Graduate surgical education redesign: Reflections on curriculum theory and practice

THE WORD CURRICULUM has its origins in the running and chariot tracks of Greece. It was, literally, a course. 1 As time and society have evolved, educators’ views of the meaning of curriculum have changed. Varying philosophic positions on the role of education in society and disparate assumptions about what helps people learn shaped educators’ views about curriculum and how they defined it. The purpose of this paper is to describe two popular classifications of curriculum, briefly explain the educational theory associated with each, and review their implications for teachers and learners. The test of good theory is whether it can guide practice. In reverse, good practice is based on theory. A framework for thinking about curriculum theory and practice is important in light of current efforts to redesign curriculum for surgical residency education. Various taxonomies exist for categorizing curriculum theories, theorists, and models. 1 For the