1.1 CURRICULUM MEANING

Meaning of the curriculum:

It is necessary to note that the word curriculum does not have any fixed meaning, even within the professional community of educators.

Etymological Meaning:

'currer' which means to run. The word "curriculum"literally means "to run a course."

Traditional Meaning:

Mastery over certain types of knowledge and skills. Traditionally, in Anglo-Saxon education systems curriculum typically refers to what students will be taught with a particular focus on objectives, content, methods and description of other pedagogical arrangements (Taba 1962, Smith 2000).

On the other hand, the German tradition sees curriculum more as a program of study (lehrplan) that emphasizes on describing the yearly study programs by subject or area of study together with the order in which they will be taught in classrooms.

General Meaning:

The ground which the pupils and the teacher cover to reach the goal of education.

Modern Meaning:

It is a process intended to help pupil to live in present world and to build the future world in which his generation would live.