Are American Schools Considered to Be Subject-Centered or Student-Centered?

Are American Schools Considered to Be Subject-Centered or Student-Centered?
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Are American Schools Considered to Be Subject-Centered or Student-Centered?
The design of schools is a factor that influences how learners gain new knowledge. There is a lack of a simple approach in coming up with a productive learning environment (Wasserberg, 2017). There has always been discussion about ways to improve learning, and this entails rethinking the content taught in the classroom, how it is delivered, and the assessment approaches. The main perspectives regarding learning environments are based on whether they are subject centered, student-centered, community-focused, or assessment centered (Wasserberg, 2017). Over the years, American schools have evolved to become subject centered rather than student centered.
Subject Centered
After studying the history of American education, it is clear that the current education system has a distinct subject-centered focus (Hugus & Tkatchov, n.d). This means that the institutions often focus on teaching students about the subject matter. Even though young students can remember complex concepts that are taught in class, the information has to be presented in a developmentally appropriate manner. The knowledge-centered approach also focuses on the design of the curriculum (Wasserberg, 2017). Over the years, educators have often discussed the benefits of a student-centered approach. It is also a common practice in private or charter schools. For instance, different states rely on a subject-based system. It is characterized by large classes, common core curriculum, and teachers whose work is comparable to assembly-in workers since they all adopt the same approach in learning, particularly in the context of public schools.
Secondly, the main focus of a subject-centered system is curriculum development rather than human development (Wasserberg, 2017). Emphasis is on ensuring student uniformity by developing high standards. This relies on what the society believes students should be able to do or know at a specific grade level checkpoint. Teachers are informed about how or what to teach. The main focus is to standardize students, which ensures that all students are similar though the use of a core curriculum (PBS NewsHour, 2015). Teachers often rely on testing as a way of determining how the students are performing. The teachers often have huge classes with a large number of learners from different backgrounds and levels of knowledge. This makes it harder for the teacher to get a personal interaction with the student so that they can get to know them more. Besides that, parents are not involved in the process even though they often help the child with homework assigned by the teacher. Teachers spend most of their time to ensure that the learners will complete the curriculum (Downey & Gibbs, 2010). The focus is on what the learners cannot do or what they do not know. The learners are expected to follow what the teacher advises. Instead, students often study hard so that they can pass tests, which in most instances, is temporary and shallow.
Third, the subject-centered design often focuses on a single subject at a time, and it helps students build on the knowledge they alr...