The Co-Curricular Curriculum

The fourth curriculum runs in the spaces around lessons: on the field, in the music room, at the club meeting, during the school fair. The co-curricular curriculum, also called extra-curricular, is the set of school-based activities meant to supplement the academic side of school. It is real teaching, even though it does not look like a lesson.

What it is and how it works

Co-curricular activities are programs run by the school to round out the academic experience. They are typically open to all learners, though taking part in some depends on skill level, since a sports team or a band has only so many places.

Two features define the type and set it apart from the explicit curriculum:

1. Participation is purely voluntary. A learner chooses to join; no one is required to.
2. It does not contribute to promotion. Taking part, or not, does not decide whether a learner moves up to the next grade.

These two features are why it sits beside the academic curriculum rather than inside it. The explicit curriculum is required and graded for promotion; the co-curricular curriculum is chosen and carries no such stakes. That freedom is part of its value: learners take part because they want to.

Flashcard

What is the co-curricular curriculum?

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Answer

Voluntary school activities that supplement academic life

Things like athletics, band, drama, student government, clubs, and school fairs. Participation is voluntary and does not affect promotion, which sets it beside the academic curriculum.

Flashcard

Why is the co-curricular curriculum placed beside the academic one rather than inside it?

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Answer

It is voluntary and does not count toward promotion

The explicit curriculum is required and graded for promotion. The co-curricular curriculum is chosen freely and carries no promotion stakes, which is part of why learners engage with it.