Subject-based learning
In the perspective-based approach, general disciplinary insights are used to guide students’ knowledge development. Perspectives play a role in all school subjects. All school subjects are based on perspectives which can be summarized in a so-called perspective tree. Below a perspective tree is shown for the school subject geography.
In the perspective-based approach, general disciplinary insights are used to guide students’ knowledge development. Perspectives play a role in all school subjects. All school subjects are based on perspectives which can be summarized in a so-called perspective tree. Below a perspective tree is shown for the school subject geography.
This perspective tree contains questions which can be used to explore and study almost any geographical topic, ranging form social-geographical issues (like a traffic jam) to physical-geographical phenomena (such as a volcano).
To delve into biological phenomena, another perspective is relevant. The biology perspective tree contains questions which can be asked about any life phenomena.
For example, when a volcano is studied from a biological perspective, one could ask questions about the type of organisms which live near a volcano and how they are adapted to live in such a harsh environment.
All school subjects are based on perspectives, which can be used for knowledge development. Each perspective tree branches out further and further, and all general and more specific subject matter of a school subject can be understood as branches of such a perspective tree. Perspectives do not only bring coherence to the subject matter, but also guide knowledge development across multiple learning years, from primary through secondary education and even further.