Understanding Disciplines and Subjects unit 1

1. [UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS]
1 Ms. Sree Vaishnava Devi Rajesh
Sri Aurobindo Mira College Of Education
Nehru Nagar, By Pass Road, Madurai -625010.
UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS
COURSE: 5
Course Material for B.Ed First year
Prepared by
Ms. Sree Vaishnava Devi Rajesh
Asst. Professor of Computer Science

2. [UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS]
2 Ms. Sree Vaishnava Devi Rajesh
UNIT 1: Disciplines and Subjects
1. Discipline – Meaning, Definition and Concepts
2. Subjects- Meaning, Definition and concepts
3. Distinction between school subjects and Academic Discipline
4. Importance of the knowledge of Disciplines and Subjects
5. Need and importance of studying school subject
Academic Discipline and School Subjects.
Discipline
Meaning: The term “Discipline” originates from the latin word ‘Discipulus’ (‘Pupil or
learners’), which later became ‘Diciplina’ and then changed to ‘Discipline’ which means
‘Teaching or knowledge’. Discipline refers to a branch of academic study. For
example, psychology, sociology, anthropology, mathematics and philosophy are all disciplines.
These can mostly be seen in higher educational institutions such as universities. Discipline is
also called as Academic Discipline.
Definition:
“An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of knowledge that is taught and
researched as part of higher education”. - Anthony Biglan.
“ An academic discipline is a branch of learning or scholarly investigation that provides a
structure for the students” , especially in the graduate and post-graduate levels.“ … a branch
of knowledge or learning which is taught or researched at college or university level.” -
Glosbe.
Academic Discipline
An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of knowledge that is taught and
researched as part of higher education.

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This, however, does not denote that disciplines cannot be seen in other educational settings
such as schools. For example, mathematics is a school subject that is also a discipline that is
found in higher educational institutions.
Disciplines usually consist of theoretical backgrounds, research and experiments, groups of
experts in the discipline, etc.
For example, a person who is pursuing his studies in a particular discipline not only gains an
in-depth understanding of it but also conducts experiments or research as well. Such a person
is considered as specializing in the chosen discipline.
School Subject
A school subject refers to an area of knowledge that is studied in school. Subjects are the
part in which learning can be divided. School subject can be traditional academic subjects,
such as Maths, History, geography, physics, chemistry and economics etc.
The above mentioned subject are compulsorily taught to the students.
There have been some unconventional school subjects like tourism and hospitality.
Distinction between School Subjects and Academic Discipline
Basis of Difference School Subjects Academic Disciplines
Aims of Education Development of basic skills
and awareness.
Development of a social
citizen. Development of
specialized Knowledge and
Skills. Development of
Scholars,
Researchers, Academics,
Specialists, etc.,
Nature of content Simple ideas and
information’s.
Complex theories of
Educators.
Curriculum Construction Considering needs, wants
of learners. Includes learner
centred teaching methods.
Contents are arranged for the
development of different
specialised skills at complex

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and wider levels.
Development of Skills Gives importance for the
development of basic skills,
such as reading , writing and
arithmetic.
Gives importance for the
development of specialized
skills, mainly professional and
vocational skills.
Area of Operation Limited to Schools. For
University and other
Higher Education.
Developmental Phases School subjects come first
in the development of a
person.
Academic disciplines comes
later in one’s learning journey
from school to University.
 Subjects are not, in fact, drawn directly or readily from their parent studies, and parent
studies are not all disciplines.
 The disciplines are arranged for the expedient advancement of investigations and
researches, but the school subjects are organized for the facilitation of learning and
teaching in particular contexts.
 The formation of school subjects is driven by social and political needs.
 The school subject is a ‘transformed’ version of the academic discipline.
 The academic discipline, not the school subject, is providing the frame of reference for
defining and delineating what classroom teachers need to know about the subject matter
they are supposed to teach.
 School subjects come first and academic disciplines later in one’s learning journey from
school to university.
Importance of the Knowledge of Disciplines and Subjects
 The students may understand the primary knowledge and the importance of the
disciplines and subjects.
 In Tamil or English subject, the student will have a knowledge about the language,
grammar and concept.
 The discipline and subject will give the knowledge to the student in selecting their group
of subject or the research which will be help ful in future.
 The discipline and school subject will help the learners to utilize these concept at
present situation in reality.
 The three essential factors that determine and shape curriculum content and set school
subjects apart from academic disciplines are :
The world of knowledge.

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The needs of learners.
The needs and demands of society.
 School subject and academic disciplines are basically have a gap in between.
 History like subjects will help in gaining the cultural knowledge to the learners.
 Science and technology subject will give the knowledge about the new invention and
discovery and also helps the learners to develop new invention, researching skill, problem
solving skill and creativity are developed.
 Science subject and discipline will make the learners to come out from superstitious
belief, to know self defence skill, and false belief.
 Some subject give knowledge about the life history of some famous personality which
will Improve the moral values of the learners.
 The knowledge of subject and discipline will help in the development of personality.
Need and Importance of Studying School Subjects
 Exploring the knowledge and skill of the students
 Content knowledge
 Equipping future citizen with knowledge ,skill and capital.
 Provide meaningful learning experience that might lead to liberation and cause social
activity.
 Allows students to learn according to needs and interests in their chosen fields of study.
 Equip the students with general skills and learning abilities, essential for face the
challenges of globalization and the knowledge based economy
 Pay way for the students to Broaden their perspectives, enhance their social awareness,
develop positive attitudes and values , and faster problem solving and critical thinking
skills.
Valuing:
 Knowing social structure
 Knowing the cultural background
 Knowing the current trend and producing innovation
 Obtaining the knowledge about relationship between subjects.

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Mathematics:
- Science rely on maths
- In Greek time Mathematics were taught only to the upper class people.
- Extremely important for almost all aspects of life.
- Mathematics give chance to create a world with numbers.
English:
- English is only for people who are interested in learning
languages.
- Important life skill from school – university

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- In all interviews, they first check the fluency in English.
- Knowing English is surely helpful in understanding concepts of science and mathematics
better.
- English is World’s international language.
- Absolutely English is needed everywhere, for every thing in order to be successful.
Science:
- Science fulfills the purpose of the world.
- Demonstrates how things work and why they do so.
- Science is a subject full of joy and can be very fun if it is an interesting subject.
- Mysterious subject because lots of things to be discovered .
- Science include – biology astronomy, computer science, geology, physics and more.
- Science can teach us to use factual information in research papers which increases our
language skills.
- Science also uses applied mathematics to solve the problems of the world and uses
knowledge of social studies to make the present and future better.
- Science and math is everywhere and practically everything.
History
 History is so important because we have to prevent the past from repeating itself, which
is very similar to what is often portrayed in time travel.
 History is probably the least important subject as we should not get hung up on the past.
Geography
 Geography is our world, and if we don’t understand it , then we can’t prepare for the
future, such as avoiding a tsunami.
 It affects us every day without many not knowing it.
 We need to understand societies and cultures.
 Geography helps us make choices within our planet.
 Geography helps us to travel around the world.
 Geography is a subject that is needed in everyday life from reading maps to going on a
holiday
Physics
 Physics help us understand how natural world happens.

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 Physics is wonderful as it explains the world.
 Every thing involves physics and a degree in physics is extremely valuable. It also
increases our skills to think.
Selection of Content
All curricula has content. For curriculum specialists, content or subject matter is another term for
knowledge. Content is a subject centered view of the curriculum. As curriculum plays a vital role
in the teaching and learning process, one must be very careful in constructing a curriculum.
Curriculum is a tool in the hands of an artist(teacher) to mould his materials(student), according
to his ideas(objectives) in his learning environment.
Meaning:
The content can refer to the information provided through the medium, the way in which
the information was presented, as well as the added features included in the medium
which that information was delivered.
It can be delivered via many different media including the Internet, television, audio CDs,
Books, magazines, and live events, such as conferences and stage performances.

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Basically, the following objectives are expected to be achieved by the students by learning
the different subjects at the school level.
i. To develop basic skills like reading, writing and arithmetic.
ii. To enhance students’ understanding of their society, their nation, the human world, and the
physical environment.
iii. To help students become independent thinkers so that they can construct knowledge
appropriate to changing personal, and social circumstances.
iv. To develop in students a range of skills for life-long learning, including critical thinking
skills, creativity, problem-solving skills, communication skills, and information technology
skills.
v. To help students develop positive values and attitude towards life, so that they can become
informed and responsible citizens of society, the country, and the world.
vi. To provide all round development of the child and to attain the objectives of education.
John dewy’s Ideas on’ Disciplinary Knowledge and Curriculum
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, whose
ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey is one of the primary figures
associated with the philosophy of pragmatism and is considered one of the fathers of functional
psychology. He was also a major voice of progressive education and liberatism.

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Dr.John Dewey(Father of functional psychology)
Dewey continually argues that education and learning are social and interactive processes, and
thus the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take
place.
In addition, he believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to
experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students should have the opportunity to take
part in their own learning.
The ideas of democracy and social reform are continually discussed in Dewey's writings on
education. Dewey makes a strong case for the importance of education not only as a place to gain
content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live.
In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-
determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one's full potential and the ability to use
those skills for the greater good.
In addition to helping students realize their full potential, Dewey goes on to acknowledge that
education and schooling are instrumental in creating social change and reform.
He notes that "education is a regulation of the process of coming to share in the social
consciousness; and that the adjustment of individual activity on the basis of this social
consciousness is the only sure method of social reconstruction".
At the same time, Dewey was alarmed by many of the "child-centered" excesses of educational-
school pedagogues who claimed to be his followers, and he argued that too much reliance on the
child could be equally detrimental to the learning process. In this second school of thought, "we
must take our stand with the child and our departure from him. It is he and not the subject-matter
which determines both quality and quantity of learning". According to Dewey, the potential flaw
in this line of thinking is that it minimizes the importance of the content as well as the role of the
teacher.
In order to rectify this dilemma, Dewey advocated for an educational structure that strikes a
balance between delivering knowledge while also taking into account the interests and
John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont to a family of
modest means. He was one of four boys born to Archibald
Sprague Dewey and Lucina Artemisia Rich Dewey. Their
second son was also named John, but he died in an accident
on January 17, 1859.
Although Dewey is known best for his publication about
education, he also wrote about many other topic, including
epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, art, logic, social
theory, and ethics. He was a major educational reformer for
the 20th
century.

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experiences of the student. He notes that "the child and the curriculum are simply two limits
which define a single process.
It is through this reasoning that Dewey became one of the most famous proponents of hand on
learning or experiential education,which is related to, but not synonymous with experiential
learning.
Dewey's ideas went on to influence many other influential experiential models and
advocates. Problem based learning (PBL), for example, a method used widely in education
today, incorporates Dewey's ideas pertaining to learning through active inquiry.
 John Dewey viewed subject matter as a distinctive and specialized domain of
experiencefor learners.
 Subject matter consists of a body of facts, concepts, values, and techniques that are
selected, organized, and sequenced in a way that centers upon the predetermined
objectives.
 His ideas have been influential in education and social reform.
 He was one of the early developers of pragmatism and functional psychology.
 The following are some of his ideas about education and society.
 According to Dewey, it is not enough to extend the voting rights. It is of paramount
importance to form public opinion through education as well.
 The aim is to ensure effective communication among citizens, experts, and politicians.
 The school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take
place. Thus, Dewey makes a strong case for the importance of education not only as a
place to gain content knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live.
 In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-
determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to
use those skills for the greater good in society.
 John DeweyJohn Dewey was one of the first major contemporaries to develop a clear
idea of what constructivism consists.

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 He was concerned with the learner. He wanted to shed light on the learner as an
important agent in the learning process.
 He had precise insights regarding how education should take place within the
classroom.
 According to Dewey there are two major conflicting schools of thought regarding
educational pedagogy.
 Centered on the curriculum and focuses almost solely on the subject matter to be
taught. Dewey argues that the principal weakness in this methodology is the inactivity of
the student; within this particular framework, the child is simply the immature being who
is to be matured;
 Learner-centered. He argues that in order for education to be most effective, content
must be presented in a way that allows the student to relate the information to prior
experiences, thus deepening the connection with this new knowledge. Although Dewey
believed in the second view of education, he was alarmed by the excesses of “child-
centered” education.
 He argued that too much reliance on the child could be equally detrimental to the learning
process.
 For Dewey the child and the curriculum are simply two sides. One cannot do without the
other. These ideas made John Dewey one of the most famous advocates of hands-on
learning or experiential education.
 In addition to Dewey’s ideas about how the learning process should take place, He also
reevaluated the role that the teacher should play within that process.
 According to Dewey, the teacher should not be the sage on stage anymore. The role of
the teacher should be that of facilitator and guide. The teacher becomes a partner in the
learning process, guiding students to independently discover meaning within the subject
area.

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Review Questions
1. Explain the relationship between school subject and academic disciplines.
2. Describe briefly the aspects that are essential for a teachers to know the content of school
subjects?
3. Define academic discipline what is the difference between academic discipline and
school subject.
4. State the importance of studying school subjects.
5. Suggest some ways for a teacher to reflect on the importance of disciplines in
curriculum.
6. Explain John dewey’s idea on disciplinary knowledge and curriculum.