ABSTRACT
In the last chapter we considered some philosophical issues in curriculum from the perspective of an adult interested in providing valuable knowledge for children. That perspective, focusing as it does on curriculum content, is often referred to as the traditional subjectcentered curriculum approach. As we have already briefly noted earlier and as we shall see further below, the approach as presented in the last Chapter is scarcely traditional although it is ‘subject’ centered in some respects. In contrast to such a view, it is often claimed, with alleged support from moral and psychological authority, that curriculum considerations should proceed from the perspective of the child. One of the central ideas in child-centered education is to start from the child. The two starting points, the subject on the one hand and the child on the other hand, lead to two broadly contrasting approaches to education generally, which in the politics of education have been referred to as the ‘traditional’ and the ‘progressive’ approaches. These two approaches have led to much unnecessary animosity and divisiveness in education because each ‘side’ unfairly caricatures the other at an unwarranted extreme. A good teacher carefully adopts elements of both positions. It is instructive, nevertheless, to examine these two approaches for their strengths and weaknesses.1
