Topic Traditional approach Alternate approaches Teacher-centred instruction: Student-centred instruction: Person Educational essentialism Educational progressivism Educational perennialism Students dynamically grouped by interest Students matched by age, and or ability for each project or subject, with possibly also by ability. All students Classroom the possibility of different groups each in a classroom are taught the same hour of the day. Multi-age classrooms or material. open classrooms. Traditional education emphasizes: Progressive education emphasizes: Direct instruction and lectures Teaching Hands-on activities Seatwork methods Student-led discovery Students learn through Group activities listening and observation Instruction based on textbooks, Project-based instruction using any Materials lectures, and individual written available resource including Internet, assignments library and outside experts Integrated, interdisciplinary subjects or Individual, independent subjects. theme-based units, such as reading a story Subjects about cooking a meal and calculating the Little connection between topics cost of the food. Little or no attention to social development. Significant attention to social Social development, including teamwork, Focus on independent learning. aspects interpersonal relationships, and self- Socializing largely discouraged awareness. except for extracurricular activities and teamwork-based projects. A single, unified curriculum for all students, regardless of ability or interest. Diverse class offerings Students choose (or are steered towards) without tracking, so that different kinds of classes according to students receive a custom- their perceived abilities or career plans. tailored education. Multiple Decisions made early in education may With School to work, tracks preclude changes later, as a student on a academically weak students vo-tech track may not have completed must take some advanced necessary prerequisite classes to switch to classes, while the college a university-preparation program. bound may have to spend half-days job shadowing at local businesses. Student and Students often address teachers In alternative schools, students may be teacher formally by their last names. The allowed to call teachers by their first relationship teacher is considered a respected role names. Students and teachers may work model in the community. Students together as collaborators. should obey the teacher. Proper behavior for the university or professional work community is emphasized. Marking Topic Traditional approach Alternate approaches Many possible forms of A few numbers, letters, or words are communicating achievements: used to summarize overall achievement in each class. Marks may be assigned Teachers may be required according to objective individual to write personalized performance (usually the number of narrative evaluations correct answers) or compared to other about student achievement students (best students get the best Communicating and abilities. grades, worst students get poor grades). with parents Under standards-based education, a government A passing grade may or may not agency may require all signify mastery: a failing student may students to pass a test; know the material but not complete students who fail to homework assignments, and a passing perform adequately on the student may turn in all homework but test may not be promoted. still not understand the material. Students will graduate with different All students need to achieve a grades. Some students will fail due to basic level of education, even if Expectations poor performance based on a lack of this means spending extra years in understanding or incomplete school. assignments. The value of any given mark is Achievement based on performance often hard to standardize in compared to a reasonably stable, Grade alternative grading schemes. probably informal standard which is inflation/deflation Comparison of students in highly similar to what previous different classes may be difficult students experienced. or impossible. Subject Areas Topic Traditional approach Alternate approaches Traditional mathematics: Curriculum de-emphasizes procedural knowledge drills in Mathematics Emphasis is on memorization of favor of technology basic facts such as the (calculators, computers) and an multiplication table and emphasis on conceptual mastering step-by-step understanding. arithmetic algorithms by Lessons may include more studying examples and much exploratory material supportive practice. of conceptual understanding, One correct answer is sought, rather than direct presentation using one "standard" method. of facts and methods. Mathematics after elementary Emphasis may be on practical grades is tracked with different applications and greater issues students covering different such as the environment, gender levels of material. and racial diversity, and social Mathematics is taught as its justice. own discipline without Mathematics lessons may emphasis on social, political or include writing, drawing, global issues. There may be games, and instruction with some emphasis on practical manipulatives rather than filling applications in science and out worksheets. technology. Lessons may include exploration of concepts allowing students to invent their own procedures before teaching standard algorithms. Grading may be based on demonstration of conceptual understanding rather than entirely on whether the final answer is correct. In some countries (e.g. the United States), there may be expectations of high achievement and mastering algebra for all students rather than tracking some students into business math and others into mathematics for math and science careers. Fact-based science: Science class is an With Inquiry-based Science a student opportunity to transmit concrete might be asked to devise an experiment knowledge and specific vocabulary to demonstrate that the earth orbits the from the teacher (or textbook) to the sun. The emphasis changes from Science students. Students focus on memorizing memorizing information that was what they are told. "Experiments" learned through a scientific method to follow cookbook-style procedures to actually using the scientific method of produce the expected results. discovery. Phonics: The focus is on explicit With whole language the child is training in sound to letter exposed to rich, relevant language that Language correspondence rules and the can heighten motivation to read. learning mechanics of decoding individual Learning to read is assumed to be as words. Students initially focus on natural as learning to speak, so students phonics subskills and reading are not formally taught sound to letter simplified decodable texts. When they correspondences, but assumed to infer have mastered a sufficient number of them on their own. (Note that this issue rules, they are allowed to read freely is limited to languages such as English and extensively. (In many languages, and French with complex phonetics and such as French, Spanish and Greek, spelling rules. Instruction in countries phonics is taught in the context of with languages such as Spanish and reading simple open syllables.) Greek, which have relatively simple phonetic spelling, still depends mainly on phonics.) Criticism of the concept of teaching in traditional education Traditional education focuses on teaching, not learning. It incorrectly assumes that for every ounce of teaching there is an ounce of learning by those who are taught. However, most of what we learn before, during, and after attending schools is learned without it being taught to us. A child learns such fundamental things as how to walk, talk, eat, dress, and so on without being taught these things. Adults learn most of what they use at work or at leisure while at work or leisure. Critics argue that most of what is taught in classroom settings is forgotten, and much of what is remembered is irrelevant. .