This document discusses the relationship between academic disciplines and school subjects. It defines academic disciplines as branches of knowledge taught in higher education that focus on expanding knowledge through specialized methods and professions. School subjects are also branches of knowledge but are tailored for educational goals and placed under institutional control. The document outlines the main academic disciplines and aims of schooling, and discusses how school subjects are formed from the societal curriculum and relate continuously or discontinuously to academic disciplines. Key differences between academic subjects and disciplines are their aims, content complexity, and skills focused on. The need for studying school subjects is to develop basic skills, understand oneself and society, think independently, and promote lifelong learning and growth.

1. UNDERSTANDING DISCIPLINES AND SUBJECTS
Unit I
Disciplines and Subjects
Prepared by
Mrs. Mary Hilda V
Asst. Professor of Physical Science
Loyola College of Education, Chennai

2. Content
 What Discipline?
 Academic Discipline
 School Subjects
 Aim of Schooling
 Relationships
 Difference
 Need for school subjects

3. Which is Discipline?

4. Disciplines
Originated- Latin - “Discipulus” - pupil and
teaching.
Differ with each other- Subjects, respect

5. Discipline – Definition
In Oxford dictionary –
as “a branch of learning or knowledge”.

6. Academic disciplines -
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

7. The main focus of the study of
the discipline
 Methods used to expand disciplinary
knowledge
 Impact of these disciplines on our lives
 Professions and the disciplines
 Emergence of academic disciplines

9. Subject
 Also refer to branch of
knowledge but often
adjusted to accommodate
the goals of education.
 Placed under authority of
control
 Eg. Mathematics, Science.

10. Academic disciplines and
subjects
a) Humanities
b) Social Sciences
c) Natural Sciences
d) Mathematics
e) Business Geosciences

11. Aims of Schooling: Competing
Curricular Ideologies
Academic
rationalism:
• initiating
students
into specific
bodies of
knowledge,
techniques,
and ways of
knowing
embedded
in academic
disciplines
Humanism
• fostering
students‟
potential,
personal
freedom,
self-
actualization
, and all
round
developmen
t.
Social
efficiency
• to meet the
current and
future
manpower
needs of a
society by
training
youth to
become
contributing
members of
society.
Social
reconstructi
onism
• an
instrument
for solving
social
problems
(inequalities
, injustice,
poverty,
etc.) and
cause social
reform and
reconstructi
on

12. Aims of Schooling: Recent
Discourses
Participatory
citizenship

13. Formation of School subjects
Societal curriculum- the ideal or abstract curriculum:
Curriculum making at this level is characterized by ideologies and discourses on
curriculum policy according to schooling, culture, and society.
Programmatic curriculum- the technical or official curriculum:
Curriculum making at this level translates the societal curriculum into school
subjects, programs, or courses of study provided to a school or system of
schools.
Classroom curriculum - the enacted curriculum :
Curriculum making at this level involves transforming the programmatic
curriculum embodied in curriculum documents and materials into “educative”
experiences for students.

14. Relationship between school subjects and
academic disciplines
Continuous
• the importance of transmitting
disciplinary knowledge for the
development of the intellectual
capacity of students
Discontinuous
• allowed for construction, which
could get beyond the narrow
academic or disciplinary concern.
Related
• academic disciplines precede school
subjects or the relation between the
subjects and disciplines is
conflicting

15. Differences
Aspects Academic subjects Academic disciplines
Aim of Education Basic skill
development
Specialized skills
Content Simple ideas and
information
Complex
Curriculum Learner centered Complex and wide
Skills Basic- LSRW,
Arithmetic
Professional,
Vocational
Area of operation Schools Higher Education
Phase of
development
First Later after schooling

16. Need of studying school subjects
To develop basic skills
To understand self,
Society, nation and
environment
Independent thinker
Life long learning
Positive values and
attitudes
Personal growth and
self-actualization.

17. References:
1) Deng, Z (2013), School subjects and academic disciplines. In A
Luke, A woods & K weir (Eds.), Curriculum, Syllabus design and
equity: A primer and model. Routledge
2) Ivor F. Goodson and Colin J. Marsh, Studying school subjects, A
guide (1996), Routledge