EDUC 5220

UNIT 2 WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT.

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Tanner (2020) noted the way curriculum development has evolved can be reflected in school

the way knowledge and civilization have evolved. Questions like “What knowledge is of

most worth? How shall it be codified, structured, and transformed into a curriculum for the

acculturation and growth of successive generations so that the future is better than the past?”

have been asked, (Tanner, 2020). Pinar (1978) commented that "If this process of

transformation continues at its present rate, the field of curriculum studies will be profoundly

different in 20 years than it has been during the first 50 years of its existence" (p.205). It is

now 40 years since Pinar made such comments. Since I started teaching I have noted great

progress in curriculum theory and development. The process has not slowed down but

achievements are being done. This paper will try to present three of such achievements.

The first achievement that has happened in the field of curriculum studies is the discovery

that there is more than one type of curriculum. An example of such a curriculum that has

been discovered is the hidden curriculum. According to the William & Mary School of

Education (2021), a hidden curriculum “is not always communicated or formally written

down and includes implicit rules, unmentioned expectations, and the norms and values of a

culture.” This idea aids teachers to know that subjects that are taught in school are not the

only thing that affects students’ development. Issues like the culture of the institutions and

the geographical location of the school are also very crucial factors to be taken on board.

The second achievement that has happened in the field of curriculum studies is the revisit of

the traditional structures of the curriculum. Slattery (1995) said, “all the traditional structural

disciplines of the curriculum field have been reconceptualized” (p. 96). This paper believes

that Contextualizing the curriculum helps students learn skills taught using authentic contexts

in which students must use such skills in the real world (Utech, 2008). The contextualization

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of the curriculum has given birth to ideologies such as the Scholar Academic Ideology, The

Social Efficiency Ideology, The Learner-Centered Ideology, and many more. The one that is

more interesting to me is the learner-centered ideologies. We have seen now schools trying to

view students as part of the teaching and learning process. Lessons are being constructed to

make students active participants.

The third achievement that the curriculum reconceptualized has resulted in the shift of

educational philosophies. Slattery (1995) commented that “I believe that curriculum

development in the postmodern era must foreground critical and prophetic public discourse

for individual transformation and social renewal. Teachers and their students must work

collaboratively as partners in the cause of justice and ecological sustainability” (p. 58). The is

a very visible connection between the learner-centered curriculum ideology and the

philosophy of progressivism.

In conclusion, this paper believes that the reconceptualization of curriculum has changed a lot

in different areas and over a long period of time. This reconceptualization will continue with

time because the world around us is also changing very fast. Since now the world is very

dependent on computer technology, there is a need to shift the attention of the curriculum

reconceptualization towards this 21st-century generation. This paper recommends the good

job done by curriculum developers, the education is getting better and better than it used to be

before.

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References:

1. 2. Pinar, W. F. (1978). The reconceptualization of curriculum studies. Journal of

Curriculum Studies, 10(3), 205-21.

http://daneshnamehicsa.ir/userfiles/file/Resources/8-2%29%20Ideologies/ARTICLE_

William%20Pinar.pdf

2. Slattery, P. (1995). Curriculum Development in the postmodern era. Garland

Publishing, Inc. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=mBb9CAm3BP0C or

use this link: https://www.book2look.com/embed/9781136494185

3. Tanner D. (2020, October). History of Curriculum Development in Schools. Oxford

Research Encyclopedia. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1037

4. Utech J.L. (2008, June). Contextualized Curriculum for Workplace Education. An

Introductory Guide. Retrieved from

https://www.umass.edu/roundtable/projects/Integrated%20curr_guide%20p1.pdf

5. William & Mary School of Education (2021, May). What Are the 8 Types of

Curriculum? Retrieved from

https://counseling.education.wm.edu/blog/8-types-of-curriculum