CURRICULUM CONCEPTS: THEIR RATIONALITIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTEMPORARY PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES

Abstract

This article proposes a critical reflection on curriculum concepts, their rationales, and their implications for contemporary pedagogical practices. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of José Gimeno Sacristán (2010), Vera Maria Ferrão Candau (1997), Anthony Vincent Kelly (1998), Shirley Grundy (1991), Jurjo Torres Santomé (2008), Raewyn Connell (1997), and Jaume Martínez Bonafé (2008), the article seeks to analyze the different perspectives that have influenced the curriculum field, its tensions, and the challenges it presents to current pedagogical practice. In this sense, the curriculum is discussed not only as a technical document, but also as a social, cultural, and political construction. The article analyzes the transition from a technocratic rationality focused on results and market demands to practical and critical perspectives that value participation, diversity, and social transformation. Furthermore, the study addresses the relationship between competency-based education and the technocratic model, as well as the challenges of curricular innovations as cultural, political, and emancipatory processes. Finally, the study advocates for the construction of a curricular justice committed to equity, recognition of diversity, and the guarantee of a democratic and inclusive education.