Popular Curriculum Theorists and their Contributions to Education: 7 Importance

In specifically, this page discusses the curriculum theorists who helped create the curriculum as we know it today. Additionally, it discusses how the current generation of students can still see their particular contributions now.

Let’s list and analyze the curriculum theorists in chronological sequence, along with their contributions.

What Is a Curriculum in Education?

A standards-based sequence of scheduled experiences known as a curriculum allows students to practice and master both academic knowledge and practical learning abilities. To ensure that every student has access to demanding academic experiences, the curriculum serves as the primary reference point for all educators. A curriculum’s structure, organization, and concerns are designed to improve student learning and simplify education. To effectively support teaching and learning, curriculum must include the required goals, methods, materials, and assessments.

Elements of Curriculum in Education

Goals:

The standards-based benchmarks or objectives for teaching and learning are called curriculum goals. Most frequently, a scope and order of abilities to be addressed serves as an explicit statement of goals. The breadth and depth of learning required of a student must be included in the goals.

Methods:

The choices, strategies, practices, and routines educators use in the classroom to involve all students in productive learning are referred to as methods. These decisions enable the facilitation of learning experiences to advance a student’s capacity for comprehending and putting to use knowledge and abilities. Different approaches are used depending on the needs, interests, work requirements, and learning environment of the student. Based on ongoing evaluation of students’ progress toward achieving the goals, methods are changed.

Materials:

Materials are the tools chosen to carry out strategies and accomplish the curriculum’s objectives. Materials are specifically selected to aid in a student’s education. The selection of materials takes into account the interests of the students as well as cultural diversity, global perspectives, and different learner types.

Assessment:

The ongoing process of learning about a student’s learning is known as assessment in a curriculum. This covers a range of techniques for demonstrating what the student is aware of, comprehends, and is capable of doing in terms of knowledge and skills. Decisions about instructional strategies, teaching resources, and academic supports are made using assessment data in order to improve the student’s opportunities and direct future instruction.

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Importance of Curriculum in Education

1. It shapes culture and identity and reflects it.

In general, a curriculum reflects the national culture of the country in which a school is located; even though teaching methods may be similar, different nations have different expectations for their students. However, it can also represent and define the culture at the school level, from the particular requirements of the communities they serve to the areas where you want to set yourself apart.

2. It adapts to a dynamic environment.

A quality curriculum is never a one-time project. By returning to it frequently, you can not only assess how things are going but also make room for fresh, up-to-date topics. In fact, the curriculum is hailed by the World Economic Forum as a crucial component in assisting educators in keeping up with the rapid changes in fashion, technology, and skills that students will require in the future.

3. It ensures consistency in teaching and learning.

Internal consistency occurs when students at your school can anticipate leaving with the same set of skills, regardless of whether their teacher is an established professional or just starting out. A student in the fifth grade should anticipate graduating with the same fundamental knowledge and skills, regardless of the district, state, province, or nation in which they learn.

4. It makes room for cooperation.

Regular curriculum discussions give all stakeholders—teachers, administrators, parents, and communities—the chance to participate. Getting feedback from everyone will help you determine your strengths and any weaknesses you need to fill. Additionally, it provides educators with a forum on which they can exchange knowledge, resources, and best practices.

5. It saves money for schools.

Textbooks are not cheap, but they are widely used because they are practical and give teachers, who are sometimes overworked, a pre-built progression of information. With a solid curriculum in place, schools can stop relying too heavily on textbooks and take a more active and dynamic approach to selecting better (and less expensive) texts.

6. It promotes teacher alignment.

A strong curriculum also links educators from many topic areas and grade levels to examine the overall picture of student learning. Together, teachers can develop a sequence of subjects that build on one another and cross disciplinary boundaries. The outcome? You make sure that students are ready for the next step by gradually reinforcing knowledge.

7. It offers quantifiable goals.

Data has value. How will you know whether your curriculum is effective if you don’t set concrete goals related to how your students are learning? Because of this, a good curriculum establishes measurable goals and monitors development over the course of the year. Parents are informed, teachers have a better understanding of what is going on in the classrooms, and students are aware of their status.

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The Six Famous Curriculum Theorists

Selected curriculum theorists and their contribution to education:

Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956)

After defining the instructional activities and tasks, according to Bobbit, the learning objectives should be grouped and ordered together with the activities. Additionally, he sees curriculum as a science that prioritizes students’ needs. According to this point of view, it is necessary for teachers to consider students’ requirements when planning and organizing lessons in order to prepare them for adult life.

Werret Charters (1875-1952)

Along with focusing on the requirements of the students, he thinks that the objectives and related activities should be in line with the topic or substance. Because of this, department chairs or course coordinators carefully examine whether the aims and content that the faculty members have produced are aligned or complementary.

Wilson Kilpatrick (1871-1965)

For him, the goal of curriculum is the social and emotional development of children. Additionally, he introduced the project method, which involves the teacher and students planning together, as well as the use of small group interaction. It is referred to as the child-centered curriculum as a result.

H. R. Uggs (1886-1960)

One of the curriculum theorists that introduced social studies, the idea of the development of the whole child, and the significance of early curriculum planning.

Hollis Caswell (1901-1989)

According to him, academic content is created with learners’ interests and social roles in mind. The curriculum is therefore a collection of experiences. Learning must be experiential for students.

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)

Ralph Tyler thinks that the needs and interests of the students should be at the center of curriculum development as a science. Problem solving must be a part of the curriculum because generalists, not specialists, are what it is meant to educate. The same goes for subject matter, which is planned to impart knowledge, skills, and values to students.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Educational Curriculum

Conclusion

In conclusion, the eminent curriculum theorists hold views that are remarkably similar. They all agree that the curriculum should be learner-centered and take into account students’ needs and interests. The curriculum theorists all made significant contributions to the global educational system of today.

If you are a keen observer, you might question your teachers about the things listed below:

1. Why are projects, problem-solving, and group projects required of us?
2. Why are our teachers’ lesson plans and syllabi scrutinized while they are in the classroom?
3. Why should we all take social studies rather than just the 3Rs?
4. Why is it necessary to prepare the lessons in advance?
5. Why should we put what we’ve learnt into practice?
6. Why include values in our lessons, teachers?
7. And why does the school care about our whole personal growth (to help us become generalists and be prepared for life’s challenges)?

The people who created our educational system are the answers to your queries. They are the curriculum theorists.

Do you now want to one day attain that status?

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