ABSTRACT

Over a hundred years later, The Curriculum by John Franklin Bobbitt continues to be relevant for understanding contemporary issues in education. One issue has been the association with elements of reform such as scripted curriculum programmes and high-stakes standardized testing. This article argues that while Bobbitt’s message was one of scientific management and efficiency, this was to be pursued in a particular kind of way, quite distinct from that used in industry, and involving an extended role for the teacher. Bobbitt sought to create the conditions for a more humanizing education experience, in the pursuit of the greater human welfare and a more democratic society—quite different from the outcomes inherent in contemporary global educational reform. The article offers a close reading of The Curriculum, drawing in particular on Knoll’s recent work on the concept of efficiency, together with a typology of the kind of knowledge which teachers need to teach well. Using this twin framework puts Bobbitt’s legacy in a different light, and shows the need to take account of the full range of his ideas. Doing so can offer better insight into challenges in education over a hundred years later.

摘要

一百多年后，课程约翰·富兰克林·鲍比（John Franklin Bobbitt）撰写的书继续与理解当代教育问题相关。一个问题是与诸如脚本课程计划和高水平标准化测试之类的改革要素的关联。本文认为，尽管Bobbitt的信息是科学的管理和效率的一种，但是这将以一种特殊的方式来追求，这与工业界所用的信息截然不同，并且涉及到教师的扩展角色。为了追求更大的人类福祉和更民主的社会，鲍勃（Bobbitt）试图创造条件，以提供更加人性化的教育体验，这与当代全球教育改革的内在结果大相径庭。本文提供了对课程的详细阅读，特别是借鉴了诺尔（Knoll）最近关于效率概念的工作，以及教师需要良好教授的那种知识的类型学。使用这个双重框架，使Bobbitt的遗产有了不同的见解，并表明需要考虑到他的全部思想。这样做可以更好地洞察一百多年后的教育挑战。