Curriculum development from a traditionalist perspective is widely used across schools in Canada and other countries. Think about: (a) The ways in which you may have experienced the Tyler rationale in your own schooling; (b) What are the major limitations of the Tyler rationale/what does it make impossible; and (c) What are some potential benefits/what is made possible. Be sure to refer to the assigned article in your post; you may also include information from lecture if you wish.
Ralph Tyler’s rationale of Curriculum theory and practice had multiple objectives; what purpose is the school seeking to attain, education experience provided that can help attain these purposes, how can they be organized, can the purpose be determined or not. Thinking back to my own path throughout the education system I have experience the Tyler rationale multiple times. One specific easy answer was my Chemistry 30 class and the semester long, portfolio we had to complete. The purpose of this being we had to understand the ways of which chemistry worked and an issue that our world was facing along with the causes, effects, and solutions, which had to be chemistry based. Our teacher explained the project at the start of the semester, as well as left the instructions in the syllabus and set us on our way to work independently on it throughout the entire course. The project required understanding of the material given during class, as well as understanding on issues from outside of the classroom setting. We created the portfolios with charts, research papers, articles etc. and then had to have a formal presentation for the class. Our teacher used this as evaluation and a way to see if we had successfully completely the assignment with a firm understanding on the topic and chemistry itself. This experience plays back on Tyler’s rationale for the use of attaining purpose, educational experiences organized in the classroom, determining purpose, etc.
There are limitations and issues within Tyler’s rationale, one of those being “the plan or programme assumes great importance.” (Smith2000). Problems surrounding this is that the learners are in ways silenced, being told exactly what to do and how to do it. “The success or failure of both the programme and the individual learners is judged on the basis of whether pre-specified changes occur in the behaviour and person of the learner (the meeting of behavioural objectives).” (Smith), meaning that there is little to no lead way for the evaluation of students and for a teacher to form the relationships that he or she need. Students are all different, with different strengths and skills when it comes to learning, therefor needing more room to breath in the education systems to be successful.
The Tyler rationale does in fact have benefits. The system is very organized and provides “a clear notion of outcome so that content and method may be organized and the results evaluated.” (Smith). This can be beneficial to both the student and the educator because with clear concepts and organization the students can easily understand what is being required of them. As well as opening up space for more one on one teaching time where the teacher can be specific on details and help everyone in their own way.
What is curriculum? Exploring theory and practice. (2018, June 4). Infed.org. http://infed.org/mobi/curriculum-theory-and-practice/
I really enjoyed reading your blog post and have to agree with the many different points from the article you have highlighted. The curriculum is a concept that I have experienced from a student perspective and I found it very interesting to read over the experiences you have had. Having the chance to look back at our experiences I think will help highlight our understanding of the curriculum.