The Curious Case of Ralph Tyler: A Historical Narrative of a Lifelong Effort for the Consolidation of Curriculum Theory and Practice

This inquiry is a historical narrative of Ralph Tyler’s career and his ideas in the field of curriculum studies. Tyler begin his research and academic career in an era in which many educators and teachers’ practice was based on unexamined and non-sophisticated beliefs. Hi managed to bridge between philosophical thoughts of great educators like Dewey and Herbart and practical concerns of experts like Thorndike, Charters and Bobbitt and successfully reduced his perceived gap between curriculum theory and practice. In this historical narrative, some of the Tyler’s insightful research findings, reflective beliefs, and areas of deliberation are explored, which could play a significant role in deeper understanding of his so-called rational-linear model. Some of the most noteworthy conclusions are mentioned as below: abstract instruction of mathematical operations is as effective as atomistic or behavioristic instruction of these operations; developing an authentic evaluation method is a very important task for true implementation of Dewey’s problem solving and Kilpatrick’s project method; formative evaluation is not for judging about student learning or teacher performance, but it’s for apprising the effectiveness of curriculum; the process of curriculum planning is not absolutely linear; and the purpose of evaluation is improving instruction and teachers’ coordination. In this historical inquiry Tyler’s participatory and realistic approach and his curiosity and efforts for reducing the gap between curriculum theory and practice are highlighted.