Definition of Curriculum
Curriculum is everything that a student encounters during school hours or while participating in school-sponsored events. Curriculum can be formal or informal, required or chosen. Students learning from a selected unit in a subject are encountering a formal curriculum. During this same time students may be learning from the hidden curriculum about such things as manners, taking turns, or patriotism. Extracurriculum is also a part of the schools curriculum and encompasses activities that take place outside normal school hours. Participation in clubs, newspapers, and sports are all part of the extracurriculum. Students are exposed to many forms of curriculum and benefit in very different ways from each learning opportunity. Curriculum includes planned learning opportunities facilitated by educators and unprepared interactions in which students participate.
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