The experienced curriculum refers to how the child responds to, engages with, or learns from the events, people, materials, and social or emotional environment of the classroom. The concept of experienced curriculum is not synonymous with either child-centered curriculum or teacher-centered curriculum. Consideration of the experienced curriculum as a measure for student learning requires that the holistic, experienced meaning that classroom participation has for children is determined and then evaluated against the significance of that experience in terms of its educational value.

The experienced curriculum may be influenced by, but is not necessarily aligned with, the planned or intended curriculum as designed by the teacher or imposed by other external forces. It differs from other levels of curriculum (including mandated, formal, and operational) because it focuses ...