The 3rd edition of this introduction to and analysis of contemporary concepts of curriculum that emerged from the Reconceptualization of curriculum studies brings readers up to date on the major research themes within the historical development of the field.

Annotation This book examines the ways that postmodernism has impacted curriculum formulation, changing the ways that people think about knowledge, how they participate in work and civic life, and how humans interact with technology. It approaches topics such as cultural contact, postmodern science, critical literacy and new technologies, and the professionalization of environmental educators. The authors have all taught in departments of education and are currently working in Mexico and New Zealand. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Doll draws relationships among the ideas advanced in chaos theory, Piagetian epistemology, cognitive theory, and the work of Dewey and Whitehead. In this book on the post-modern perspective on the curriculum, the author asserts that the post-modern model of organic change is not necessarily linear, uniform, measured and determined, but is one of emergence and growth, made possible by interaction, transaction, disequilibrium and consequent equilibrium. Transformation, not a set course, the book argues, should be the rule, and open-endedness is an essential feature of the post-modern framework. In the book, the author envisages a curriculum in which the teacher's role is not causal, but transformative. The curriculum is not the race course, but the journey itself; metaphors can be more useful than logic in generating dialogue in the community; and educative purpose, planning and evaluation is flexible and focused on process, not product. “Scholarly, yet direct and to the point, [Doll’s] ideas make sense to front line educators in the real world of today’s schools.” —Kenneth Graham, Seaford Union Free School District

In this book it explores science and technology, makes connections between these epistemic, cultural, and political trends, and develops profound insights into the nature of our postmodernity.

Textbook

This volume presents a series of papers concerned with the interrelations between the postmodern and the present state of art and design education. Spanning a range of thematic concerns, the book reflects upon existing practice and articulates revolutionary prospects potentially viable through a shift in educative thinking. Many of the essays pinpoint the stagnancy of teaching methods today and discuss the reductive parameters enforced by the current curriculum. The radical tone that echoes through the entire series of papers is unmistakable. Throughout the book, postmodern theory informs the polemical debate concerning new directions in educative practice. Contributors shed new light on a postmodern view of art in education with emphasis upon difference, plurality and independence of mind. Ultimately, the paper provides a detailed insight into the various concepts that shape and drive the contemporary art world and expands the debate regarding the impression of postmodern thinking in art education.