Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 4: What Should the Curriculum Be?

“Teacher-Centered: With a focus on basic skills, the traditional curriculum has changed little in the elementary grades since the early 1800s. The traditional subjects—reading, writing, spelling and math—are taught separately in the early grades instead of being combined into language arts or whole language. History, geography, and science are usually taught in the middle grades.

Student-Centered: There is much variation in what is taught and when it is taught. Theoretically, any subject can serve to develop problem-solving abilities and creativity. There is less hierarchy of subject matter. Reading, writing, spelling, and literature are usually combined. Social studies combines history, geography, sociology, and anthropology.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.