Intergenerational impact of a curriculum enigma: the scholarly legacy of Joseph J. Schwab

Necessarily Free: Why Teachers Must be Free

“…The overarching argument that a curriculum must never be considered absent direct engagement with its context—concrete practice in the classroom and schools—accompanies Schwab’s writings throughout his career. In their comprehensive review of Schwab’s lifelong contribution to the curricular area, Craig and Ben-Peretz ( 2018 ) emphasize his call on educators to avoid “flights from the field” (Schwab 1969 ) and shift their gaze from well-ordered theories to the chaotic classroom scene: “The preface to Schwab’s Community: A mission for the Schools , most closely aligns with Schwab’s enduring defence of “The Practical”” (Craig and Ben-Peretz 2018 , 430).…”

“…Already in 1950, he debated a certain professor and defended the concept of teachers’ peer learning, arguing that through such engagements their practical knowledge is appreciated as a precious source of professional development. (Ben-Peretz & Craig, 2018 ). In another early example, while explaining Dewey’s legacy, Schwab describes deliberation as a necessary condition for good teaching: “Only as the teacher uses the classroom as the occasion and the means to reflect upon education as a whole (ends as well as means), as the laboratory in which to translate reflections into actions and thus to test reflections, actions, and outcomes against many criteria, is he a good “progressive” teacher.…”

“…Sartre and Schwab lived and worked in the 20th century, and both responded to the political and moral upheavals of their time.Their thought is still relevant and applicable today (for more on Schwab’s enduring relevance, see Roby 2008 ; Ben-Peretz and Craig 2018 ). In the present era, the results of upheavals from their time remain to be finalized, or in any case have not received an adequate response.…”

Fifty years oflife in classrooms: an inquiry into the scholarly contributions of Philip Jackson

“…Cheryl Craig proposed that we adopt the framework of an article that Miriam Ben-Peretz and she had previously authored on the spread of Joseph J. Schwab's ideas and influence (Ben-Peretz & Craig, 2018) because it suggested others employ the same framework to explore the impact of other prominent educational leaders. These were the combined circumstances that lay in the background and gave rise to this article examining Philip W. Jackson's professional impact and the dissemination of his ideas in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French, among other languages.…”

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The intent of this article is to explore the scholarly influence of Philip W. Jackson through examining the spread of his scholarship and the ideas he generated. The research design of this paper is borrowed from a previous study (Ben-Peretz & Craig, 2018) about another distinguished curriculum scholar, Joseph J. Schwab. The work begins with a biography of Philip Jackson and continues with literature reviews on the history of ideas and the use of knowledge in education.

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