EDEC 260 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-10: Hidden Curriculum, Class Conflict, John Dewey

• School: McGill University
• Department: Curriculum and Instruction
• Course: EDEC 260
• Professor: Ronald Morris

Document Summary

Philosophical and ideological voices in education p. 5-18. Essentialism emphasizes fundamental/basic skills and subjects that are components of the curriculum. Essentialism asserts that schooling, instruction, teaching and learning need to focus on the basics on what is really necessary to become an educated, productive, effective and capable individual and citizen in a society. Essentialism relates to the intrinsic or fundamental character or nature of something rather than its accidental or incidental features. Essentialism asserts that certain basic ideas, skills and bodies of knowledge are essential to human culture and civilization. Basic education is made up of these indispensable, necessary and fundamental skills. These fundamentals are: skills of literacy (reading and writing) and computation (arithmetic); subjects of history, math, science, languages and literature. Essentialism is very much present in education. Exists for a long time as an informal expression of what schooling should be. Emphasize that the curriculum should consist of traditional skills and subjects.