A Brief Critique of Tyler

After reading Tyler, I was left wondering how to define the purpose of education. It seems to me that to design a curriculum based upon purpose is impossible because of local variations. The purpose of education is certainly unique to each small region and each micro-economy. For example, to define the purpose of education in a jurisdiction the size of Saskatchewan is nebulous to say the least. Students in the jurisdiction of Saskatoon Public and students in Black Lake exist in vastly different social, political, and economic contexts. This makes it impossible for the Ministry of Learning to design objectives and evaluative criteria that are relevant for both student bodies. This is only one example of the myriad of 'mini-worlds' within our province.

This is not to say that Tyler's Ratonale has no place in curriculum design. Merely that his approach may be too generalistic to suit a group of people as diverse as Canadians. While purpose and evaluation are important, they are peculiar to region. I believe that Tyler's rationale does not pay sufficient heed to the human element of the educative process.