The Curriculum in an era of global reform: Bobbitt’s ideas on efficiency and teacher knowledge

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.