"Extracting Sun-Beams out of Cucumbers": The Retreat from Practice in Reconceptualized Curriculum Studies

Wraga, William G.

doi:10.2307/1176555

Cited by 17 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…To be sure, technical but de-contextualised approaches to curriculum gained ascendancy and still exist today with a high level of inertia (Hunkins & Hammill, 1994). These technical de-contextualised approaches that focus on the practical problems of curriculum come under the auspices of the traditionalist perspective (Wraga, 1999a).…”

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These two perspectives are antagonistic towards each other, particularly on the issue of curriculum practice (Wraga, 1999a(Wraga, , 1999b. Ironically both perspectives draw on Habermas's critical theory along with other key scholars such as Dewey (Wraga, 1999a). In brief, Habermas's critical theory is formed on three cognitive interests: 1) Empirical/analytic knowledge for the purpose of technical control; 2) Historical/hermeneutical knowledge for the purpose of understanding meanings; and 3) Critical/self-reflective knowledge for the purpose of developing freedom (Lovat & Smith, 1995).…”

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In response, a degree of separation between theory and practice is suggested (Pinar & Grumet, 1982). Critics of this approach such as Wraga (1999a) view this separation as a road towards academic elitism, in that the process is self-sustaining because it never solves any problems but simply conceptualises them. Although Wraga (1999a) raises some valid concerns, he oversteps the mark in failing to recognise the important contribution of contextualisation.…”

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Critics of this approach such as Wraga (1999a) view this separation as a road towards academic elitism, in that the process is self-sustaining because it never solves any problems but simply conceptualises them. Although Wraga (1999a) raises some valid concerns, he oversteps the mark in failing to recognise the important contribution of contextualisation. Moreover, Pinar (1992) advises that politics and experience tend to be overlooked unless theory and practice are separated as identities.…”

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Re-historicisation and Increased Contextualisation of Curriculum and Its Associated Pedagogies

Torok

2007

International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning

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Curriculum has traditionally been an ahistorical and technical field. The consequence has been to view curriculum and its associated pedagogical practices as neutral entities, devoid of meaning -in essence arising ex nihilo. However, this naïve assumption has fatefully resulted in revisiting the same swamps over and over again. Standardised curriculum and pedagogy function invisibly to reproduce class and inequality and to institutionalise cultural norms. Despite lingering attempts to maintain this technocratic approach that ignores subcutaneous meanings, a strong movement has emerged to reconceptualise curriculum in terms of its historical and sociopolitical context. While it is conceded that this is a step into a larger quagmire, it is a necessary one if true progress is to be made. Nevertheless, this large quagmire provides the possibility of escape, unlike the fatal determinism of forever returning to the swamps. Expectedly, this move to reconceptualise curriculum has its critics. Their arguments are also addressed, in particular the perceived tendency to separate theory and practice. Although curriculum and curriculum practices can be contextualised in many ways, this paper focuses primarily on key political concepts and concealed constructs such as hegemony, reproduction and resistance, resilience of the institution, the non-neutral nature of knowledge, the inclusion/exclusion principle, slogan systems and the hidden curriculum. Only by understanding the complex historical and political nature of curriculum can teaching professionals understand the hidden meaning of their practices. This is the first step for professionals to take in order to achieve Giroux's (1979Giroux's ( , 1985Giroux's ( , 1992 vision of teachers as transformative professionals (particularly through collaborative frameworks like the IDEAS project) in a climate of standardised curriculum and testing.

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Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditionalist -Reconceptualised Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Re-historicisation and Increased Contextualisation of Curriculum and Its Associated Pedagogies

Torok

2007

International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning

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Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and Didaktik

2017

Educational Governance Research

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adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Teachers and Administrators as Lead Professionals for Democratic Ethics: From Course Design to Collaborative Journeys of Becoming

Castner

Gornik

Henderson

et al. 2017

Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and Didaktik

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The heightened level of attention being afforded to "teacher leadership" is palpable in the United States. At a national level, proprietary organizations are receiving funds from large philanthropic organizations (e.g., the Gates and the Wallace Foundations) to promote the development of teacher leaders. State departments of education are accommodating the federal push finding various ways to incentivize the efforts of teachers to lead from the classroom. Our institutions of higher education are also adjusting and accommodating by taking up the charge of preparing teacher leaders, theorizing, and researching the potential of teacher leadership through academic study. As professors of education in the United States, we are mindful of the contextualizing neoliberalism infused throughout our policy environment and are deeply concerned about the habits of competition, rigidness, bureaucratization, and overspecialization. Not surprisingly, such ways of thinking, acting, and being infiltrate our educational institutions and can have a dehumanizing effect on local teachers, their pedagogies, and their students (Noddings 2007; Nussbaum 2010). Such habits of mind and body can additionally reinforce a sense of isolation between teachers and their profession (Eisner 2001), perhaps even a loss of vocational calling (Hansen 1995;Palmer 2007). Along with this can come a sense of alienation from colleagues and administrators (Macdonald and Shirley 2009) as well as a loss of individual and collective voice and autonomy (Apple 2006;Ayers 2010;Miller 1990). This chapter reports on an action research project designed focused on teacher leadership and reconceptualist curriculum theorizing as an alternative to the Tyler Rationale.

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"Extracting Sun-Beams out of Cucumbers": The Retreat from Practice in Reconceptualized Curriculum Studies

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

The Re-historicisation and Increased Contextualisation of Curriculum and Its Associated Pedagogies

The Re-historicisation and Increased Contextualisation of Curriculum and Its Associated Pedagogies

Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and Didaktik

Teachers and Administrators as Lead Professionals for Democratic Ethics: From Course Design to Collaborative Journeys of Becoming

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