1. The Subject-Centred Curriculum is the traditional model that was laid out by Ralph Tyler
in 1949 in his seminal book, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. Also called
the Knowledge-Centered Curriculum, it is the most widely-used method of instruction.
The knowledge-centered curriculum is an academic curriculum where students are
expected to acquire knowledge of their world as a foundation for their adult life.
This type of curriculum lays greater emphasis on the subjects themselves rather than on
the children. Students are expected to gain mastery of subject matters from academic
disciplines that have been predetermined by a panel of experts. These are prescribed
for the students without much regard to their actual interest or point of view.
The curriculum is organized around content units and the sequence of what is taught
follows the logic of the subject matter. Knowledge and skills are taught sequentially over
time and students have to remember these for the purpose of examination or an
interview for a white-collar job.
The teacher in a subject-based curriculum is seen as a scholar who will be using a
variety of teaching strategies to share their knowledge. A report by the Partnership for
21st Century Skills emphasizes on the necessity of teacher-led instruction to help
students gain knowledge and be able to build upon it in an organized manner.
As regards the environment in which the subject-based curriculum takes place, it is the
traditional school classroom where discipline is maintained and students are often
expected to remain seated at their desks. There is a clear academic focus and stress is
laid only on intellectual development. This type of curriculum ignores altogether the
personal and social development of the child
Assessment within a subject-centred curriculum takes the form of formal examinations
and standards-based assessment. With these, teachers and students are able to
evaluate the progress made. In addition, program administrators can use the results of
traditional tests to justify their programs' achievements. In a 2004 study on core
knowledge curriculum and school performance, Wedman & Waigandt found a strong
correlation between students enrolled in the Core Knowledge program and high test
scores in all subjects regardless of ethnic or economic profiles. The longer the students
were enrolled in the program the more they outperformed their peers enrolled in non-
Core Knowledge schools.