An Ideological Study Of The Appal Curriculum

As a famous critic of education and international course experts,professor Michael Apple has some influence in many countries.Michael Apple’s curriculum theory based on the contemporary American curriculum,as well as the research and analysis of the national education in capitalist society,it provides the necessary theoretical support for us to understand the education development and critical pedagogy theory.At the same time,professor Michael Apple is a firm marxist,who is widely regarded as the contemporary American leaders of western marxists,his thought and theory has the profound theoretical significance and practical significance for us to study the contemporary western marxism.On the basis of the lack of existing research,this paper discusses the curriculum theory of Michael Apple in a comprehensive way,and analyzes the knowledge of the curriculum and ideology of Michael Apple.First of all,a comprehensive analysis is made on the overall formation of the Michael Apple’s curriculum theory.The curriculum theory is formed by its rich personal experience,turbulent social background and absorption of various ideas and theories.The complex personal experience has exposed the helplessness and hardships of many low-level people,thus resulting in the humanistic feelings in the curriculum theory.The reform and development of education in the social unrest in the United States also provided a realistic basis for Michael Apple.While on the absorption and use of all kinds of thought and theory has provided a connotation for curriculum theory,among them,marxism and neo-marxist theory have constructed the framework of its curriculum theory,which has enriched the ideological theory of the American progressive education thought and the sociology of knowledge.Secondly,the interpretation of the curriculum theory.The author focuses on the curriculum and ideology of Michael Apple’s curriculum theory.Freezing by placing the school curriculum in the big social background analysis,Michael Apple points out that the school is closely connection with social,political,economic and cultural power,in a capitalist society under the control of power,the school curriculum in essence became a tool of the ruling class ideology penetration.Michael Apple critically points out that "the legal knowledge" does not exist in school,he thinks that curriculum knowledge is often represent a certain social groups,that is the interests of the ruling class,so knowledge "legitimacy" is not legal.At the same time,school culture has been chosen as a kind of cultural capital to be distributed selectively by the ruling class,which is already unequal in the course distribution.To this,Michael Apple revealed the ideological problems existing in the course,he thought the school curriculum are in the running of the ruling class ideology,curriculum reproduce the ideological hegemony,and because of that,it is hard for people to feel and realize the equality of education.Thirdly,analyze the interpretation and application of the marxist theory.Michael Apple claimed to be a follower of Marx,whose curriculum theory was deeply influenced by marxism.The first is to adhere to Marx’s critical spirit.He has always insisted on a critical review of education.Only by critically examining and questioning everything in the school curriculum can he find the complex social connections hidden behind the curriculum.The second is the new interpretation of marxist ideology theory.The revelation of the ideology of the curriculum is based on the theory of marxist ideology,and Gramsci’s hegemony theory has the most profound influence on it.He introduced Gramsi’s idea of hegemony into the curriculum and found the ideological hegemony in the school curriculum.Thirdly,it is the application of the new marxist theory of reproduction.Influenced by the Economic reproduction theory of Bowles and Gintis as well as cultural reproduction theory of Bourdieu,Michael Apple use reproduction theory to analyze the school curriculum,points out the function of reproduction of the school curriculum,he thought the course to reproduce the social political,economic,and even the ideology of the ruling class.In the end,the author analyzes the purpose of the ideological hegemony in the curriculum,namely the ideology of reconstructing curriculum.Michael Apple points out that the school curriculum is under the influence of social power,but the school as a cultural preservation education institutions,itself has certain independence.so the education workers should use the school internal autonomy to give full play to their subjective initiative to consciously resist the ruling class ideology hegemony,building the course’s ideology.First of all,Michael Apple said,one can really realize the equality of education democratic course should give full play to its value,and guarantee the legality of knowledge,the ontological value of the course,that is cultivate people,is the value of the curriculum which is easily ignored by education.Secondly,he believes that the school curriculum should focus on cultivating critical consciousness,because critical consciousness can help people to look at the curriculum and perceive the unreasonable aspects of the school curriculum.In the end,he pointed out that there is a potential resistance to the school curriculum,and the students and teachers are the main groups that make up this resistance.