Child-Centered Schooling, also called student-centered learning, is a concept that is gaining support today. It isn’t new, however, and has its roots in the 19th century. The theories and methods of student-centered education resulted in the Montessori school boom of the 1960s and 1970s. It is a highly-debated subject; not every teacher is on board with the prospect of allowing the students to have free run in the classroom. In addition, there is a question of whether all children have a better educational experience in this environment.
What is Student-Centered Learning?
The idea was born in the mind of 19th century educator John Dewey. A bright child, he began college when he was 15 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1879. He went on to earn a PhD in Philosophy. He is the father of progressive education and espoused a theory known as pragmatism that says children learn best by “doing.” He believed students had to interact with their environments to learn, and that teachers and students should learn together. That belief is at the core of student-centered classrooms and learning experiences. Teachers are not lecturers but moderators or facilitators for the child as he takes responsibility for his own education and progresses through his own areas of interest. Obviously this happens differently in the lower grades than it does with middle-school-aged children, but the idea of interdisciplinary studies is introduced early and children soon see the connection of what they want to study with what they need to study. Resources are plentiful and technology is implemented freely.
How is Student-Centered Learning Different than Traditional Education?
The primary difference is in the teacher-student relationship. In a teacher-centered system the teacher makes lesson plans which all the children follow simultaneously. He or she is the only leader. In child-centered learning the leadership is shared between students and teachers. Teacher-centered schooling sees the teacher as the overseer and he or she is responsible for making rules and delivering consequences when students disobey them. In a student-centered classroom there is an informal contract between teacher and student and the learner is expected to self-discipline. The student-centered classroom is arranged in learning centers instead of in rows of desks. Teachers move freely around the room monitoring student progress, directing students to resources and answering questions.
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Why is the Concept Controversial?
This idea is based upon the uniqueness of individuals. It asks the teacher and the students to respect that uniqueness in age, in gender, in personality and in different styles of learning. One problem arises because not all children mature at the same rate. As a result, the classroom can be unruly and loud. That may be a detriment to some learners. In addition, this concept asks the teacher to accept the change in his or her role as instructor. There are still some supervisory requisites and assessments, but much of the responsibility for those is shared with the students. In many classrooms, teachers still have the responsibility of “keeping rule.” Many classrooms that have adopted primarily student-centered learning still retain the framework of the traditional class as well.
Research on the brain and on intelligence is providing insight into how students learn. The teaching methodology changes as the knowledge base grows. Still, the fact that Child-Centered Schooling has endured for a century is evidence of the validity of the concept.
