In his book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction, Ralph Tyler outlines four critical components of curriculum that may serve as a guide to the creation of curriculum as well as a tool for the analysis and interpretation of curriculum. The four basic components consist of educational purposes (or objectives), educational experiences (or learning activities), organization, and evaluation (Tyler, 1949, p. 1). While Tyler does speak to each of these four components, nearly half of the book is devoted to the section on objectives. For Tyler, the objectives are the starting point in the development of the curriculum and the cornerstone upon which the rest of the curriculum is shaped. Given the shifts that have occurred in education specifically and in our society in general, there was a fair amount of information that may not be applicable in our current educational situation. As I was reading, though, I found it amazing that much of what Tyler said nearly sixty years ago is relevant today. However, as I attempted to examine Tyler’s rationale from a neutral perspective, meaning not through the eyes of an educator today, but simply through the eyes of an educator, it was the section on which he devoted the majority of the book, the objectives, that I was able to critique several aspects. Two areas of criticism emerged as I further examined the objectives: time and resources and objectives versus activities.
In the creation of objectives, Tyler suggests the utilization of studies of learners and contemporary life. While I do think that this information is valuable, I question the feasibility of having the time and the resources to carry out such studies in a way that would translate into the creation of objectives. Ty...
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...icism. As with most educational theories or concepts, I think there is something to be learned from each and that no one concept needs to be adopted in its entirety to be effective. Picking and choosing pieces of various concepts that work for a particular district, school, or teacher allows for the creation of a solid curriculum that can meet the needs of and work with the styles of each participant: district, school, teacher, and student.
References
Tyler, R.W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe (2005). Understanding by design (2nd Ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The Wyoming Assessment System. “The Wyoming Comprehensive Assessment System DesignReport.” http://www.k12.wy.us/SA/wycas/archive/PubsPresent/pubs/TestDesign/glossary.htm
Connected to this theme is the development of a shared, lived experience, where students and teacher are involved in an ongoing negotiation of curriculum. In the first 13 chapters, Paley’s central focus is to develop a learning community within the safety of the classroom. In the second half of her book, Paley illustrates how the combination of these two themes in turn offers an opportunity for what we call an opening up of the definition of curriculum. This review is an analysis of these three themes within the organizational framework of Paley’s book. The theme of children and teachers as co-creators of curriculum is established in the first chapter when Paley says, “Each year I wait to be reawakened by a Reeny … something to ponder deeply and expand upon extravagantly” (p.10). Reeny responds to this call by asserting herself early on as a curriculum leader in Paley’s classroom. Because children themselves are curriculum makers and leaders, curriculum cannot be imposed upon the learner. Ultimately, this opening up of the discussion of what curriculum means is established by Reeny in the last lines of the book when she announces: “But I’m thinking, why don’t you stay and we’ll talk about it. Don’t fly away. See we can keep talking about it, okay?” (p. 99). It is in Reeny’s utterance that we understand—the curriculum conversation must necessarily begin with students’
The ability for all children from varying walks of life to receive a well-rounded education in America has become nothing more than a myth. In excerpt “The Essentials of a Good Education”, Diane Ravitch argues the government’s fanatical obsession with data based on test scores has ruined the education system across the country (107). In their eyes, students have faded from their eyes as individual hopefully, creative and full of spirit, and have become statistics on a data sheet, percentages on a pie chart, and numbers calculated to show the intelligence they have from filling out bubbles in a booklet. In order for schools to be able to provide a liberal education, they need the proper funding, which comes from the testing.
In Diane Ravitch essay “The Essentials of a Good Education,” argues about testing students in schools on basic skills that led to many public schools to abandon the importance of social skills and life choices. In her essay, it states that the federal law has demanded that all students must be proficient in mathematics and reading and that every state has been required to test those two specific subjects. Why do they demand that we are tested on mathematics and reading? Well in our lifetime, we will have to know how to do the math and also have reading skills for our career jobs. In the “No Child Left Behind” was an act in 2001 passed by congress that requires states to test children’s basic skills to qualify for federal funding. All students
In Eugene F. Provenzo Jr.’s article “Hirsch’s Desire for a National Curriculum,” the main focus is on how E. D. Hirsch Jr. believed that our nation needed a very clear set of curriculum standa...
Definitions for curriculum are many and varied. Broad sweeping statements claim that curriculum is what is taught in various subjects and the amount of time given to each. While a more specific view is that curriculum are performance objectives for students that focus on specific skills or knowledge (Marsh, 2010). Marsh (2010, p. 93) defines curriculum as “an interrelated set of plans and experiences” that are completed at school. The curriculum used in education can have various interpretations, it may refer to the curriculum as a plan that encompasses all the learning that is planned and directed by the school. Cu...
According to him, curriculum is not a “thing” people need and need to learn. It is something communicated to children through a teacher. It should be conceived as a dynamic aspect. It should be tailored to children’s individual needs and interests making it more fascinating and meaningful to them. Keeping track on students’ progress and further development is another important aspect that a teacher should do. But how should teachers manage this? Ayers, like Ken Robinson had been criticizing standardized tests. They, and I for one, firmly believe that standardized tests play biases and do not really measure one’s skills, abilities, emotions and creativity. It kills students’ creative ideas. Ayers belief is that to reform education for the better, we must go in the exact opposite direction, away from standardization of curricula, teaching, and assessment. Educators should have thought differently about education, allowing students to tap into the motivation of students to raise student achievement and honor the diversity of students. Instead, a different sort of education, one that harnesses the intrinsic motivation and creativity of students is
Thirdly both approach focus on educators to provide encouragement, warmth, and acceptance. They also provide challenges for creative and complex learning and thinking, helping children to extend their ideas and actions through sensitive, informed, well-judged interventions and support. Te Whᾱriki principles points out “children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things” (p. 14).
When reviewing the literature regarding the past, present and future of educational curriculum, several main points seem apparent, namely that curriculum is cyclical, that a dilemma or paradox exists, and that curriculum must be looked at with a sensitive view.
Posner, G. (1998) ‘Models of curriculum planning’. In Beyer, L. and Apple, M. (eds) The Curriculum. Problems, Politics and Possibilities (2nd edn). New York: State University of New York Press.
This emphasis on thoughtful evaluation has kept Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction a relevant, trusted companion for over sixty years. And with school districts across the nation working feverishly to align their curriculum with Common Core standards, Tyler's straightforward recommendations are sound and effective tools for educators working to create a curriculum that integrates national objectives with their students' needs. In essence, Tyler’s Rationale is represented by the four-step sequence of identifying objectives, selecting the means for the attainment or achievement of these objectives that is through educational or teaching-learning experiences provided for students, organizing these educational or teaching-learning experiences, and evaluating the outcomes or what have students attained or achieved. Tyler suggested when developing curriculum, objectives data should be gathered from three sources, namely; the learner, society, and subject matter.
The need to evaluate curriculum arises because it is necessary for both teachers and students to determine the extent to which their current curricular program and its implementation have produced positive and curricularly suitable outcomes for students. To evaluate curricular effectiveness we must identify and describe the curriculum and its objectives first and then check its contents for accuracy, comprehensiveness, depth, timeliness, depth and quality.
Curriculum is important being it’s the underlying factor that plays a role in determining ones growth, achievement and success. The majority of curriculum con...
One of my most influential experiences took place with my very first class, ED 523 taught by Dr. Howe. In this course, I learned about the Understanding by Design (UbD) Framework created by Wiggins and McTighe. This framework focuses on a backward design approach that uses big ideas, essential questions, and authentic assessments to create and guide curriculum (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). The design encourages educators to “start with the end in mind.” Along with UbD, I also learned about a calendar-based curriculum mapping process created by Heidi Hayes Jacobs. The curriculum map allows for educators to examine curriculum both horizontally in a course and also vertically over the student’s K-12 academic career (Jacobs, 1997).
“Teach the children, so it will not be necessary to teach the adults” is a famous quote by our former president Abraham Lincoln. In modern days, we are schooling instead of educating. This produces an uninformed society who is trained to spit out information instead retaining it. My hometown, Scranton, also known as “the Electric City”, has an abundance of ignorant citizens. It was a very toxic community to grow up in. This affected the youth in the community by not projecting their potential into their minds. To have a well-educated populace, we need to make sure we graduate well-rounded youth after grade school. I believe this can be achieved by following common-core guidelines, while also striking their creativity within the subjects so that they are retaining information, not only memorizing it. I will discuss my beliefs on the roles of the teacher, the children as learners, the curriculum, and the purpose of schools in society.
Essentialism is defined by Webster as an educational theory that ideas and skills basic to a culture should be taught to all alike by time-tested methods. It has been present since the beginning of schooling. As time and culture progress, the academic standards for education increase and become more specific. It is clear that the focus in the vast majority of schools is to