The radical inclusive curriculum: contributions toward a theory of complete education

Abstract

This paper contributes to curriculum theory from the perspective of a fundamental critique of education. Its objective is two-fold: to analyze both traditional and critical approaches to the curriculum and the types of education that flow from them and to propose changes that could result in significant improvements to the curricula through the radical and inclusive approach. The principles of pedagogy are redefined from the standpoint of this approach, aiming to enhance the educational potential of the curricula. The method of the paper is hermeneutic and dialectical, critically disputing the utility of curriculum theory and of the international policies that drive current educational practice. The essay’s arguments are developed throughout in the dialogical space between the critique and the proposed changes. These arguments are oriented toward complementarity and aim to redefine education and the curriculum in terms of complexity and a higher level of consciousness. The conclusions suggest that the radical and inclusive approach can produce significant, thoroughgoing change in curricula, education, and pedagogy.