EDUL 6020 Module 2

Selection of Educational Purposes according to Tyler: Involving Teachers in Educational planning

Planning an educational program requires that those creating the program have some concept of the goals that are being aimed at. Those goals become the criteria by which materials are selected, content is outlined, instructional procedures are developed and tests and examinations are prepared. Tyler suggests that the school begin by setting clear objectives by evaluating the learners themselves, contemporary life outside the school, and by taking suggestions about what should be taught from specialists within the different subject areas.



To include teachers in the process of selection of educational purposes, a committee should be formed to discuss the three areas reviewed. The committee would be broken down into three sub-committees and each would be assigned one of the three areas suggested for evaluation by Tyler. Because Tyler states that the information provided by consideration of these three areas is significantly more than any school attempt to incorporate in its educational program, the sub-committees would be responsible for choosing only the few most important objectives suggested. Tyler suggests that the group of objectives should be such that they can actually be attained in significant degree in the time available. The first way to screen the objectives is by using the school’s learning philosophy to select those objectives that are important; those that are not should be removed from consideration. Because he also suggests that that the objectives be consistent, the three sub-committees should come together to see that the objectives they’ve selected are in-line with one another. It is also suggested by Tyler that the principles that underlie the psychology of learning must also be applied when selecting the objectives that will used in planning the educational program. Applying these principles are important because applying our knowledge of the psychology of learning enables us to distinguish changes in human behavior that are a result of the process of learning as well as the amount of time needed to attain the targeted objectives.



The task of the committee after the objectives have been narrowed is to state them in a format that is clear, concise and useful in guiding how teachers will teach their students. This will typically take the form of lists of topics, concepts, generalizations, and elements that should be concentrated on when instructing a particular subject. The team should also work to state the objectives in terms of what outcomes can be expected with regards to student behavior and how the content that’s learned can be used in the context of real life. This information should be translated to an easily referenced form such as a chart or outline so that it is easily used when teaching content. The information is now able to be used as a guide by the school staff when implementing the whole educational program designed by the committee.