Curriculum as Cultural Reproduction

The fourth image points in the opposite direction in time from the intended-outcomes image. Where outcomes fix their eyes on the future, this image keeps one eye on the past, asking what a society needs to carry forward.

Curriculum as a mirror of the culture

The fourth image sees the curriculum as a mirror of a society’s culture. On this view, the curriculum is, and should be, a reflection of the culture it serves. Schooling exists to reproduce the knowledge and values that matter most, passing them to the next generation so the culture continues.

Deciding What to Teach

Who decides what those are? The community, the state, or the nation takes the lead. It identifies the skills, the knowledge, and the appreciations worth teaching. The job of professional educators is then to take that selection and transform it into a curriculum that can actually be delivered to children and young people.

The Practical Role of Schools

There is a practical reason this matters in a developed, industrial society. Parents there hold specialized jobs and rarely have the time, and sometimes not the knowledge, to teach their children all the complicated capabilities modern life demands. The school steps in to do what families on their own cannot, carrying the culture forward on behalf of everyone.

Flashcard

What does it mean to call curriculum ‘cultural reproduction’?

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Answer

The school passes a society’s knowledge and values to the next generation. The community names what is worth teaching, and educators turn it into a curriculum.

Flashcard

How do the outcomes and cultural-reproduction images differ in their direction?

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Answer

Outcomes look forward; cultural reproduction looks back.

• Outcomes fix on future ends to reach.
• Cultural reproduction fixes on a heritage to preserve.