WHAT IS CORE KNOWLEDGE?

Core Knowledge is a sequenced content-rich curriculum that has been integrated with the skills outlined in the Ontario elementary curriculum. Core Knowledge was developed at the University of Virginia by a professor named E.D. Hirsch. Based on his extensive research, he determined that to be successful as an adult is largely dependent on the knowledge base acquired as a child. His team then compiled a knowledge base and sequenced it into a curriculum. Core Knowledge is designed to provide children with the opportunities to enter more conversations, to become more engaged as learners and to network with a larger group of people. The belief is that knowledge builds on knowledge.

The program provides carefully sequenced and challenging knowledge in which to ground skills instruction. A Core Knowledge Curriculum is built on the idea that the true value of knowledge lies in putting it to active use; whether in the classroom, the community, or society at large, this is a key factor in impressing upon young minds the value of learning. Hirsch explains that “being able to comprehend what you read and being able to learn something new depends on your sharing assumed knowledge with other educated people in your society.”

Solid, Sequenced, Specific, Shared

Core Knowledge is an enriched, interdisciplinary, specific curriculum based on four fundamental principles of education: in order for children to succeed in today’s world, they must be Solid, Sequenced, Specific, and Shared. A Core Knowledge Curriculum begins by ensuring that students are taught a solid knowledge base of widely acknowledged information from across all disciplines. By sequencing what children learn, they can draw connections between ideas they are learning and build a more solid knowledge base in each successive year of their education. Similarly, by specifying the information that students are expected to know, they can gain a clearer and more accurate understanding of the curriculum as it is taught. Beyond merely teaching students a solid, sequenced, and specific knowledge base, Core Knowledge places a high value on the sharing of knowledge. Shared knowledge rests at the heart of education; to be literate in any discipline means to be able to form a stronger understanding and enjoyment of what they learn. The Core Knowledge program thus facilitates a lifelong learning process, right from the child’s early years of education.