Curriculum Ideologies

Within the world of education there can be four ideologies categorized.  Schiro (2013) explains the importance of:

1. The Scholar Academic Ideology - this ideology within education is very specific to the world of academia.  Teachers and professors teach the subjects that they know - their specific disciplines.  This can be translated to Child Life Specialists in the way that within a hospital it is the doctors and nurses that are the trained staff that examine the child through the lenses of their specific medical backgrounds.  A brain surgeon would not be able to give input on a child with a heart problem.  Although hospitals have teams that work together, the specialists talk about just that, their areas of expertise.  

 2.  The Social Efficiency Ideology - this ideology talks about how to teach children within schools to be positive members of society.  Within the classroom teachers educate children how to contribute and survive in society; they teach children how to have a productive life.  Unlike the scholar academic ideology which aligns with doctors within the hospitals, this ideology connects with social workers and psychologists.  It is the job of social workers to help prepare a sick child and family for the world outside of a hospital.  

3.  The Learning Centered Ideology - this ideology is the one that aligns with the work of child life specialists the best.  The ideology centers around the needs and concerns of the child mentally rather than within the society.  Within education a teacher works on the growth of a child as individuals, focusing on their own unique attributes.  Child Life Specialists are the ones within the medical world that focus on a youth patient's emotional/mental needs and concerns, while working to help them and the families during their hospitalization.

4.  The Social Reconstruction Ideology - this final ideology that Schiro writes about focuses on social justice within the educational realm.  The purpose of this ideology within education is to help address the injustices and create a more just society for all people.  Within the healthcare world it is a hot topic right now that health care and health insurance is not equal for everyone.  Some children and families just do not have the same support because of a lack of health insurance, thus people are trying to bring universal healthcare into fruition.  

Why is this important?

So what?  Who cares?  Well, Schiro's article is mainly focused on the world of education.  However, as stated above, it can be applied to a multitude of different occupations.  The problem with these ideologies is that they are more or less competing in their views of education.  Overtime it is apparent that within education a teacher usually only fits into one of these ideologies.  Usually it is how they themselves are taught.  This is one reason why there has been little to no improvement within education, because we cannot find a compromise between the four ideologies.  There are too many competing beliefs to properly educate all children within a school.  Children's hospitals have the same problem in the fact that there are too many competing aspects to help treat sick children.  Within a hospital team that meet to discuss the ill child, the staff need to support each other rather than individually talking about their specific expertise.  

References:

Schiro, M. (2013). Introduction to the curriculum ideologies. M. Schiro Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns, 1-13.