ABSTRACT
In Chapter 11 we outlined our epistemological frameworks as well as some practical strategies which we believe will facilitate the development of pedagogical approaches in lifelong learning. In this chapter we extend that discussion by exploring ways in which such pedagogies are both informed by and inform the curricula of formal and informal learning environments. By curricula we mean both the sets of courses that make up a programme of study, and the content of those sets of courses, including the content of individual sessions. However, we go beyond that to include hidden and ideological constructions of curricula. Our main argument in this chapter is our view of the curriculum as a powerful ideological tool. In so arguing, we recognise ‘the curriculum’ as contested, complex and multidimensional. Although viewed as objective, neutral and apolitical, curricula offer partial and selected knowledge and serve the interests of particular and sometimes competing groups.
