Blog Post #2
The ways in which I have experienced the Tyler rationale in my own schooling was the management of thinking and practice (Smith, 2000), specifically in high school class. For example, in the majority of my classes, I had either a textbook or notebook full of material that I was given material to read, study, and then write a test. There were very few opportunities to discuss the material in group settings or to display what I had learned in other forms such as a creative project. The material was always delivered in a learn, practice, test cycle. Tyler’s rationale puts forward an emphasis of learning the required material in order to move on to the next class or to be successful in life. As per Smith (2000), Tyler’s view on curriculum was to be the product of systematic study. My experience will this type of learning was mixed. On one hand, I was great at testing because I have a good memory, but I wasn’t fully understanding the material if I was asked a question not provided within the given resources.
The major limitations of the Tyler rationale are clearly explained in Curriculum Theory and Practice (Smith, 2000). First, the subject material becomes the most important part of the class. Students have no opportunity to feel heard. The student feels they are only valued by how they do on tests. Second, within all forms of “curriculum”, not all of the objectives are being met. It puts an emphasis on being able to measure a student’s level of success in the class. There are no moments of reflection or opportunities for students to grow outside of the subject matter. Third, there is no clear assessment of teachers. They need to be able to have objectives included in their lesson plans. Finally, there is opportunity to see the final result as a whole. Various methods to achieve the final result within a class goes far deeper than material understanding based solely on tests/quizzes.
Even though Tyler’s rationale provides many limitations, there are potential benefits that are also made possible. It provides an opportunity for teachers to set up expectations of the class and provide a learned structure for students. I believe class structure is valuable to the students overall development, personally and academically. It provides a space for students to focus and feel safe.
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