Times are changing and so is parenting.
Child-centred education often leads to heated arguments due to misunderstandings. The ideas date back to the 19th century! Some teachers aren’t prepared to adapt to the changing concepts of child development. They’ve criticised the approach. Still, child-centred education has many benefits. It can sometimes lead to better results than the teacher-centred approach for some children.
What is child-centred education?
More focus is being placed on a holistic child development, which looks at all the factors that contribute to preparing children for both school and adulthood. As parents are becoming more concerned about every aspect of their child’s life, the demand for child-centred education has increased. Child-centred education places the child first, an approach with the message that all children have the right to an education that helps them grow to their fullest potential. It also focuses on the child’s well-being in all areas. This has increasingly made it popular among parents.
A focus on all areas of development
The core of child-centred education is to help the child become independent, responsible, and confident. Teachers who use this approach want to cover all areas of growth including social, emotional, and physical. Child-centred teachers engage in an “active learning” process. They want to help the child develop the knowledge and skills needed in all content areas.
An easier transition
Parents who are attracted to child-centred education see it as a better transition into school life. These types of classrooms are more free and have a less-structured daily routine. These environments help children learn at their own speed. The teacher acts more as a partner to guide the child in their individual journey. Parents have also found it to be a better fit when their child isn’t ready socially or emotionally for a traditional kindergarten class.
Individual-based
The problem with the teacher-centred approach is that it doesn’t let children express themselves. It’s more based on structured learning for tests than fostering a love of learning. Child-centred education inspires students to explore what they are most curious about. Children direct their own learning; fostering a curiosity that will stick with them for life. Every child responds better to a different learning style. The child’s ideas, preferences, and curiosities are all taken into account.
Lesson plans are built around who each student is as an individual. Teacher-centred educators focus on a set lesson plan. This places emphasis on speed and the amount that is covered rather than on quality. Child-centred educators seek to provide meaningful knowledge. They want to equip their students so that they can address real world problems. To get the most out of this approach, it is key to personalise the lesson plans as much as possible for each student.
Child-centred education inspires kids to want to learn by giving them the steering wheel to their educational path. Individualised learning helps children become more independent. Students learn to direct their fascinations, ask questions, and work on their own as well as part of a group. Assessments in teacher-centred environments rely on tests and circling the right answers. In child-centred education, the assessment is based on the child asking more advanced questions. Tests for child-centred educators are a chance to find out more. Tests determine what the child is having difficulties with, and with this information, teachers can find ways to improve their educational experience.
The student chooses the course
One of the key issues in school is that children aren’t interested in every course. They play a passive role to the teacher, who’s relaying information from predetermined textbooks, but, not every textbook is right for every child.
Often this means that children are only prepared to take tests, but not to learn and grow.
Child-centred educators believe children should guide their own courses of study. Lesson plans should focus on what they are interested in. This interest maintains their attention to ensure they’re always learning. In teacher-centred approaches, when a child loses attention they’re at risk of not picking up new information.
In the child-centred approach, the teacher takes on the role of a coach.
Children create their lesson objectives with the help of the teacher. However, this doesn’t mean the child is in control of everything. The educators make the decisions about the course of study, use of time, and the materials used.
You are providing a great example of self-guided learning by reading this blog! You wanted to learn information and you went looking for it. You remember being a child, they are as curious as you are. With the help of a teacher, learning is more targeted and the child retains more of the information.
In the child-centred education approach, the efforts of the child and teacher are both important.
Teachers take cues from the child to learn what they are interested in. This helps them to create an appropriate lesson plan.
During a lesson, the teacher guides the child in gathering information needed to solve problems. Throughout the lessons, teachers ask questions. These questions help to build the child’s understanding of certain key concepts and ideas.
The goal is to teach the child how to apply what they learn in real-world situations. This approach inspires kids to think in-depth and to reach for deeper levels of understanding.
The importance of play
The ideas behind child-centred education date back to the 19th century. Back then, kindergarten was believed to be “a garden for children” where kids could learn at their own pace. Children-centred education emphasises the importance of group work. This is done through encouraging students to collaborate on activities that broaden their minds. This approach considers the act of play as a type of work or lesson. When children play, they consistently learn. They discover how to plan, ask questions, and experiment.
At Piptree, we know that putting your child first matters. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you.
