(Shiro & McNeil)

Learner-centered
Humanistic

Social Reconstructionist

Academic

Technological /
Systemic

Social
Efficiency/Skills

(Eisner & Vallance)

Self-actualization
Growth of individual
as central theme,
autonomy,
individual,
discovery, enriching,
personal success

Academic
rationalism
Help children
learn accumulated
knowledge of our
culture (Shiro)

Curriculum as
Technology
Process, scientific
evidence for proper
'how' to organize
material.

Cognitive processes

Some key
descriptive
words

Social reconstructionrelevance
Interdependence, includes
community action,
possibility is a common
theme, planning the
future, not planning for
the future

Some core
beliefs

Focus on needs and

concerns of
individuals. Goal of
education is growth
of individuals (Shiro)
School should fully
enter the learner's
life through the
curriculum (Eisner &
Vallance)

Education can effect social

change. Students can
reconstruct society vs
adapt to it. (McNeil)
Students are agents of
change. (Shiro) Learning
should be contextual.
(McNeil)

Teachers are miniexperts who

deliver content
(Shiro)

There is a systemic
method to learning
various topics
(McNeil). Focus on
the 'proper'
presentation of
material.

Purpose of
education is to
determine needs of
society and have
student become
adults who can
meet those needs
(Shiro). Skill
development can be
independent of
content (Eisner &
Vallance)

Focuses on the how,

not the what (Eisner
& Vallance)

Who/what
drives the
learning?

Student interests is
where content is
derived.
Construction of
meaning as a result
of interacting with
physical, social and
intellectual
environment (Shiro)

Students, based on local

problems in their
communities (McNeil)
Students are not
recipients, they are active
learners (McNeil) When
students have a vision of
the possible, education
should provide
opportunity to help
students act on that vision
(Shiro)

Teacher as expert
(Shiro). Students
as receivers of
knowledge
(McNeil).

Developer of the
technology, or of
the learning
process.
Organization of the
presentation of
material is
prepared before
the learner enters
the picture (Eisner
& Vallance) Often
the government.

Teacher who has

decided, perhaps
based on presribed
list of skills, which
skills are needed by
the students. List of
'required' skills may
be created by
curriculum writers.

What types of
learning
processes are
used?

Educators must
construct contexts
and environments
for meaning-making
to occur. Educators
must develop warm
relationships with
students (McNeil)

Includes community
action, bringing students
into nature, personal
investment in community
well-being, students can
improve the real world

Inquirers pass
knowledge to
teachers to
learners. Students
are not the
inquirers (Shiro)

Standards-based.
Teaching to the
test. Mastery
learning.(McNeil)

Activities specific
for subject-specific
skill building and lifeskills building.

Where is
content
sought? How
is it organized?

Content is sought
from opportunities
for student growth

Content is sought from

learners and their
communities and can be
therefore very
interdisciplinary

Content is sought
from experts, and
is organized into
discreet subjects

Content is sought
from research into
the proper
sequence of what
to deliver, when.

Rarely focused on
content.