Tyler’s rationale focuses on efficiency over creativity which I have seen in my own schooling in terms of test taking and following along with the division mandated textbook. While following the textbook can be a great guideline to what your students should be learning, it also ensures that everyone is learning the same information across the school division. In some classes, like math, we would go through the textbook at a steady pace; in most science classes, however, I do not think there was a year where we actually finished the textbook, which allowed us to do more hands on learning like experiments. Evaluations through tests were almost the sole way to determine a student’s grade. If we were behind in a class, the teacher would take out the course project and rely solely on a final to determine a grade; while this suited me just fine (as one who relied on memorization rather than critical engagement), I realize now that others may have preferred the final project option, and were not given a choice.

Tyler’s rationale limits a student’s ability to be creative and show their learning in a more engaging way. As I mentioned, final projects were always hastily taken off the syllabus in my school for lack of time. Final projects take more time for a teacher to grade, but it allows a student to take a deep dive into a course topic that interested them, rather than memorizing the answers for a few questions from each unit. To work the most efficiently is to erase any opportunity to think and engage critically with the material.

Tyler said “the real purpose of education is…to bring about significant changes in the students’ pattern of behaviour” which does have some beneficial implications on the education system. Students are taught social norms of their community and how to behave and act politely in front of others. Students learn about punctuality as well as how to share during primary years and collaboration with others during secondary years, which will be especially helpful in a job/career setting.

Smith, M. K. (1996, 2000) ‘Curriculum theory and practice’ the encyclopaedia of informal
education, www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm.