When it comes to the practical matter of putting together a curriculum for children to study, the perfect is often the enemy of the good. Writing a curriculum is always a compromise, and tough – impossible – decisions must be taken in working out how to spend the precious time we as teachers are granted as our principal resource.
In designing curricula, we are always conscious of conflicting demands, and we must with some frequency return to our aims, for it is these that must guide us in making our imperfect choices.
Great curriculum theorists make us think about the relationship between our aims and our choices. One of the most influential theorists in recent years has been ED Hirsch. His writings, recently popularised in England off the back of government advocacy, have caused a number of teachers and curriculum designers to ask searching questions about our aims and our choices.
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