The Importance of Child-Centered Learning

A Student-Focused Approach to Education

Students Lead Their own Learning - Rebecca Hersh

Child-centered education allows young students to initiate their own learning. It focuses on the whole child and emphasizes both cognitive and emotional development. Child-centered learning is founded on the principals of key child psychologists and educational researchers including John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky.

Children Initiate Their Learning

In a child-centered classroom, children initiate their own learning by choosing activities that interest them. They work in a more independent way to discover their potential in unique ways. Additionally, child-centered learning allows students to work in ways that complement their various learning styles. As Howard Gardner proved through his research, children learn in many different ways and no one method is suited for all students in a classroom.

Learning Through Play

Naturally, a child-centered classroom will include a lot of learning through play. For this reason, it is more common to see this form of education instituted at the early-childhood level. By play-learning with peers, social development happens more readily. Additionally, emotional growth is heightened in a child-centered atmosphere where self-confidence and emotional expression are encouraged.

Teachers in a child-centered classroom act as “facilitators.” They assist students in learning without providing direct instruction. The teacher’s ultimate role is to help provide structure and order within the class while allowing each student to explore his or her own potential.

Child-Centered Teaching

Just as teaching is different in a child-centered educational format, so too is the structure of a classroom. In order to facilitate all students’ skills and interests, educators may distribute students differently. For example, some child-centered schools divide students into “learning communities” and/or use multi-age groupings. More elective choices are also made available in such settings.
Additionally, assessment methods must be tailored to student projects. This requires the use of flexible rubrics and other informal, adaptable testing methods.Effectiveness of Child-Centered Education
The 1997 High-Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison Study, the 1983 Louisville Head Start Study, and the 1983 University of Illinois Study have indicated that child-centered learning during early childhood produces greater long-term results than traditional programs. These studies also show that child-centered learning produces significant social and emotional developments.
When what is being taught is relevant to the student, he or she is more likely to retain information and participate in the learning experience. Thus, child-centered education has the potential to reach more learners and teach students more effectively.
Additionally, the ever-changing role of the teacher makes his or her job more dynamic and interesting. This encourages continued professional growth. Ultimately, such educational models are ideal both for young children and even older students and will likely become more popular as schools continue to look at ways to close the achievement gap.