Curriculum in and out of Context

The disappointments of curriculum theory in practice mostly come from treating curriculum out of context-both conceptually and operationally. Conceptual decontextualization has meant separating curriculum as product (e.g., a document such as a syllabus or course of study, a package of materials accompanied by directions for their use) from curriculum policy-making, design, and use. Operational decontextualization has meant treating curriculum, however defined, apart from its structural and sociocultural contexts as if it were independent of its location in an educational system, society, and history. When confronted, the isolation of curriculum from its multiple, interacting contexts is an absurdity, yet isolation remains another commonplace in curriculum discourse and practice. In this essay, I briefly examine the decontextualization of curriculumcurriculum out of context-and then consider the possibilities of an alternative-curriculum in context. My purpose is to sketch an alternative theoretical framework that might inform empirical studies and reform efforts as well as more general analysis and understanding of curriculum phenomena.