Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Question #2 - What is curriculum ... & is it locked into a time loop?


As we begin to reflect on curriculum theory & development, it is necessary to ask: What is curriculum & what can we learn from history?  This is an important question to consider because the way in which curriculum gets defined (and indeed has been defined in the past) shapes how learning outcomes are re/formed, how change is sought and/or opposed, & how schools function. 

There is also the matter of the what and the how.  While some believe that curriculum is purely a question of what is taught, others view curriculum as a matter of what is taught and how it is taught.  These two aspects of curriculum interlock because the way in which one perceives what is to be taught influences the way in which she/he believes how curriculum should be delivered.  (1) How does Egan perceive the how & the what of curriculum?  (2) Which key writers does Egan draw from in outlining his idea of curriculum?  (3) To what degree is curriculum theory a field without boundaries?

·       WHAT IS CURRICULUM? (1978) – KIERAN EGAN

To understand the curriculum issues of today & tomorrow, we need to understand curriculum issues of the past.  (1) But what does history tell us about curriculum? (2) According to Kliebard, what sort of things can we learn from the Cardinal Principals, the scientific movement, & John Dewey? (3) How can history help us to reinterpret some of the core questions associated with curriculum theory? (4) In a more general sense, how can a critical examination of history help us respond to the issues of today & tomorrow?  Reflect on these questions as you read Kliebard’s paper.

·       WHY HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN TEACHER EDUCATION? (n.d.) – HERBERT KLIEBARD

Additional articles/books on the subject of defining curriculum  & exploring the history of curriculum include:

·       Retrospective on “What is Curriculum?” (2003) – KIERAN EGAN
·       Notes Toward a Theory of Curriculum (1992) – IVOR F. GOODSON