Reading response to Smith’s “Curriculum Theory and Practice”

How have you experienced the Tyler Rational in your own schooling?

I have never been a good student. I love to learn but I have a critical way of thinking that is always viewing the ‘big picture’. In school I still ask questions like:

How will I apply this to my future classroom?

Will I need to know this?

I don’t agree with this right now; will I change my mind?

I did not express these concerns until high school. I entered grade 11 with a trace of never-before seen confidence that lead my teachers and friends to see this other side of my academic mind. I began raising my hand and asking these questions out loud. One question I asked countless times was

Why are we learning this???

My teachers always responded with “because its in the curriculum”. This is not the answer I needed. I continued to ask. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I knew that I needed to find out the reasons for the set ‘curriculum’ before I could become a teacher. I even asked our substitute teachers. That was how I got my answer. One day we were studying math (not my best subject, but I love it once I understand it). We were going over a new topic for the umpteenth time with a substitute teacher. I asked out of frustration

Why are we learning this?

He put down his marker and explained to the class that these formulas are teaching us many things that go way beyond the curriculum. Its exercising our brains. Numbers are everywhere and when we spend time arranging them differently it gives us a better understanding of the basic fundamentals of math. These basic fundamentals are applied to adulthood. When we struggle, these formulas teach us how to problem solve, how to think critically, and not to give up. They also teach us about ourselves. Someone who enjoys math lessons might go on to become a physicist, an engineer, or a math teacher. Someone who struggles with higher levels of math education will learn that they would rather study language or arts. You won’t know how you feel about something until you fully understand it.

That was the answer I needed. My effort in school skyrocketed once I understood what my purpose in each lesson was. I broke free of the Tyler Rational that says curriculum can rise above context and is separate from questions about the purpose. I chose to look beyond evaluation and rather towards the impact an assignment or test would have on my path to becoming a teacher. I worked for grades that were good enough to get into university but not to the standard that many of my friends chose to follow.

A major issue I noticed with the Tyler rational is that students do not learn how to learn. The students are provided with a lesson plan and resources to learn a concept in the same way of their peers. ‘They are told what they must learn and how they will do it’. This method may work for some students but not for others. I personally did not learn how to learn until I reached my second year of university. I was always falling behind and I didn’t know why. My dad just kept telling me not to worry, that I would learn how to learn and there would be no stopping me then. I finally learned how to learn this fall and he was right. There’s no stopping me now. I just keep thinking how much easier it would have been if I learned how to learn BEFORE I got to university.

I enjoy some parts of the Tyler rational. For instance, I believe a plan or syllabus is necessary to use the little class time to its full potential. There should be a starting point with flexibility and room for originality. When I am a teacher, I plan to follow the same lesson structure but to add to or alter them each year to fit the needs of my students.

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/12yUit4yJm9nhWB_wYXGMTZNiCJumaT02/view