RELATIONSHIP

Curriculum and Instruction Relationship

Curriculum and Instruction Relationship

"Curriculum and Instruction" has multiple meanings to mathematics and science educators. To some of us, it was a set of courses that we had to take when becoming certified to teach and/or when completing our graduate degree programs. To others, it actually is the graduate degree we received. Most science and mathematics educators actually received their graduate degrees in Curriculum and Instruction, as opposed to receiving a degree from a distinct science or mathematics education department.

A definition for the specialized concept of instruction is offered, together with a parallel definition for the concept of curriculum.

These two definitions are distinguished from the general sense of instruction (which is equivalent to teaching or training) and the concept of education.

There is also little doubt that most of you reading this editorial teach one or more courses in curriculum and/or instruction. And, regardless of the depth of our experiences with the terms, somewhere along the line we have all been asked, or we have asked our students, "What is the relationship between curriculum and instruction?" There is little disagreement that a relationship exists, but the exact nature of the relationship is often a source of debate. The five following figures represent the most common perspectives/models on the relationship of curriculum and instruction.

The dualistic model depicts the relationship between curriculum and instruction as virtually nonexistent. What takes place in the classroom is viewed as independent of the overall curriculum for the course of study. Within such a conception, curriculum planners ignore the teachers, and teachers, and teachers, in turn, ignore the curriculum organization that has been developed. In many ways this model is an oxymoron as a depiction of the "relationship" between curriculum and instruction.

The interlocking model depicts an interdependent relationship, with neither curriculum nor instruction ...