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Final Paper

Morgan Bevell

Department of Special Education, University of Kansas

C&T 709: Foundations of Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Della Anderson

April 29, 2022

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Final Paper

Part I

Ralph W. Tyler was a monumental theorist focused on measuring a student’s application

of their education. He is well known for conducting an eight-year study where the degree to

which students absorbed information presented to them by their teachers was measured

(University of Chicago Library, 2008). His study revealed that students tend to learn best when

they are free to move at their own pace and students retain the most information when able to

compound it with experience. This laid the foundation for his theory that the purpose of

education was to teach children how to function as citizens (University of Chicago Library,

2008). Although his testing methods were seen as unorthodox, they led to become a national

testing program used for pre-college students. Jerome Bruner also had an immense impact on

teaching and education. He believed that students construct their own knowledge and do so by

organizing information using a decoding system. This became known as discovery learning

(McLeod, 2019). Bruner taught that the purpose of education was to create autonomous learners,

meaning that students need to learn how to learn for themselves. He theorized that educators

were meant to aid a child’s thinking and problem-solving skills so that they can then be

transferred to real life situations later on (McLeod, 2019). Bruner had views contradictory to

many other theorists, yet his theories were still published and taught widely.

Overall, Tyler and Bruner have very similar foundations of ideologies. They both place

an emphasis on the autonomy of the learner and the facilitating role of the teacher. The logistics

behind their methods differ slightly, in that Tyler focuses on focuses more on external stimulus

to accomplish learning and Bruner turns more inward to evaluate thought processes.

Nonetheless, they both theorize that students learn best when they have control over the pace and
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context of which they learn. This opened my eyes and perspective that traditional school settings

do not align with these values. Perhaps students would learn more effectively if they had more

control over what they learned and when they learned it? I never thought my tutoring method,

based very closely off of Tyler’s and Bruner’s ideologies, could be expanded and applied to an

entire classroom setting. I do believe students would excel in this environment, because I’ve seen

it on a much smaller scale firsthand with my client. I think this would be an adjustment for the

teachers as well as they need to learn to be more hands-off and allow the students to experience

self-discovery. I know this method could be very effective today, however it would require a

large shift in mindset and methods. I find it very validating that the tactics I’m using while

tutoring have very deep-rooted ideologies that are still applicable today. I resonate with both

their theories and hope to make as much of an impact even just on one student that I work with in

my lifetime.

As the course concludes, my view of these two theorists has solidified in a sense of

respect and admiration. I believe they truly had the students’ best interest at heart and pure

intentions in doing so. Although I see great value in their theories, I fear the lack of ability to

actually translate into practice in our modern Brick and Mortar school systems. After further

research throughout the course, I don’t see these theories realistically applying to large classroom

settings anytime soon. I do believe self-discovery and student-centered environment can be

implemented in preschool and even kindergarten settings. In these instances, however, I believe

the teachings and theory would shift to more of that of Montessori. Creating a change is always

possible, however, implementing the theories of Tyler and Bruner on a classroom-wide, country-

wide level would require a large shift in culture, trainings, and curriculum of school districts and
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teachers. Without the execution of practice, these ideologies simply remain theories in a

hypothetical world.

Part II

Educational banking is a concept coined by Paulo Freire, in which teachers “deposit”

information into the “empty” students. This concept implies that the students know nothing, and

their job is to simply receive, memorize, and regurgitate information. This “misguided system”

lacks creativity in thinking, transformation of students, and true acquisition of knowledge

(Freire, 1970). Freire (1970) argued that without inquiry and independent discovery, individuals

cannot truly be human. Afterall, “knowledge emerges only through invention, re-invention,

through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world,

with the world, and with each other” (Freire, 1970). Educational banking is not, nor will ever be,

an effective method of teaching.

Like Freire, I propose problem posing education as an alternative to educational banking.

Problem posing education is an active learning strategy in which the teacher or students pose a

question and the class, as a whole, collaborates to find a solution (Freire, 1970). In this method,

the students are viewed as conscious and capable instead of empty and ignorant. I have seen in

my own experience that an educator should never place limits on a child, whether consciously

nor unconsciously. Students will rise to the expectations educators set for them, regardless of

where they place them. It is our job as educators to have all students reach for the stars and help

them get there. The problem posing education strategy also embodies the concept that learning

takes place through problem solving (Freire, 1970). I think it is vital for students to have and

learn through their individual experiences. This will create long-term storage and knowledge of
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the applied practice. Freire (1970) goes onto discuss that, in this method, the teacher learns from

the students just as much as they learn from the teacher; they are co-investigators. I believe we

can from all people we come in contact with, especially in an educational setting. Learning is a

process of becoming (Freire, 1970). We are all growing and developing every day. Pride and

status oftentimes hinder our capabilities to learn from one another. In problem posing education,

students and teachers work together to find the best solution. I believe this would create a lot

more trust between the teacher and students, but also a greater desire to learn and attain

knowledge.

Although I believe educational banking is still rampant in the United States’ school

system, I still do not agree with this method of “teaching”. Our school systems value and thrive

off of results. As such, our educators oftentimes simplify their teaching methods to target these

proficient test scores. Students are prepared to take quizzes, tests, and exams rather than prepared

to think for themselves, problem-solve, or ask questions. Teachers tend to strip creativity and

self-discovery opportunities from the students through their monotonous lesson structures.

Students are often served worksheets, bookwork, and flashcards to complete and memorize.

Information is stored in their short-term memory and dissipates after serving its purpose on the

test. The educational banking method destroys student confidence and creates an unhealthy

relationship with school. By placing excessive pressure on assessments, students cripple under

the anxiety to earn a proficient score that they work to memorize the content instead of having a

pure desire to learn it. Teachers lay out the bare minimum through study guides and students

reciprocate by regurgitating the information presented. Tunnel vision is instilled in both parties

and suddenly earning “A’s” is the most important product of school. A student’s self-worth

easily becomes attached to the grade-letters they receive. A student that studies hard and receives
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a “C” is deemed as lazy or dumb, while a student that doesn’t review anything and still receives

an “A” is viewed as a great, dedicated student. The system fails to consider a students’ work

ethic, disabilities, or studying methods and my stance has not waivered one bit.

Part III

My personal philosophy of curriculum draws on the theories of Tyler, Bruner, and Freire.

Like Tyler, I believe that students tend to retain the most information when able to compound it

with experience and that the purpose of education is to teach children how to function as citizens.

Like Bruner, I also believe that another purpose of education is to create autonomous learners

and that students need to learn how to think for themselves. And like Freire, I believe students

should feel free to question and confident in looking for the answer.

Students should be taught how to function as citizens within the explicit curriculum, not

merely the hidden curriculum. Our role as educators is to best prepare our students to become

independent people—not just learners. There are so many things I wish I would’ve learned in

school growing up but hadn’t. It has become a societal norm for students to be released into the

world without being fully prepared and expecting them to simply learn from their mistakes.

Learning that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell or that y=mx+b won’t allow the

students to thrive as citizens. A better alternative may be teaching the students how to do their

taxes, how to sign up for insurance, how to invest, how to vote, how to change a tire, and more.

The framework of my curriculum philosophy centers around the information being applicable for

my students once they are independent individuals.

Students should also learn how to become autonomous learners and how to think for

themselves. This stems very closely off of the idea that students need to be taught how to

function as citizens. Many educators utilize the “educational banking” technique where they
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simply tell the students the answer and have them just memorize it. This does not benefit

students in the long run because they will not realize how many resources are available to them,

nor how to utilize them. As educators, it is our responsibility to teach our students how they can

become independent and become self-functioning. Students should be encouraged to ask

questions, but they shouldn’t seek the teacher (or any authority figure) as the sole resource for

the answer. Especially in this day and age, students can be more independent than ever because

of their easy access to technology. Through technology and other resources, students can become

independent learners.

Education should be an active learning procedure in which the teacher and students work

together to find a solution to posed questions. I believe curriculum to be as praxis, in which

learning takes place through problem solving and individual experiences. Teachers and students

are encouraged to work together to confront the problems in the world and extend a commitment

to think critically to a commitment to action. The learner is learning to make an impact in the

world, rather than just to know. As educators, we are there to help guide the students towards

resources or lead them in the right direction, but we are also co-investigators. Regardless of

status, race, age, or gender, we can all learn something from one another every single day—

teachers and educators are not above that.

As a paraeducator in special education for an online charter school, I have already been

able to place my beliefs into practice. To help focus students on the real task at hand throughout

their education, which is to become a functional citizen of society, we place their IEP transition

plans at the core of our work. For example, we encourage students to choose essay topics based

off of their IEP transition plans and not just go through the motions. If a student wants to be a

train conductor after high school, we encourage them to write about trains or a related topic. We
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make sure all work is relevant to their individual plan. I truly believe that “carrying on

citizenship is the most important reason for public education” (University of Chicago Library,

2008). To help our students become more autonomous learners, we point them towards resources

within the course instead of regurgitating the information for them. For example, if a student

asks me what a word means, I invite them to look it up online or in a dictionary. Doing so gives

them the confidence to continue this practice especially when I’m not available, instead of

viewing me as a resource they become dependent on. Afterall, “the purpose of education is not to

impart knowledge, but instead to facilitate a child’s thinking and problem-solving skills which

can then be transferred to a range of situations” (McLeod, 2019). To encourage students to feel

confident and comfortable asking questions, we model this. For example, I am honest when I’m

confused about instructions or a particular assignment. We then figure it out and work through

the assignment together, as a cohesive team. It is mindboggling to me that other education

systems can rely on education banking and “how little [the students] question” (Freire, 1970).

My beliefs have been seamlessly implemented into my everyday work and have created positive

outcomes for my students.

Overall, the framework of my personal philosophy of curriculum consists of teaching

information that is applicable for the students, having them learn to make an impact in the world

rather than just to know, and teaching the students how to become independent learners.

Ultimately, education is defined as the power and know-how to act against oppression. A

multicultural curriculum advocates for students’ awareness of society on a local, national, and

global level. Our world is dynamic, and so should our curriculum be. As educators, we need to

be continuously learning and adapting to best serve our students’ needs. Our job is to prepare

them for life after us, regardless of what that may look like. The greatest joy as an educator is
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helping raise a functional, independent citizen of society. All voices matter and education is

power. My philosophy of curriculum is to empower students to change the world, as they are the

future leaders of it.

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References

Freire, P. (1970). The “Banking” Concept of Education. PBworks. Retrieved March 30, 2022,

from http://puente2014.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/87465079/freire_banking_concept.pdf

McLeod, S. A. (2019, July 11). Bruner - learning theory in education. Simply Psychology.

www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html

University of Chicago Library. (2008). Guide to the Ralph W. Tyler Papers 1932-1988.

University of Chicago Library. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from

https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.TYLER