, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE ONLY
Question 1
1. Chapters 2 and 3 set out a historical account of curriculum development and changes in
South Africa. In this question you are going to reflect on your own history in education and
specifically the impact the curriculum had on your learning and who you are today.
The Impact of Curriculum on My Educational Journey and Teaching Identity
Introduction
The curriculum is never a neutral document; it is, as Soudien (2024, p. 22) argues in Chapter 2, "a
policy document which pronounces what counts as valid knowledge" and is "immensely political."
Reflecting on my own educational journey through the lens of Chapters 2 and 3 of Curriculum
Studies (in the) Now has been both a confronting and illuminating exercise. My schooling years
coincided with the tumultuous transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa, a period
Simmonds (2024, p. 39) describes as requiring "purification" of a deeply flawed curriculum. This
reflection traces how the explicit and hidden curricula of that era shaped my learning, my identity,
and ultimately, the teacher I aspire to become.
Schooling Context
I attended school during the period when South Africa was moving from the final years of apartheid
into the first democratic dispensation. The main curriculum I experienced was initially the
apartheid-era syllabus, followed by the early implementations of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) as
introduced by Professor Sibusiso Bengu in 1997 (Simmonds, 2024, p. 42). This curriculum was
characterised by its attempt to shift from content-driven, memorisation-based learning to
outcomes-based education (OBE), which Simmonds (2024, p. 42) notes was "profoundly influenced
by a labour and economic discourse." One change I remember vividly was the introduction of new
terminology—teachers became "educators," students became "learners"—a change that Simmonds
(2024, p. 43) explains was intended "to break" associations with past unpleasant experiences.
Explicit Curriculum
In my schooling, the subjects that were most emphasised included Mathematics, English, and
Science—subjects that Soudien (2024, p. 28) would identify as belonging to "Class I schools" for the
urban elite, though my school was certainly not elite. I was mainly taught through what Reddy (2024,
p. 95) describes as "chalk-and-talk" methods, where the teacher transmitted knowledge and learners
passively received it. Assessment usually took the form of summative examinations testing recall,
rather than the formative approaches Beets and le Grange (2024, p. 112) advocate as essential for
deep learning. This approach to teaching and learning made me feel that education was something
done to me rather than with me—a sentiment that resonates with Freire's critique of the "banking
model" of education mentioned by Lotz-Sisitka and Rosenberg (2024, p. 151).
Hidden Curriculum
Besides formal lessons, I learned that compliance and obedience were valued above critical thinking.
The school expected learners to behave in ways such as unquestioning respect for authority, silence
during lessons, and avoidance of political discussion—remnants of what Koopman (2024, p. 168-169)
identifies as "fundamental pedagogics," which "instilled passive acceptance of authority." Messages
about success or failure included that academic achievement was measured by examination
performance, and those who struggled were somehow deficient. These experiences influenced my
beliefs about the relationship between power, knowledge, and schooling—convincing me that
curriculum is never neutral.
Question 1
1. Chapters 2 and 3 set out a historical account of curriculum development and changes in
South Africa. In this question you are going to reflect on your own history in education and
specifically the impact the curriculum had on your learning and who you are today.
The Impact of Curriculum on My Educational Journey and Teaching Identity
Introduction
The curriculum is never a neutral document; it is, as Soudien (2024, p. 22) argues in Chapter 2, "a
policy document which pronounces what counts as valid knowledge" and is "immensely political."
Reflecting on my own educational journey through the lens of Chapters 2 and 3 of Curriculum
Studies (in the) Now has been both a confronting and illuminating exercise. My schooling years
coincided with the tumultuous transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa, a period
Simmonds (2024, p. 39) describes as requiring "purification" of a deeply flawed curriculum. This
reflection traces how the explicit and hidden curricula of that era shaped my learning, my identity,
and ultimately, the teacher I aspire to become.
Schooling Context
I attended school during the period when South Africa was moving from the final years of apartheid
into the first democratic dispensation. The main curriculum I experienced was initially the
apartheid-era syllabus, followed by the early implementations of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) as
introduced by Professor Sibusiso Bengu in 1997 (Simmonds, 2024, p. 42). This curriculum was
characterised by its attempt to shift from content-driven, memorisation-based learning to
outcomes-based education (OBE), which Simmonds (2024, p. 42) notes was "profoundly influenced
by a labour and economic discourse." One change I remember vividly was the introduction of new
terminology—teachers became "educators," students became "learners"—a change that Simmonds
(2024, p. 43) explains was intended "to break" associations with past unpleasant experiences.
Explicit Curriculum
In my schooling, the subjects that were most emphasised included Mathematics, English, and
Science—subjects that Soudien (2024, p. 28) would identify as belonging to "Class I schools" for the
urban elite, though my school was certainly not elite. I was mainly taught through what Reddy (2024,
p. 95) describes as "chalk-and-talk" methods, where the teacher transmitted knowledge and learners
passively received it. Assessment usually took the form of summative examinations testing recall,
rather than the formative approaches Beets and le Grange (2024, p. 112) advocate as essential for
deep learning. This approach to teaching and learning made me feel that education was something
done to me rather than with me—a sentiment that resonates with Freire's critique of the "banking
model" of education mentioned by Lotz-Sisitka and Rosenberg (2024, p. 151).
Hidden Curriculum
Besides formal lessons, I learned that compliance and obedience were valued above critical thinking.
The school expected learners to behave in ways such as unquestioning respect for authority, silence
during lessons, and avoidance of political discussion—remnants of what Koopman (2024, p. 168-169)
identifies as "fundamental pedagogics," which "instilled passive acceptance of authority." Messages
about success or failure included that academic achievement was measured by examination
performance, and those who struggled were somehow deficient. These experiences influenced my
beliefs about the relationship between power, knowledge, and schooling—convincing me that
curriculum is never neutral.
