After this week’s readings, I was able to see that the Tyler rationale was also present in my own schooling. After hearing that Tyler’s rationale creates an orderly, and systemic process that is “value neutral”, I can relate this to my past. Tyler’s four main points help me think back on my past schooling and see it from a different lens. Each year we had a predetermined curriculum, that was followed very closely. Often experienced limited time for outside conversation or for learning about students’ personal interests. In other words, if it was not in the curriculum, it was not taught/talked about. Similarly to a University syllabus, each teacher had the semester planned out for every day, to ensure the full curriculum was covered. As the notes from class state, “Tyler’s rationale is concerned primarily with final evaluation”. Final evaluations, or final exams, have been present in my schooling since the beginning of high school. These exams were very important, often consumed much of the semester preparing for them. These exams served as the overall decision of your grade and your future in school.
The Tyler rationale emphasizes the importance of the whole class moving together, as a whole. This means that all students were taught the same things, at the same level. A major flaw in the Tyler rationale is not understanding that all students learn and grow at a different pace. As a teacher, I believe that it is important to be inclusive in your teaching, while creating a space for each student to learn at their own pace. Understanding that students may need to be taught in different ways, or at different levels, to create a supportive environment for all. This is a major component that the Tyler rationale was lacking. Another factor that leads to flaws in the system, is having a strict predetermined curriculum. Children learn better when they are interested in the content. I believe that there are many ways to teach children, other than giving notes and exams. Often when an educational conversation goes on a “tangent”, that is still learning. These extended conversations lead to further knowledge and help the students connect to the content in a way that is special to themselves. I believe that “wiggle room” is important to have, therefore, a strict curriculum does more harm than help in a student’s education.
On the other hand, this type of strict learning has been found to help children prepare for their future. The educational skills such as memorization, will be used for the rest of their lives. Along with final evaluations help to prepare the students for the real work life or post-secondary schooling. Many people believe that a strict schooling curriculum, will eventually show more benefits in the future.