Knowledge, judgement and the curriculum: On the past, present and future of the idea of 'the practical'.

in Journal of Curriculum Studies (2013), 45(5), 684-696

In 1970, Joseph Schwab published the first of four papers that argued for a turn to the idea of the Practical in curriculum research and practice. In this paper, I revisit Schwab’s original paper and ... [more ▼]

In 1970, Joseph Schwab published the first of four papers that argued for a turn to the idea of the Practical in curriculum research and practice. In this paper, I revisit Schwab’s original paper and explore the extent to which his case for the Practical is still relevant today. I first look at the past of the deliberative tradition in which Schwab’s argument is located. I argue that a more precise engagement with the work of Aristotle – particularly the distinction between making/production and doing, and between knowledge of the eternal and of the variable – can strengthen Schwab’s case and allow for a better understanding of the kind of knowledge and judgement needed in education. In relation to the present, I highlight three ways in which the current context has changed from when Schwab published his paper. These concern the strongly diminished space for teachers’ professional judgement; the rise of a call for evidence-based education; and the shift in curriculum studies away from practical questions. To (re)connect the field of curriculum studies and research with questions about the ‘doing’ of curriculum is, in my view, where a deliberative approach such as the one articulated by Schwab remains highly relevant. [less ▲]

Between ideology and institution: the curriculum of upper-secondary education

in Journal of Curriculum Studies (2009), 41

This study examines apparently similar historical phenomena in 19th‐century Prussia and Switzerland: the establishment of modern foreign languages in the curriculum of upper‐secondary education. Through ... [more ▼]

This study examines apparently similar historical phenomena in 19th‐century Prussia and Switzerland: the establishment of modern foreign languages in the curriculum of upper‐secondary education. Through the course of the 19th century, there appear to have been great transnational European affinities with regard to both the differentiation of the upper‐secondary education into types and the development of the curriculum. However, the contextualization of the curriculum within the overall organization of the school system raises doubts as to whether the similarity is more than only quantitative. A second contextualization of the overall organization of education within cultural convictions also reveals fundamental differences rooted in different political convictions, such as monarchism and republicanism. As a result, despite the formal similarities, the establishment of the foreign language education in Switzerland and Prussia could not have been more different. [less ▲]

The emergent curriculum: Navigating a complex course between unguided learning and planned enculturation

in Journal of Curriculum Studies (2008), 40(3), 313-328