Course: Basics, Principles and Problems

Author: (American) Ornstein et al.
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of the field of curriculum for faculty and students involved in curriculum-related teaching activities. It not only examines the foundations of curriculum but also delves into the principles and levels involved in understanding, designing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum. Like the and the second edition, it offers a thorough discussion of the philosophical, historical, psychological, and social foundations of curriculum. At the same time, it incorporates the latest research and reflections in these fields, providing new content and information, such as reconceptualists, learning styles and developmental psychology, typical American personality, charter schools and school privatization, and 2000 Goals. The book places curriculum within a dynamic social context, both existing and emerging, and balances the various issues faced by the field of curriculum. Throughout the book, readers can experience the tension between postmodern and modern thinking and how they influence the deliberation, design, and implementation of curriculum. The section on the social foundations of curriculum constructs the idea that curriculum cannot be separated from its social context. This section also explores the diversity of American society and its significance for school curriculum. By revising and incorporating new curriculum thinking, the book guides readers into discussions on the technical and non-technical models of curriculum design. Authors Ornstein and Hunkins explore these models not to impose a narrow perspective on curriculum thinking but to help readers understand the assumptions behind these models and learn how to apply them in a changing and evolving curriculum environment. Some of the new content presented in this book:
- Incorporates information on new areas in the psychological foundations of curriculum: emotional intelligence and constructivism.
- Provides new information on quantitative and qualitative evaluation, with particular attention to alternative assessment.
- Offers data on the increasing use of technology in education.
- Explores educational issues such as school reform, moral education, and the politicization of curriculum.
- Adds materials on multicultural education and Chinese education.