Curriculum Ideologies 1

Curriculum Ideologies and Preferences

Emily Fraser

P-12 Curriculum Theories

UMHB
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Part I-Social Efficiency Ideology

What is Social Efficiency?

Social Efficiency is an ideology surfacing in the early 20th Century. Franklin Bobbitt

demanded that educators of the time looked at what skills were needed to have a successful

industrial future. Bobbitt gave an appropriate analogy: The child is the raw material and the

adult is the finished product. With the teacher being a factory worker and the curriculum

representing the change to happen; once it is all put together you have the desired

outcome/product (Schiro, 2013).

History of Social Efficiency

Four Components

The Social ideology originates from four movements: Social reform, Utilitarian

Education, Behavioral Psychology, and Scientific Methodology. These four movements continue

to be the building blocks in the promotion of Social Efficiency Ideology.

First social reform, the inspiration making the needs of todays society the top priority. In

1913 Bobbitt described social reform as: The ideal of social-service is rapidly becoming the

corner-stone of faith in every department of human affairs in none certainly more than in the

field of education (Schiro, 2013).

Secondly, we will look at the utilitarian education movement. At the turn of the 20t

Century, educators began to emphasize the importance of focusing curriculum and student

education on relevant skills needed to become a successful adult. Currently, educators are

constantly learning new forms of technology and trades to help their students be better prepared

for the future. Educators are becoming more understanding of what skills children need to

become suitable in the workplace and higher education institutions.

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Third, behavioral psychology is the older movement of the group, but is an important

one. As a child acquires new skills and internalizes what is being taught, it is important for the

child to understand as to why the lessons being taught are important to their own life and future

success.

Lastly, scientific methodology is the how to the ideology. Educators are constantly

looking for ways to analyze data, looking for trends, and experimenting new ideas. Educators

needed a process to put this ideology through to justify the reasoning behind each component.

Learning through Social Efficiency Ideology

As children learn, the educators must constantly make changes to their teaching to better

fit the needs of each student. Learning styles, interests, and pace are all elements of the

instruction to be considered. In Social Efficiency, educators must have the knowledge of how to

do this. Through the behaviors of the educators and teachers, specific information is prioritized

and emphasized. The responsibility of the educator is to then monitor the students as they learn

to ensure each student is doing what is expected and will allow them to be successful citizens.

Schiro explains Bobbitts comparison for both the teacher and the student. The student is looked

at as the factory worker. They expel energy to meet the demands of the teacher. The teacher is

then looked at as the manager. The teacher ensures the environment is a safe one encouraging

productivity. The consequence of these roles is that since the focus is mainly on productivity and

future life skills, the traditional teacher/student relationship is not possible. Another consequence

is the teacher becomes pressured to focus solely on results for a better evaluation. The students

themselves become last on the priority list and the scores jump to the top of the list.

Social Efficiency in Todays Education

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Education can be compared to a pendulum. It goes from one extreme to another and then

back again. Currently, education has its focus on technology and how we can integrate that

technology into all aspects of school. This is happening because of the way our World is going.

In a way, we are all exhibiting Social Efficiency through our acknowledgment of technology in

all work places and fields. Educators have seen the importance of exposure to all available

forms of technology to help better prepare students for future classes in high school and beyond.

Part II- My Desired Ideology

In the above section, I briefly explained Social Efficiency Ideology and how it came

about. As I read more I agreed with most of the different theories behind the ideology and the

reasoning as to why they treat students as production workers. Educators feel as though as

assembly line form of teaching is the most efficient way to create future workers and citizens.

It is understandable to be efficient, but is taking away experiences from students the best

practice? In my opinion, no, and that is why I feel the Learner-Centered Ideology is the most

beneficial form of teaching for student success listed in our book.

Learner-Centered Ideology has several different looks and ways of teaching. The most

important idea to remember when it comes to this ideology is the students remain the focus of

instruction from start to finish. This does have some natural consequences. Concerning

standardized testing and benchmarks to check for understanding, the teacher will never know if

each student is receiving equal forms of instruction. Student knowledge and progress would be

very difficult to monitor to ensure student success.

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References:

Schiro, M. (2013). Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns (2nd ed.).

Sage.
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