Curriculum Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Curriculum Theory - Essay subjectThe curriculum speculation of the nineteenth century, with its emphasis on mental illuminate through rote cultivation , as portrayed by Charles Dickens in his book Hard Times has undergone a sea change in the modern times.In the nineteenth century America, the teacher was the center of the education system. Ill trained and ill-equipped, the teacher struggled on to teach the three Rs to his dwindling students. But by 1890, the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the untaught led to a change in the role of the school and the teacher. By then monastic order had besides begun to change from the mostly agrarian communities to industrial communities. More attention was now given to curriculum in schools, as the monitorial method which was adopted in cities like New York, did not last long.The main curriculum theory until the last part of the nineteenth century was that of Mental Discipline, a theory followed from the time of Plato The terrib le expansion of the hale and the newspapers and magazines in the 1890s brought about more changes in the curriculum theory according to the book The seek for American Curriculum 1893-1958 by Herbert Kliebard. Articles in some of the popular journals described schools as joyless and relentless places (Kliebard 6), calling for a more suitable curriculum.In 1837, with the creation of the State Board of Education with the sublime Horace Mann as the head, the first milestone was laid for compulsory education. The first Compulsory Education Law was enacted in Massachusetts in 1852. In 1947, the state passed a law requiring every town to run a grammar school to which attendance was compulsory for the children. Parents were fined if they did not send their children to school.The classical, rote form of learning with its harsh discipline and verbatim recitation was opposed by psychologists like William James and Edward Thorndike causing a national debate. The purchase order itself was b ecoming interested in more useful knowledge being imparted to the students. In the early ordinal century, the Great Depression caused the educationists to consider using schools for social reform. When in 1918, John Dewey advocated Progressive education, his ideas that the schools should reflect the society had a tremendous impact on the curriculum.There was a renewed emphasis on the teaching of mathematics and sciences during the World War, citing military needs. The wartime decline in high school attendance was attributed to the continued swelling of academic school subjects (Kliebard202)Vocation oriented curriculum was advocated after the National Defense Act of 1947 which was of great conditional relation There was blending of subjects, with a need-based core curriculumIn 1954, the landmark decision of the U.S Supreme hail .in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, prohibiting the establishment of separate schools for black and white children had a tremendous im pact on curriculum theory, paving the way for civil rights and a multicultural curriculum..In 1989,the goals for the lineage of the next millennium were formulated, with a forward looking curriculum.Works citedKliebard, Herbert M. (2004). The Struggle for the American Curriculum, 1893-1958 (3rd ed.). New York