Meaning & use
traditional curriculum
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Meanings
nouncountable
A course of study in schools that follows long-established subjects and teaching methods rather than modern or experimental approaches.
Grammar: Countable: talk about 'a traditional curriculum' or 'traditional curricula' when comparing systems.
Patterns
- a traditional curriculum in something
- follow a traditional curriculum
- move away from the traditional curriculum
The school returned to a traditional curriculum with more grammar and memorization.
Parents debated whether a traditional curriculum still prepares students for modern jobs.
Under a traditional curriculum, art and music often get less time than math and science.
nouncountable
The set of subjects and content that a particular school or country has taught for a long time, seen as a single established program.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' when referring to one known system: 'the traditional curriculum'.
Patterns
- the traditional curriculum of a country
- reform the traditional curriculum
The traditional curriculum of that country emphasizes reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Reformers argued that the traditional curriculum ignored local history and culture.
Word forms
| plural | traditional curricula |
|---|---|
| plural (less formal) | traditional curriculums |
Common combinations
- a traditional curriculum
- Many private schools advertise a traditional curriculum.
- follow a traditional curriculum
- Students who follow a traditional curriculum take Latin and classical literature.
- reform the traditional curriculum
- The ministry promised to reform the traditional curriculum within five years.
- a shift away from the traditional curriculum
- The new plan marks a shift away from the traditional curriculum.
- a traditional curriculum in mathematics
- Japan is known for a strong traditional curriculum in mathematics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- core curriculum
- A core curriculum means the required subjects everyone must take; it can be modern or traditional, so it is not a true synonym.
- standard curriculum
- A standard curriculum is the officially approved program, which may include new subjects, unlike a traditional one.
Opposites
Word family
- curriculum noun
- The full program of study at a school or college.
- curricular adjective
- Relating to the curriculum, as in 'curricular activities'.
- extracurricular adjective
- Outside the normal curriculum, such as sports clubs.
Commonly confused: traditional curriculum or syllabus? traditional curriculum or traditional?
traditional curriculum vs syllabus
A syllabus is the plan for one course, while a curriculum covers all the courses in a program.
traditional curriculum vs traditional
Do not confuse the adjective 'traditional' with the noun phrase; 'traditional curriculum' names a whole program, not just an old-fashioned method.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Follow a traditional curriculum' is the natural pattern with the countable singular noun. Option 1 uses the wrong preposition, option 2 drops the article, and option 3 uses a plural that does not fit a single class.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “traditional curriculum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.