is a (set of) planned and guided learning experiences for the learners continuous and
wilful growth... (Daniel and Laura Tanner)
A curriculum is a plan for learning. (Hilda Taba)
A curriculum is a plan for what is to be taught and is composed of what is to be taught, to whom, when,
and how. (John McNeil)
The curriculum is planned actions for instruction... (James Mcdonald)
The curriculum of the school can be conceived of as a series of planned events that are intended to have
educational consequences for one or more students. (Elliot Eisner)

Curriculum as an Experience
A curriculum is those experiences set up by the school for the purpose of disciplining students, and youth
in group ways of thinking and acting. (B O Smith, William Stanley, and Harlan Shores)
The curriculum is generally considered to be all of the experiences that learners have under the auspices
of the school. (Ronald Doll)
The curriculum is that series of things that children and youth must do an experience. (Franklin Bobbit)
The curriculum is the life and program of the school... an enterprise guided living. (Harold Rugg)
The curriculum is composed of all the experiences children have under the guidance of teachers. (Hollis
Caswell and Doak Cambell)
The curriculum is now seen as the total experience with which the school deals in educating young
people. (Eight year study report)
The curriculum is a goal or set of values that is activated through development process and culminates in
classroom experiences for students. (Jon Wiles)

Curriculum as an Outcome
The curriculum is a planned learning outcome for which the school is responsible. (James
Popham and Henry Baker)
The curriculum is a structured set of learning outcomes (objectives) resulting from instruction.
(K. Howell, S. Fox, and K. Morehead)
Curriculum is concerned not only with what students will do in the learning situation, but with
what they will learn as a consequence of what they do. Curriculum is concerned with results.
(Maurice Johnson)
The curriculum is all of the experiences that individual learners have in a program of education
whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives. (Glen Hass)