{{Context, date=October 2009 The Structure of the disciplines is a concept in the study of

curricula In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

Overview

The rise of geopolitical difference after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

gave birth to a desire to achieve high levels of rigor in academic pursuits.Rudolph, 2002, p. 213 A systematic approach to developing models of inquiry in the fields of study forced educational institutions to engage subject areas in terms of

scientific inquiry Models of scientific inquiry have two functions: first, to provide a descriptive account of ''how'' scientific inquiry is carried out in practice, and second, to provide an explanatory account of ''why'' scientific inquiry succeeds as well as it ap ...

. While the societal influences of this perspective no longer play out in current times, the concepts of academic inquiry have a place in the current educational system.

Curriculum Tenets

A tenet of the structure of disciplines curriculum approach is that topics are evolving and not static. This allows each subject area to engage in research and study to grow within the subject. A second tenet relates to this research; each discipline must engage in research and follow a discipline-specific model of inquiry. Thirdly, the structures of discipline put forth that each learner develop a sense of multiple

models of scientific inquiry Models of scientific inquiry have two functions: first, to provide a descriptive account of ''how'' scientific inquiry is carried out in practice, and second, to provide an explanatory account of ''why'' scientific inquiry succeeds as well as it ap ...

relating to multiple disciplines. This creates a soundness of education across many fields of study and enables a learner to become expert in one or many of the disciplines studied.

Societal Influences

During the post-World War II, the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

was engaged in steep competition with the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

; known as the Cold War. Cold War mentalities called for strength in the face of perceived enemies and this extended to include schooling. World War II saw exponential advancements in sciences, including the development of super weapons. The discipline of

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...

became widely regarded and supported changes in the school environment to approach all fields with the same rigor of scientific inquiry. Thus, classrooms saw changes in how

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

developed and implemented through instruction. Related to these influences is the focus on

militaristic Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

strength and rigor. In the Cold War era, military research showed a systemic method to study subject matter. By expanding the scientific management approach of the early 20th century, practitioners of the structures of the disciplines curriculum perspective could strengthen how subject matter study took place in the classroom.

Common criticisms

The scientific approach to studying multiple fields produces an air of academic elitism or arrogance towards other fields not as adept at scientific inquiry. While inquiry models can develop within disciplines, some are not as prepared for the rigors of widely accepted inquiry models. Through the study of disciplines approach, the focus of the curriculum shifts from learner-centric to subject-centric instruction. Rather than look at how learners interact with the subject, the subject is studied with the learners acting more as observers than creators. Finally, with the changing from the

xenophobic Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

views of the Cold War, the society is open to exploration across national and geopolitical lines, making the influences of this curriculum perspective outmoded. While applicable in instruction, the pressures of conforming to a national policy no longer exist. In the place of nationalistic pride is the concept of the world as connected and dependent on other groups for the expansion of knowledge.

Learning environment applications

An obvious application of the structure of the disciplines approach is based in the sciences and mathematics fields. The concept of scientific inquiry applies greatly to fields that systemically decipher meaning and understanding. During the Cold War significant funding was available to expand the sciences in school settings.Rudolph, p. 213 Applications of this curriculum perspective are evident in many scholarly pursuits including the discourse and inquiry around the expansion of knowledge. The systematic decoding of accepted information into debatable and verifiable content is an important element of academic discourse. The structures of the disciplines approach is applicable in many areas and the tenets of creating strong academic achievers is not lost in schooling and non-schooling settings. Perhaps, most outmoded is the reasoning behind the development of this approach. Today the curriculum perspective is still evident in both school and non-school environments.

Notes

References

* Kantor, K. J. (1983, Summer). "The English curriculum and the structure of the disciplines." ''Theory Into Practice'', 22(3), 174-181. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from EBSCOHost * Posner, G. J. (2004). ''Analyzing the curriculum'' (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. * Rudolph, J. L. (2002, Mar). "From World War to Woods Hole: The use of wartime research models for curriculum reform." ''Teachers' College Record'', 104(2), 212-241. Retrieved April 9, 2007, from EBSCOHost Educational psychology