Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns, 2nd Edition

Asma Bin AteeqBefore reading Curriculum theory: conflicting visions and enduring concerns, I understood myself and my philosophy of education, but it had not yet been deepened by exposure to different and quite progressive ways of thinking and form my clear philosophy. Now, my philosophy of education has become clearer and ethically aware and more willing to take appropriate risks also. I have a greater vision for my sense of place in the world, as a teacher and a facilitator of understanding, wisdom, grace, creativity, peace, and liberation from righteous ignorance. Schiro presents in his book a four curriculum ideologies Scholar Academic Ideology, Social Efficiency Ideology, Learner Centered Ideology, and Social Reconstruction Ideology. In each ideologies has discussed the overview of the ideology, history, aims, the child, learning, knowledge, teaching, and evaluation. The last a couple chapters will be a comparison between the four ideologies and going more in depth of the individual perspective on the curriculum ideologies.In Scholar Academic Ideology, chapter two, the teachers have to be experts about their subject. The teacher has to transfer all the knowledge to the students. Students would be required to memorize information and to learn in my opinion by rigid methods that were not serving them. Scholar Academic teachers are viewed the child as a mind and they are evaluating the children to check on them if they meet the standard.Social Efficiency Ideology, in the chapter three, Schiro discussed the goal of this ideology which is training the citizens/students to meet the society needs. The educators who are believing in that are pushing their student to gain skills by doing and practice them. They are also view learning as process and throughout these process the students will be able to change and improve. The teacher here is a leader who is leading, controlling the students, and giving them formative and summative evaluation.One clear ideologies that exemplifies these advantages and is an intellectual model to me is Learner Centered Ideology which is chapter four. It is the one that has had the most impact on me as an educator and a woman. I want to use and practice Learner Centered Ideology with my future kindergarten students because it is the closest match to my views on teaching, education, and schools as possible. Learner Centered believed in growth of individuals as an important way to develop children’s intrinsic capabilities. Like me, Learner Centered person believes that experiential knowledge is essential for all students. I, too, believe in the cultivation of experience of as a way to access greater brain and vision capacity. Through the process of learning, I believe that higher, more mysterious, intuitive, and free aspects of the brain’s functioning can be allowed to flow out. This can also help students to construct their knowledge through assimilation and accommodation. I feel a kinship with Learner Centered people because they are working in search of refinement of vision of each individual students. Learner Centered Ideology teaches us that children are capable of great things and that we should invest in them in the right ways, from where they are. To me, it is the closest match to me in terms of ideas about making progress in the field of education.Social Reconstruction education model which is chapter five is imbued with the kind of sensitivity that is fit for our ever more multiracial and multicultural situations worldwide. It is suitable for the world as it is today, and more than that, it anticipates some of the doctrinal problems and imbalances, politically, religiously, and economically. Social reconstruction people are preparing themselves for the role of high-level social reformer. They are working really hard for experiencing the world. They believe in the knowledge as a way of developing sensitivity and empathy, and they have the foresight to see that it would act as a kind of bridge for intimate relationship with culture, environment, and people. Through education, people could come to appreciate aspects of other cultures while understanding their own cultural position. For me, this is a part of my philosophy and I would want my students to be able to understand themselves and their identity as well as their place in the world. There is a lot of world out there and I am really looking forward to opening my students’ eyes, beyond country, beyond cultural barriers.Schiro’s ideas have had an impact in my own curriculum development and teaching style, such that the old ways of working with my students that has no certain ideology seem so thoughtless and obsolete. Ultimately, I hope that education at all levels would reach the point where Schiro hopes to take us, in which four philosophical visions can coexist for students and their teachers.

Curriculum Theories: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns. Michael S. Chiro. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2013. 297 pp., (paper). ISBN-13: 978-1412988902 ISBN-10: 141298890X There are multiple unanswered questions and unresolved issues at the forefront of education today. The lens from which they are viewed leads professionals and other stakeholders to a spectrum of approaches to educating children and the purpose of schools. Michael Chiro’s (2013) Curriculum Theories is an all-encompassing book that presents four ideologies in view of the historical and contemporary implications for the educational field within the scope of the Scholar Academic, Social Efficiency, Child Centered, and Social Reconstruction perspectives. The first chapter presents an overview of the ideologies, giving the audience an opportunity for a brief review of the content. The last chapter offers a look at the experiences and changes in ideologies through several decades about professionals who worked as educators, administrators, and scholars. The journey of taking on a different role and the shifts in ideologies are clearly presented in the text and visually supported with reasons as to why the views of each professional changed. Chapter six is an engaging application of the ideologies in practice through several play scripts, emphasizing the perspective of each ideology on the child, learning, teaching, and other educational aims, expressed in statements that reflect the beliefs and values of those who adhere to a specific ideology. The appendix of the book offers the reader a brief survey to select their perspectives in relation to each ideology and to reflect on how it fits into their beliefs and practice about education. In addition, there are online resources that follow each chapter for further exploration of the content. The essence of each ideology is presented in chapters two through five. The chapters describe each perspective, how it came into existence, and how it has evolved over a period of time. Chiro (2013) objectively examines the influence of a particular ideology and how it continues to shape the educational landscape in combination with other factors within the political and social spheres. Each chapter looks at the major originators and past and current proponents of each ideology, such as Charles W. Elliot, Franklin Bobbitt, John Dewey, and George Counts. Current issues such as high-stakes testing, teacher evaluation, learning process and student engagement are introduced and discussed, allowing the audience to connect with the way each ideology views them. Chiro (2013) thoroughly reviews each ideology and at times certain information can be found throughout the chapter repeated several times for grater emphasis. The content of the books would be best suited for graduate students, curriculum administrators, and professional learning communities for discussion and reflection. The organization of each chapter is easy to adjust to and it follows a pattern for elements discussed in relation to each ideology, such as historical perspectives, goals, instruction, learning, and evaluation. One excellent feature in the appendix is a self-assessment of personal educational beliefs and philosophy that helps the reader to discover which ideology they identify with the most. This survey and the last chapter make an important point about the educator as a professional and an individual in terms of their role and contributions in the field. The combination of the comprehensive collection of each ideology and its characteristics to this self-assessment engages the audience in a meaningful reflection about current theory and personal practice in education.

Excelente livro. É caro, mas é bom.

Great resource for anyone interested in curriculum theory. Easy to apply to any education level, well organized and very informative.

The book was used in University studies and it filled this role very well. The information was concise and well-informed, a credit to the author.

Good.