Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns

by Michael Stephen Schiro

Overview

The essential, comprehensive guide for developing and evolving your educational vision

The Second Edition of Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns presents a clear, unbiased, and rigorous description of the major curriculum philosophies that have influenced educators and schooling over the last century. Author Michael Stephen Schiro analyzes four educational visions—Scholar Academic, Social Efficiency, Learner Centered, and Social Reconstruction—to enable readers to reflect on their own educational beliefs, and more productively interact with educators who might hold different beliefs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452289854
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Michael Stephen Schiro has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He received his bachelorate from Tufts University and his doctorate from Harvard University. In the 1960’s he worked for school desegregation n North Carolina. In the 1970’s he worked to improve urban education in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was chair of the Department of Teacher Education and School Administration at Boston College in the 1980’s. He specializes in mathematics education and curriculum theory, and taught courses in mathematics education, curriculum theory, computer education, literacy, and multicultural education at Boston College from 1974 to 2009, when he retired. He published eleven books with such diverse titles as Integrating Children′s Literature and Mathematics in the Classroom, Oral Story Telling and Teaching Mathematics, Mega-Fun Math Games, Curriculum for Better Schools: The Great Ideological Debate, and Tan and the Shape Changer.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Curriculum Ideologies
Chapter 2: Scholar Academic Ideology
Chapter 3: Social Efficiency Ideology
Chapter 4: Learner Centered Ideology
Chapter 5: Social Reconstruction Ideology
Chapter 6: A Comparative Overview of the Curriculum Ideologies
Chapter 7: Individual Perspectives on the Curriculum Ideologies
Appendix: Curriculum Ideologies Inventory
References
Index
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"Provides readers with a clear, sympathetic and unbiased understanding of the four conflicting visions of curriculum that will enable them to more productively interact with educators who might hold different beliefs.  The book stimulates readers to better understand their own beliefs and also to provide them with an understanding of alternate ways of thinking about the fundamental goals of education" —SIRREADALOT.ORG

Sir Reada Lot.org - Savannah Jones

This is the perfect book for both undergraduate and 'graduate' students of education and curriculum studies (yes, graduate students!). In fact, it is one of the best books I have read detailing the four main ‘ideologies' of curricula, namely, the Essentialist, the Social Efficiency, the Progressive, and the Social Reconstruction models of curriculum.

The back of the book contains the following quotation: "A clear, unbiased, and rigorous description of the major curriculum philosophies that have influenced educators and schooling over the last century..." It is all of this, and more!

(2) It adopts a ‘historicist' approach to the presentation of its subject-matter, which means that the author defines and analyzes the various ‘ideologies' in light of their contextual emergence and importance. This book is not simply presenting ‘facts' for memorization; the positions ‘live,' as it were, as historical realities!

(3) It provides the rigorous foundational knowledge needed in order for students to truly grasp the writings of contemporary philosophers of education and curriculum studies, e.g., when juxtaposing these ‘ideologies' a student sees more clearly ‘why' it is that proponents of the ‘scholar academic ideology' are opposed to the ‘child-centered ideology.' This allows the student to situate the views of Adler and Dewey within a legitimate historical context, which emerge as a product of a particular ideological world-view, of which education and curriculum are inextricably a part.

If you're a curriculum planner, evaluator, advocate, developer, or burgeoning theorist, you must have this book! “

J.M. Magrini

"Schiro (Boston College) has written a text that examines curriculum theory for experience and pre-service educators with the purpose of understanding educational philosohpies or ideologies that they are likely to encounter in their teaching. "

CHOICE - H.B. Arnold

"Not only are the chapters extremely comprehensive, the organization of the book is extremely thoughtful and provides a variety of activities for the neophyte and experienced teacher."

Curriculum Perspectives - Colin J. Marsh