Historical Context of Work

Born, 1876

Died, 1956

Franklin Bobbitt was raised to believe in hard work and that study, self-discipline, religious faith, and devotion to duty were necessary for survival in this life as well as entry into the afterlife. He would eventually become greatly influenced by American Industry and those who sought to render it more efficient.

Education and Influences

Bachelor's degree from Indiana University (1901)

Doctorate at Clark University (1909)

Franklin Bobbitt was strongly influenced by his parents whom taught him hard work, academia, discipline of self, and religious faith were necessary to survive. He was also greatly influenced by the engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor. Taylor hoped to make American industry more efficient by defining production assignments for workers and the specific rates and procedures under which they would perform them.

Work Life

After earning his undergraduate degree at Indiana University, Franklin Bobbitt became a teacher. He first taught in several rural schools in Indiana and later at the Philippine Normal School in Manila. After receiving his doctorate at Clark University in 1909, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. He remained there until his retirement in 1941. While working at the University of Chicago as a Professor of educational administration, he began to conduct surveys of local school systems in which he assessed the districts' operations and questioned the sufficiency of their curricula. His most famous surveys were a 1914 evaluation of the San Antonio Public Schools and a 1922 study of the Los Angeles City Schools' curriculum. Bobbitt would eventually publish the first book labeled “curriculum”. He would become known for two books, The Curriculum (1918) and How to Make a Curriculum (1924). Franklin Bobbitt became a pioneer of the curriculum field. He was one of the first American educators to advance the case for the identification of objectives as the starting point for curriculum making.

Impact on Best Practices

Because of Bobbitt’s influence, curriculum became a field of specialization within the discipline of education.

Characteristics of Curriculum and Objective

• Some objectives were simple objectives that all children needed to prepare to be an adult.
• Other objectives were more specific to specialized occupations.
• The purpose of education was to prepare youth for the specific work and citizenship roles. This would make society more orderly and stable.
•  Curriculum should be differentiated into numerous programs. Some programs should be academic and preparatory and others vocational and terminal, and that students ought to be channeled to these tracks on the basis of their abilities.

References

A Hypertext of Instructional Design, Retrieved May 31, 2011, from University of Houston Web site: http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/smcneil/cuin6373/idhistory/bobbitt.html.

Curriculum Theory and Practice, Retrieved May 31, 2011, from the Infed Web site: www.infed.org.  

Franklin Bobbitt (1876–1956) - Social Efficiency Movement, Bobbitt's Contribution Retrieved May 30, 2011, from State University Web site: www.stateuniversity.com.