1st Edition

Understanding the School Curriculum Theory, politics and principles

By Alex Moore Copyright 2015
    206 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    206 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    At a time of rapid social change and numerous policy initiatives, there is a need to question the nature and function of school curricula and the purposes of formal public education. Comparing curriculum developments around the globe, Understanding the School Curriculum draws on a range of educational, philosophical and sociological theories to examine the question ‘What is a curriculum for?’ In considering different answers to this fundamental question, it explores a range of topical issues and debates, including:

    • tensions and dynamics within curriculum policy

    • The implications of uncertainty and rapid social change for curriculum development

    • the positive and negative influence of free market ideologies on public education

    • the impact of globalization and digital technologies

    • arguments for and against common core curricula and state control

    It examines the possibility of a school curriculum that is not shaped and monitored by dominant interests but that has as its founding principles the promotion of responsibility, responsiveness, a love of learning, and a sense of wonder and respect for the natural and social world.

    Understanding the School Curriculum is for all students following undergraduate and Masters courses in curriculum, public policy and education-related subjects. It is also for all training and practising teachers who wish to combine a deeper understanding of major curriculum issues with a critical understanding of the ways in which ideologies impact on formal state education, and to consider ways of producing school curricula that are appropriate to the times we live in.

    1. Introduction: ‘A Curriculum for the Future’  2. ‘Curriculum Dynamikos’  3. What Is It? What’s It For?  4. ‘Knowledge’  5. Learning in and out of school: the impact (or otherwise) of digital technologies  6. Internationalising the curriculum  7. Curriculum Decision-Making  8. Hidden, Absent, Lost: from misrepresentation to myth-recognition  9. Alternatives in Practice

    Biography

    Alex Moore is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London, UK.