Why Curriculum?

What is Curriculum? 

When I was in college, I had a professor who was very adamant about the fact that curriculum is not a book.  She would go around the room asking us to explain the curriculum for geometry or pre algebra.  Then, she would get hysterical if we mentioned a specific book in our answer.  That's because, curriculum is not what you buy at the education conference, bookstore, or online. 

So, what is curriculum and why do we use it? 

According to Mr. Webster, curriculum is a set of courses constituting an area of specialization. 

 

You may have noticed that the words 'book' or 'text' do not appear in that definition.  That's because any books used in a course are secondary.  Curriculum is what courses are mastered in our pursuit of knowledge, skills, and character

In math, we would ask what concepts are taught in the traditional study of algebra.  That's the same thing as: 'What's the algebra curriculum?'  to which the answer is absolutely NOT Saxon or Teaching Textbooks.  The answer would be a list of the concepts mastered in algebra: basic and advanced arithmetic, solving for 1 and 2 variables, solving systems of equations, graphing on the cartesian plane, etc.  

Once you understand that curriculum is not a specific book, but is in fact what is inside of the book or books constituting the entire course, then you will start to understand why Scio Academy can offer weekly math webinars without endorsing a specific book.  The fact of the matter is: most algebra books used to present the concepts to the student cover the same concepts.  It's how they cover those concepts that brings out the differences in specific texts.  We at Scio Academy offer another way for students to access the curriculum.  

Have you ever written down what your student's curriculum for middle or high school should be based on his bent and calling in life?  Try it.  Go back to the definition of curriculum and list out the skills, concepts, knowledge, and character that your student should master before leaving your home.  Then, find some good books to help you and your student on this journey! 

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