currere

Currere is a concept in curriculum theory that treats the curriculum as a lived process rather than a fixed set of subjects or objectives. Derived from the Latin verb currere, meaning “to run” or “to course,” currere emphasizes movement through time and the ongoing development of the person within educational experiences. It foregrounds autobiography, subjectivity, and the biographical aspects of teaching and learning, arguing that what counts as curriculum emerges from the educator’s and learner’s histories, cultures, and aspirations.

Central to currere is a four-moment heuristic that teachers and students can use to reflect on their educational lives. The four moments are regressive, progressive, analytic, and synthetic. The regressive moment looks backward to past experiences that shape current beliefs and practices. The progressive moment projects possible futures, asking how aims and directions of education are imagined. The analytic moment critically examines the relationship between experience, knowledge, power, and context in the present. The synthetic moment attempts to integrate insights from the other three moments into a coherent sense of self and practice, guiding action in the classroom and beyond.

Currere has been influential in teacher education and critical curriculum studies because it reframes curriculum as a personal and contextual inquiry rather than a universal, one-size-fits-all body of knowledge. It invites reflective practice and a consideration of how personal biography intersects with social structures. Critics argue that its emphasis on individual biography can overlook broader structural factors and may lack prescriptive guidance for curriculum design. Nonetheless, currere remains a foundational concept in discussions of subjectivity, temporality, and the politics of schooling.