The Tyler 'Rationale' Curriculum Model

Ralph W. Tyler (born 1902) published his curriculum rationale in 1949. He stated the curriculum rational in terms of four fundamental questions: • What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? • What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes? • How can these educational experiences be effectively organised? • How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? Tyler’s model is linear, beginning with objectives and ending with evaluation, making evaluation terminal rather than ongoing. It is one of the most widely known models for curriculum development and gives special attention to the planning process (Oliva, 2005). The model proposes that curriculum developers first establish broad objectives derived from three sources: the learners, contemporary life beyond the classroom, and the subject matter.