Curriculum is Important, but What About Everything Else?

2024-11-19

A common theme in academic discussions is the curriculum. For our final episode in this segment on academics, we’re looking at this common theme, but with an important distinction. Gerald Miller, teacher and current administrator at Faith Builders Christian School differentiates between the formal curriculum (what you pay money for every year) and the hidden curriculum, which is everything else. He’s casting vision here for schools that produce students that both know things and know how to serve with the things they kno...

A common theme in academic discussions is the curriculum. For our final episode in this segment on academics, we’re looking at this common theme, but with an important distinction.

Gerald Miller, teacher and current administrator at Faith Builders Christian School differentiates between the formal curriculum (what you pay money for every year) and the hidden curriculum, which is everything else. He’s casting vision here for schools that produce students that both know things and know how to serve with the things they know.

“Formal curriculum is intentional; hidden curriculum is inherent.

Formal is obvious, hidden is subtle.

What is learned in the formal curriculum leaves you eventually, at least the details.

But what you learn in the hidden curriculum lasts a lifetime.”

– John Ortberg

Links

This presentation was initially published as "Examining Your School’s Hidden Curriculum” at: https://thedockforlearning.org/lecture/examining-your-schools-hidden-curriculum-by-gerald-miller/
Other presentations from CASBI 2019: https://thedockforlearning.org/series/casbi/casbi-2019/

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