The ability of the writer to reflect on their experiences of teaching and

learning identifying key issues and influences related to the question.

Use references to the course materials or to other sources where
possible to connect their views to what the course has covered.
The ability of the writer to stand outside their own experiences and
examine them critically in light of what they have learned drawing on
issues and insights raised during the course so far or from other
sources they have used.
The ability of the writer to present their ideas, in whatever medium, in
a way that is coherent, analytic and convincing
The material has been presented in a creative way and attention has
been given to making it interesting to the reader

The world is ever changing, and what is taught in schools

must also change. The concept of curriculum planning must
be viewed critically at the purposes, content and processes
in a holistic manner. How we perceive of curriculum making
is important because our conceptions and ways of reasoning
about curriculum reflect and shape how we see, think and
talk about, study and act on the education made available to
students. Our curriculum conceptions, ways of reasoning and
practice cannot be value neutral. They necessarily reflect our
assumption about the world, even if those assumptions
remain implicit and unexamined. Furthermore, concern with
conceptions is not merely theoretical. Conceptions emerge
from and enter into practice (Cornbleth, 1990). In essence,
ones approach to curriculum is shaped by ones views of the
world and their values (philosophy), of how children develop
and behave (psychology) and on social issues (sociology)
(Harris, 2010). This paper will seek to define the concept of
curriculum, the formal, informal and hidden curriculum and
provide arguments explaining the extent to which the hidden
curriculum has a greater impact than the formal curriculum
on the development of learners.

Formalvs.InformalEducation

Formaleducationisclassroombased,providedbytrainedteachers.Informal
educationhappensoutsidetheclassroom,inafterschoolprograms,
communitybasedorganizations,museums,libraries,orathome.

Whatarethemaindifferencesbetweenthetwo?
Ingeneral,classroomshavethesamekidsandthesameteachersevery
day.Afterschoolprogramsareoftendropin,soattendanceis
inconsistent,asisleadership.
Classroomactivitiescanlastseveraldays.Afterschoolprograms
needtocompleteanactivityeachdaybecauseadifferentgroupof
kidscouldbeinattendancetomorrow.
Youcanassumethatclassroombasedteachershaveacertainlevelof
trainingineducationalphilosophy,effectiveteachingstrategies,
classroommanagement,andcontent.Afterschoolproviders,by
contrast,varyinexperienceandknowledgeofteachingtechniques,
contentexpertise,andgroupmanagement.Typically,materialsfor
afterschoolsettingsneedtoincludealotmorestructure.
Teachersneedtomeeteducationalstandardsandsticktoaspecified
curriculum,whichcanmakeitdifficultforthemtoincorporate
nontraditionalcontent.Afterschoolprograms,ontheotherhand,canbe
moreflexiblewiththeircontent
Bothformalandinformaleducationsettingsofferdifferentstrengthstoyour
educationaloutreachproject.Ifyourprojectfitsintheclassroom,itcanhave
averylonglife;teacherswillusetrustedresourcesforyears.Afterschool
programsofferadifferentkindofenvironment,whereyouractivitiesdon't
needtobeasformalandwhereyoucanreachadifferentaudience.
Whilebothschoolsandafterschoolprogramsservestudents,manykids
whofeeldisenfranchisedatschoolblossominafterschoolsettings.Real
learningcanhappeninasettingwherekidsfeellessintimidatedormore
comfortablethantheydoinaformalclassroom.Theultimategoalisthat
theirsuccessinaninformalsettingcanleadtogreaterconfidenceinthe
formalclassroom
Anadditionalbenefitofdevelopingmaterialsforinformaleducational
settingsisthattheymaybeusefultoparentsathomewiththeirkids,orto
adultlearnerswhoarelookingtoexpandtheirknowledge,eitherfortheir
ownenrichmentortoincreasetheircareeroptions