Curriculum Studies In Present Times – An Analysis And Reflection

"If this process of transformation continues at its present rate, the field of curriculum studies will be profoundly different in 20 years than it has been during the first 50 years of its existence" , Pinar, 1978, (p.205)

Now it’s over 40 Years since Pinar wrote this article and as a teacher and future curriculum manager, I have tried to analyze a few of the theories and reflect on the difference between those times and the present theories. I have personally analyzed that the curriculum studies and the curriculum development now are in a progressive state.

When Pinar wrote his article which we are referring to in this study, it was in the era of “Traditionalists”, these works were based on the Conventional wisdom of the educational and academic scene of the period. Some of the well-known theorists in that period who made a remarkable difference in curriculum studies and development were.

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) – he had believed that the curriculum is only good if it has been developed keeping in mind the student or learner's needs and interests. According to him the purpose of the curriculum is more generalist than a specialist.

Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) –also believed that the curriculum should be based on the needs of the learner and they must experience what they learn. so, the curriculum should be formed to provide experiences.

William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) – although he was part of the previous generation of thinkers but had a great impact on how the theorists discussed the 1970-80 era. He gave more impact on Child development, growth, and social relationships, a more child-centric curriculum.

As we understand today that curriculum development is a process that is based on the following set of parameters.

• Operational tool for sustaining the development-relevance of education.
• The catalyst for innovation, disruption, and social transformation.
• Force for social equity, justice, cohesion, stability, and peace.
• The integrative core of education systems.
• Enabler of lifelong learning.
• Determinant of the quality of education and learning.
• Determinant of key cost drivers of education and learning systems; and
• Lifelong learning system in its own right.

As we understand that educational purposes have their roots in the social, political, and economic conditions of the countries and regions. Global situations, like migrations, political crises, etc. also affect the purpose of education. As defined by Pinar, 2004a, p.x. curriculum theory is “The interdisciplinary study of educational Phenomenon”

When we analyze the curriculum development and studies from the 1970s to 2010’s period we notice that in comparison the progress has been a lot more in the last decade, because of the fast change in global economic and people’s movement. the requirement of curriculum analysis and development has become more frequent than it was required in past. They are also called curriculum reforms, the curriculum is rarely static, it undergoes regular and almost constant change, matching new policies and demands with new descriptions of what is taught and how. 

As in the past few decades, we have seen new countries being formed, change of regimes, political instabilities leading to an increase in displacement of people globally, and an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. These situations change the way the world works, and the needs of the communities and nations change. After war and conflicts, the nation's rebuilding activities require different skill sets.

So the curriculum reforms are undertaken by countries as they feel that they have become outdated and out of line with emerging economic and social needs.  (examples like Arab spring, Syrian Exodus to Europe, change of regime in India, etc.) can be summarized in the following points.

• New national visions, (due to change of government/ or geopolitical boundaries), Particularly around skills and a competitive, knowledge economy.
• Changes in the skill set requirements for the community or nation.
• Concern that the curriculum is outdated.
• Concern at low levels of learning, especially literacy and numeracy
• New thinking about language, pedagogy, and inclusion

The present development of the curriculum is still learner-centric as was in the 1970s but is now trying to find new solutions for new issues being encountered on an everyday basis with the fast-changing global scenarios.

Mostly the curriculum is being developed now keeping in mind the development of basic skills. The concerns raised in recent times are that curriculum needs to be developed as the students are not learning. and the reform / or change is required to make the educational curriculum more interesting, based on experiences to ensure that students learn from the teachings being imparted.

It is important to make the curriculum, more engaging, interesting, and one which the learner feels that they have control over. The new learning strategies of STEM / STEAM have taken a major space in education, as it allows the learners to experiment, use their personal experience and engage in activities allowing them to learn trans-disciplinary concepts. The education system today is majorly concentrating on standards-based, concept-based, and inquiry-based learning. Some curriculums concentrate on one of these aspects, but most leading curriculums try to incorporate all of them in some way or another. Today's curriculum is also trying to incorporate

• 21st Century skills.
• Education on Sustainability Goals.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
• Lifelong learning.
• Trans disciplinary learning.
• Learning through Life experiences and social interactions.
• Creating global citizens.

The curriculums will change in near future, as the world is going through a dynamic shift, and teachers will play a very important role in ensuring collaboration with all stack holders to understand, analyze, research, and evolve a new dynamic curriculum. 

References

Alvior, M.G. (2014). Six Famous Curriculum Theorists and their Contribution to Education. Retrieved from http://simplyeducate.me/2014/12/03/six-famous-curriculum-theorists-and-their-contributions-to-education/

Andrea. (2019, December 16). Reconceptualizing and Repositioning Curriculum in the 21st C: A Global Paradigm Shift. Retrieved February 11, 2020, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/news/reconceptualizing-and-repositioning-curriculum-21st-c-global-paradigm-shift

DEVCO B4 Education discussion paper. (2014, December). Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/file/23136/download?token=cJar8YvT

Pinar, W. (1978). The Reconceptualisation of Curriculum Studies. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 10:3, 205-21. Retrieved from: http://daneshnamehicsa.ir/userfiles/file/Resources/8-2%29%20Ideologies/ARTICLE_William%20Pinar.pdf

Tyler, R. (1949). In Flinders, D. J., &  Thornton, S. J. (Eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader, Fourth Edition (pp.11-18). New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from: https://talkcurriculum.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/tyler-r-2013-basic-principles-of-curriculum-and-instruction.pdf