CHILD CENTERED PEDAGOGY

CHILD CENTERED PEDAGOGY

madhuri deshpande

Lecturing, examining, questioning : we think that's the way children learn, because that's how we were taught, But they'll learn just as well if we just talk to them about shapes and numbers. It's not about teaching them math at age 2; it's about giving them experiences with things they can count. A child-centered environment creates a love of knowledge. In it, children feel competent, capable and ready to learn."

When instruction is child-centered, the child is trusted as someone who is capable of having his or her own ideas about how the world works. The teacher is there to interact, based on what the child shows her is important, interesting and delightful."

The most fundamental issue in the child-centered education/pedagogy concerns the student’s direction. Child-centered educators typically ground their pedagogical prescriptions by appeal to the “natural curiosity” and learning patterns of kids; educational experiences are designed to develop and extend the ways of understanding children bring to the classroom.

My vision for the future of public education is to create a "child-centered" public school system that functions solely for the purpose of satisfying the educational needs of the children it serves. The following is a list of goals and objectives that are key ingredients to creating such a system:

1) Change the concept of education as we know it. Redefine education to mean: an effective public, private or public-private partnership entity that provides an educational delivery system that is tailored to meet the needs of all children.

2) Change the general people's expectations of educational systems so that they focus on high standards for everyone—teachers, principals and students.

3) Make all schools safe and free of violence so children LEARN.

4) Develop a school system that prepares all students for jobs/ vocation.

5) Develop a school system that is fair and provides an equal opportunity for all children.

6) Make our children "ready" to learn when they begin to attend school. Preschool educational opportunities must be included in the development of a new school system. Get the society recognize and accept the importance of getting preschool children ready to learn.

7) Develop an incentive-and-reward system to attract and retain high-caliber teachers.

8) Develop a school system that incorporates and demands accountability and flexibility from teachers, principals, students, parents, school administrators.

The school should have:

• Child Centered Environment - our focus is on children learning within small groups or individually.
• Responsive Prepared Environment - our environment meets the needs of the children. Tables, chairs, book- shelves, cupboards are all placed at the childrens’ level so they can explore and master their environment. We choose materials based on the abilities of the children in our group and change them frequently to stimulate their minds.
• Focus On Individual Progress and Development - each child is viewed as unique and proceeds at his/her own pace.
• Hands On Learning - our learning materials are real things the children can touch and learn from. We utilize concrete models that allow for children to better understand abstract concepts and the environment.
• Spontaneous Activity - the children are encouraged to move about freely and explore their surroundings within clearly defined limits.
• Active Learning - the curriculum selects subjects which interest the child, are of academic importance and aimed at long-term progress. Students may choose to work with material that may take weeks or months to master and then are encouraged to share their knowledge with the other students.
• Self-Directed Activity - the children are encouraged to master things on their own. They are encouraged to put on and take off their own coat, put their own papers away, set up and clean up their own snack and to make choices on their own. By fostering their independence they become more self-directed.
• Freedom Within Limits - the children enjoy freedom of choice within the clearly defined guidelines set by our teachers within the classroom.
• Intrinsic Motivation To Learn - By setting up a visually stimulating environment and providing interesting activities to explore and by using the unique nature preserve we help foster the child’s intrinsic motivation to learn and appreciate nature.