On April 15, Professor DengZongyi, School of Education, University College London, was invited to deliver a speech at the Huaxia Curriculum Forum. Prof. Deng shared with the audience the way to build a “powerful” curriculum theory, and in what sense curriculum theory can be “powerful”. Associate professor Wang Tao presided over the forum.
Content of the Report
Professor Deng Zongyi first introduced several works of Michael Young, such as Knowledge and Control and Bring Knowledge Back In, and expounded the objective and social attributes of knowledge. People can obtain power from knowledge; it is necessary to move from “knowledge of the powerful” to “powerful knowledge”. Prof. Deng then put forward the concept of “powerful curriculum theory”.
Prof. Deng reviewed the development of curriculum theory, he pointed that due to the development of reconceptualist movement in the 1970s and the promotion of William Pinar, curriculum theory has been transformed from “curriculum development paradigm” to “curriculum understanding paradigm”.
Professor Deng believed that the current curriculum theory has gradually deviated from the original intention of improving school education through curriculum theory research, basically divorced from the specific school education practice, and ignored the existing school system, which lead to a certain theoretical crisis. It is necessary to construct a “powerful” curriculum theory.
Professor Deng Zongyi reviewed and reflected on the curriculum theory based on Schwab’s practical-oriented ideas and the tradition of Didactic from Germany. In the 1970s, American curriculum scholar Schwab pointed out that curriculum theory has lost its vitality. The practical orientation of its proposition, and the Didactic tradition of Germany, which focuses on teaching practice and teacher development, have a lot in common. The two theories can be regarded as important sources for the construction of “powerful” curriculum theory.
Professor Deng further proposed three ways to construct “powerful” curriculum theory:
1. Put the curriculum practice in the specific school cultural background and follow the path of “practice-background-theory”.
2. Open the black box through empirical research, such as case studies, narrative studies, etc.
3. Follow the Didactic traditional of Germany.
Finally, Prof. Deng illustrated the significance of “powerful” curriculum theory to policy makers, developers, school leaders and teachers:
For curriculum policy makers, developers and school leaders, “powerful” curriculum theory is not only conducive to policy formulation, professional development, school reform and the development of curriculum guides, but also benefit the selection of content that is likely to open up new ways of understanding, thinking and existence.
For teachers, “powerful” curriculum theory is conducive to “powerful teaching” in schools, renewing and reforming specific teaching practices, and making more effective teaching judgments and decisions. It is also conducive to a thorough reflection on the purpose and methods of education, and ultimately helps to get rid of the entanglement of fashionable educational terms and rationally treat the boundary between success and failure.
Discussion Session
Associate Professor Wang Tao made a brief summary of the lecture, he believed that Professor Deng’s lecture is of great significance to the study of the current curriculum theory. It is closely related to the concepts of key competencies and practical discipline emphasized by the curriculum reform in our country in recent years.
In Q&A session, further exchanges were carried out on the questions raised by the students.
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