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The Questions of Curriculum: Article Critique
Morgan Utsey-Williams
Texas Southern University
EDCI 944- Curriculum Theory
Dr. Smith
October 31, 2021
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The Questions of Curriculum
Compelling, engaging, and values-driven information and skillsets are essential
components to create a sustainable curriculum that can transform a student's learning experience.
This essay provides details on the meaning of curriculum, explains why J. T. Dillon's (2009) text
is essential, poses questions that require further research on the subject, and most importantly,
discusses the text's implications for what educational leaders can do to develop curriculum for
urban learners.
Statement of Problem
According to Joseph Schwab (1983), an educator needs to understand the nature,
elements, and practice of curriculum to successfully develop the content for learning instead of
simply trying to define curriculum as it is a complex idea created by multiple factors. When
developing a curriculum, educators are often tasked with first determining their target audience,
identifying what the target audience's needs are, and identifying their strengths and weaknesses
to evaluate and meet their learning needs adequately. Dillon (2009) suggests that Schwab
addresses developing curriculum by first becoming knowledgeable on the goals and objectives
that the curriculum should aim to meet, identifying who the teachers and students will be,
identifying the subject to be taught, the environment in the lessons will take place, the types of
activities available for students to learn, and what results from a final evaluation should produce.
Taylor (1979) and Dillion (2009) believe that these factors are important but that one
must also understand 'in what kind of language [these questions are answered], by reference to
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what beliefs and assumptions, in terms of what justifications' Those indeed are questions of
thinking about curriculum. They can rightly be used to define curriculum studies (but not
curriculum) (p. 350).
Review of Literature
In speaking with current educators in the public-school sector, I often hear them
discussing issues about curriculum effectively meeting the needs of students who are not on
grade level. This poses the question of how educators can effectively meet the needs of all
students if they are teaching a curriculum that may be too hard for some of the students. Are they
doing a disadvantage to the student who is behind or to the student on grade level? I ask this
because I feel that it is hard to meet the needs of one student when you should also be
challenging the other student who is already exceeding expectations and has the potential to
achieve more academically.
I also question the effectiveness of certain school districts providing students with the
most up-to-date curriculums. Much like Ornstein (1987), I worry that some school districts
cannot meet the needs of disadvantaged students who reside in underserved populations because
of environmental, economic, and political challenges that stand in the way of providing
high-quality educational materials to students. Suppose these students are not receiving quality
curriculums. How will they ever be able to achieve academic success on standardized tests
created around the best curriculum developed by phenomenal educators?
Methods
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This text is imperative to the development of curriculum on all levels as it makes
educational leaders analyze their personal experiences with curriculum development and
ultimately allows them to self-reflect on and determine what strategies they need to alter to
create a curriculum that is most effective and will most adequately meet the needs of students. A
key takeaway from the text was one of the "18 Fundamental Questions" that asked, "What period
of life does schooling primarily contemplate as its end? [viz. childhood or adulthood]" (Rugg,
1927, p. 9-10). I was also intrigued by the question, "Should the school be regarded as a
conscious agency for social improvement? [to fit children to the current social order or to rise
above it; children to be adjusted to current society or be impelled to modify it?]." (Dillion, 2009,
p. 355). These questions are fundamental, and educators should always answer these questions to
ensure that students are taught the knowledge and skills needed for their core subjects and to
ensure that students are genuinely prepared to meet the demands of the real world upon high
school graduation.
Conclusion
Urban learners must be given a tailored curriculum to allow for a delivery that is created
specifically to meet their cultural and environmental needs. A large majority of minority students
grow up in areas that have unique styles and traditions. These unique characteristics are often left
out of curriculum development if the educators collaborating on the curriculum cannot identify
with the culture or ethnic group.
This text must be considered a mandatory guide for educational leaders as it is an
essential tool for all involved in the curriculum development process. The reader's implications
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for what educational leaders can do to develop a curriculum for urban learners are astonishing.
The fundamental questions addressed by the curriculum scholars create the foundation for
current educational leaders to use to create an engaging, practical, and most importantly,
impelling curriculum that encourages academic achievement, student success and generates
life-long learners.
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References
Dillon, J. T. (2009). The questions of curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 41(3),
343–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270802433261
Ornstein, A. C. (1987). The Theory and Practice of Curriculum. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 24(1),
15–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.1987.10517823
Rugg, H. (1927). List of fundamental questions on curriculum-making. In G. W. Whipple (ed.),
The Foundations of Curriculum-Making, 26th Yearbook, Part 2, of the National Society
for the Study of Education: Public School Publishing, 9–10.
Schwab, J. J. (1983). The Practical 4: Something for Curriculum Professors to Do. Curriculum
Inquiry, 13(3), 239. https://doi.org/10.2307/1179606
Taylor, P. H. (1979). Introduction: Curriculum Studies in Retrospect and Prospect. In P. H. Taylor
(ed.), New Directions in Curriculum Studies: Falmer, 9–12.