Curriculum theory is an important branch of pedagogy, which discusses the essence, purpose and organization of curriculum. Different curriculum theories have different emphases and theoretical bases. This paper will introduce three mainstream curriculum theories, namely, subject-centered curriculum theory, activity-centered curriculum theory and social-centered curriculum theory.

Subject-centered curriculum theory

Discipline-centered curriculum theory is one of the earliest and most influential curriculum theories, and its representatives are Comenius, Herbart, Spencer and Bruner. Their theoretical cornerstones are essentialism and structuralism, emphasizing that courses should be centered on subject knowledge and pay attention to the cultivation of students' cognitive and thinking abilities.

Activity-centered curriculum theory

Activity-centered curriculum theory, also known as children-centered curriculum or experiential curriculum, was put forward by American coffee scientist Dewey and his student Ke Qubo Ke and others. This theory emphasizes that courses should focus on students' interests and needs, and pay attention to the cultivation of students' experience and practical ability.

Social-centered curriculum theory

Social centralism curriculum theory, also known as social reformism curriculum theory, advocates organizing courses around major social issues and pays attention to cultivating students' sense of social responsibility and critical thinking ability. The representatives of this theory are Susan Planck and michel foucault.