Introduction
As indicated in the extracts above from the New South Wales Public Introduction Act of 1880, the structure for learning which we describe as ‘Curriculum’ cannot be understood in isolation from its social context. This is why it is an inevitable topic in a Sociology of Education text. Any Agreed curriculum is a repository of the ideas and assumption of a social Group about what is important to be learned, what should be passed onto the next generation, and about where true knowledge resides. It is symbol of the beliefs and values of that group. It follows then that the Dominant agreed upon curriculum to be found in the education system of Any society at any given time provides a snapshot of what is or was going On in that society at that time. This is apparent in the 1880 Act in which We can see that education was defined narrowly and purely in academic Terms, and was considered to be something quite different for boys and Girls. Presumably, boys should not indulge in music, nor girls in ancient Languages; similarly, while boys should be instructed in some depth in Mathematics and physical science, girls should only be exposed to the ‘elements’ of these.
This chapter is devoted to providing some of the snapshot of Australian society over the past 150 years or so through the lens of curriculum change. It is assumed that the obvious movements in curriculum were an extension to greater movements in the society of the day, that curriculum in transition is best understood against the backdrop of society in transition. Before proceeding, however, it is necessary to define more clearly the range of curriculum types, the ideas which underpin these, and the practical consequences which flow from them.