Curriculum And Imagination: Process Theory, Pedagogy And Action Research

Curriculum and Imagination The story of curriculum theory and development over the last fifty years is one of a lack of imagination, dominated by the results-driven “objectives model” of curriculum, judging effectiveness through exam results and league tables. Curriculum and Imagination describes an alternative “process” model for designing, developing, implementing and evaluating curriculum, suggesting that curriculum may be designed by specifying an educational process which contains key principles of procedure. This comprehensive and authoritative book: ● ● ● ● offers a practical and theoretical plan for curriculum-making without objectives; shows that a curriculum can be best planned and developed at school level by teachers adopting an action research role; complements the spirit and reality of much of the teaching profession today, embracing the fact that there is a degree of intuition and critical judgement in the work of educators; presents empirical evidence on teachers’ human values. Curriculum and Imagination provides a rational and logical alternative for all educators who plan curriculum but do not wish to be held captive by a mechanistic “ends-means” notion of educational planning. Anyone studying or teaching curriculum studies, or involved in education or educational planning, will find this important new book fascinating reading. James McKernan is Professor of Education at East Carolina University, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. He has authored and edited several scholarly books and has several decades of educational experience in Europe and North America. Curriculum and Imagination Process theory, pedagogy and action research James McKernan First published 2008 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2008 J. McKernan All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data M