The document discusses child-centered education. It explains that child-centered education places the child's needs, interests, and learning styles at the center. The teacher acts as a facilitator rather than instructor. Key theorists like Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky influenced the move away from traditional teacher-centered models to child-centered learning. Child-centered education aims for the holistic development of the child and emphasizes learning through play, experience, choice, and collaboration rather than rote instruction.

1. EDU 01 KNOWLEDGE AND
CURRICULUM
:PHILOSOPHICAL AND
SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
SUBMITTED BY,
BENSI. B
NATURAL SCIENCE
NO:38

2. TOPIC
CHILD-CENTEREDEDUCATION

3. 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 parent.
Child-centred learning is focused on the student’s needs, abilities,
interests, and learning styles with the teacher as a facilitator of
learning. This classroom teaching method acknowledges student voice
as central to the learning experience for every learner. Teacher-centred
learning has the teacher at its centre in an active role and students in a
passive, receptive role. Child-centred learning requires students to be
active, responsible participants in their own learning.
Traditionally, teachers were at the centre of learning with students
assuming a receptive role in their education. With research showing
how people learn, traditional curriculum approaches to instruction
where teachers were at the centre gave way to new ways of teaching
and learning. Key amongst these changes is the idea that students
actively construct their own learning (known as constructivism).
Theorists like John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky whose
collective work focused on how students learn is primarily responsible
for the move to child-centred learning. Child centred-learning means
reversing the traditional teacher-centred understanding of the learning
process and putting students at the centre of the learning process.
Definition of child-centered education
A child-centered places the child at the centre of their,
learning process. The child is an active participant in their
own learning. The program is play-based, the child has

4. choices of learning activities, the families are seen as
knowledge and important and the educator acts as a
facilitator of learning.
Child-Centered Curriculum:
➢ It gives emphasis on interest on problem of the child than subject
matter.
➢ It gives importance on experience before expression. The
teaching and learning is in the form of direct interaction.
➢ Learning by doing is given importance. The child learns through
active participation, which is based on learning by doing.
➢ The child learns to apply the learned knowledge in its day-to-day
life.
➢ The teacher is guide not instructor.
➢ All educational activities should be learnt through play activities.
➢ Maximum freedom is provided to the children for free
expression.
➢ Children are trained to be self-disciplined.
➢ The teacher stimulates the child with praise and blame.
Therefore, child-centered curriculum is treated as a suitable
educational structure for the child.

5. Essential Characteristics of child-centered
education
1.Dignity of the Child.
The spirit of child-centered education upholds the dignity of the child
in the academic and social fabric. Such a system of education gives due
respect to the individuality of the child.
2.No Discrimination.
Child-centered education is above caste, creed, sex and economic and
social background of the child. There is no place for discrimination of
any kind in child-centered education.
3.Education-
The Fundamental Right. Child-centered education regards education as
the fundamental right of every child. Every child is educable, no matter
whatever is his social and economic background.
4.Curriculum, Syllabi, Teaching.
In child-centered education, curriculum, syllabi and teaching are
organised in accordance with the needs and interests of children.
5.All-round Development of Child.
Child-centered education aims at total, all-round development of
children. So, teaching styles and techniques should be geared to the
well being of the child which leads to his cognitive, affective and
conative development.
6.Positive Discipline.
Child-centered Education aims at positive discipline. While enforcing
rules of discipline, child’s dignity and Individuality must be respected.
The modes of punishment should not violate the basic human values.

6. Teachers who indulge in such inhuman acts of punishment must be
brought to the door of justice. Child-centered education condemns
such misbehaviour on the part of inhuman teachers.
7.Continuous Evaluation.
Under child-centered system of education, the evaluation procedures
should be continuous and remedial.
Child’s deficiencies are identified and remedial measures are instituted
in progressive manner.
8.Helping Every Child to Acquire Minimum Level of Learning.
In child-centered system of education, teachers are more inclined to
help children actualize their potential. In the words of G.L. Arora, “A
teacher making use of child-centered approach ensures that each and
every child acquires the minimum level of competencies in all th
E subjects.”
9.Not Soft-Pedagogy.
Child-centered Approach is not ‘soft-Pedagogy’. It is creating a child-
centered ethos in the school under Which child’s right to education
must be Recognized. He should be helped to nurture and realize his
creative potential.
10.Child- The Nucleus.
In child-centered approach to education, j it is child who is the nucleus
of the whole system. It is child who is to be educated. The teacher and
all other agencies of education are really means to educate thechild.
11.The Teacher is Important Too.
The child-centered approach to education in no way minimizes the
importance of the teacher. In a way, The teacher’s importance is

7. Concept of child-centered education
Stage:
The concept of child-centered education implies that the child occupies
the central place in the educational process. The old concept of
education emphasized the importance of the teacher who always
remained at the giving end. The modern concept of education gives the
pride of place to the child and places him at the centre-stage.
Capacities, Needs and Interests of Child:
As noted above, in child-centered education, the child is the centre of
activity. This means, all programmes are geared to his requirements. In
the Dictionary of Education, Prof. P.M. Lohithakshan elaborates the
concept of child-centered Education by saying that in this type of
education “educational activities are Designed and implemented on the
basis of the capacities, needs and interests of children. Curricula,
teaching methods, evaluation, co-Curricular activities, etc. are all
planned accordingly.”
Educational programmes meaningful to Children.
In child-centered education, educational programmes make learning
more interesting and meaningful to children.
Children-active participants
In child-centered education, children become active participants in the
teaching-Learning process. “They Receive ample opportunities for
active learning, social interaction, problem solving and creative work in
the Classroom”, says Prof. Lohithakshan.

8. Caters for individual differences
Child-centered education caters for individual differences. Psychology
and experience tells us that children differ in their innate capacities. So,
child-centered education compels the teacher to plan his educational
methods to suit individual differences. This means, a teacher cannot
employ a particular method without taking into consideration the
needs and requirements of children.
Child’s Balanced development
Child-centered Education leads to balanced development of the child’s
potentialities and his personality. This results from satisfaction of basic
needs of children.
Promoting child-centered education.
Freedom:
Pestalozzi added a new dimension to educational thought and practice
by insisting that education was not the privilege of any single class but
the right of every child belonging to different classes. Freedom was
granted to the child to discover things than getting second-hand
information through books. Emphasis was as they like given on the
freedom of children to learn and create.
Self-activities:
Froebel developed plays, games and songs and occupations, designed
especially to stimulate the child’s Self-activity. He laid great stress on
self- development of the child and child’s activity should stem from his
own Interests.

9. Process of spontaneous development:
The child progresses at its own speed in a subject. The role of the teacher
is to understand the child. The Child’s freedom and individuality have
found express On spontaneously in the lap of nature.
Development of interest and needs:
The education of child depends on his interest and needs. The physical,
social, moral and spiritual Development of the child is “the main
objective of the child-centered Education.
Education-based on experience:
The main objective of child centered Education is to enable the child to
learn through experience which is permanent. The course and subjects
should be experience- oriented to meet the need of the child.
The Principles of Child-Centered Education
Play and Curiosity
Play is the centre from which children learn how to get along with one
another, to know themselves, and learn about the world around them.
Learning through play and being curious about the world are seen as
essential parts of being human. They are to be nurtured for their own
sake, and as the foundation upon which a child's continued learning will
be built.
Self-Discovery
The School is a process oriented place, where children discover their
abilities, passions, and skills through questioning, problem solving,
independent thinking, innovation, and creativity. Children and adults
are encouraged to think flexibly. Children learn best when they feel

10. emotionally safe, are challenged, and are supported in their
explorations and experiments. The teacher's role is to support children
as they try new skills, make discoveries, and take the next step.
The Whole Child
The School education is holistic. Our program incorporates a natural
integration of subjects, providing large blocks of time for exploration
and discovery. At the School teachers know that children grow, and
learn, by using all of their senses. Children develop skills through large
and small motor processes, as well as thought processes. Children
spinning on the tire swing and working on jumping rope are building
reading skills, as well as physical ones, and sometimes learning to roller
skate is the best way to improve handwriting. Children learn that there
are many ways to be smart – emotionally, intellectually, physically,
artistically, and many more – and all are valued.
Choice and Consequences
The children are empowered as they take responsibility for themselves
as learners and community members; with this responsibility comes
freedom and trust which they don't want to betray. Teachers are
responsible for creating an environment where children can experience
their own choices and consequences. This is how learning takes place.
The School provides opportunity for this type of learning both
individually and as part of a group.
Empathy, Caring, and Mutual Trust
Children learn best in an environment where children's and teachers'
ideas are respected, trusted, and treated with unconditional positive

11. regard. The learning groups are small, with a caring teacher attending
to progress and acting as an advocate for each child. Older children
befriend and mentor younger children, often establishing life-long
connections. Children learn to solve interpersonal problems through
talking and listening, with the help of teachers when needed, resulting
in a physically and emotionally safe environment.
Taking Reasonable Risks
Learning is a process of taking risks, as children work on increasingly
difficult challenges. In order to succeed, children must be able to make
mistakes, experience failure, and learn from that experience. In a caring
environment, failure is a powerful learning tool. The teacher's
responsibility is to know when each child is ready to take the next step
and to support the child's initiative.
Time for Solitude, Reflection, and a Sense of Wonder
The School cherishes and respects a child's sense of wonder, providing
him/her with time to think, observe, experiment, articulate and solve
her/his own problem, and make sense of the world. This learning is
often active and collaborative, but time is also needed for solitude and
reflection. Both children and teachers need time alone for reflection,
creativity, and developing their own ideas. In addition, they need time
to exchange their ideas and reflections with each other. While this work
is important, we also believe childhood is not simply a time to build
skills for the future, but is a time to be treasured and enjoyed for its
own worth.

12. Inclusion and Diversity – A Community of Learners
Diversity and inclusion create a depth and richness of ideas and respect
for others. Learning groups are multi-age and heterogeneous, laying a
foundation for building a strong community of caring individuals who
respect and cherish the differences and commonalities of all of its
members. Adults are referred to by first name and are an important
part of this community. Parents and community members often help
out in the classrooms, and visitors are welcome.
Collaborative Learning
Collaboration is a focus of the learning experience at the School.
Children learn that by working together, they can accomplish goals that
cannot be accomplished individually. Collaboration is not limited to
individual classes, but spans the entire school community. Parents and
other adults share their talents with the school community in a variety
of vital ways, such as driving for field trips, helping maintain school
grounds, or sharing in the children's classroom learning.
The Natural World
At the School there is an appreciation that the natural world is the
foundation for the healthy and natural development of children. Even
the building is designed to bring the outside in. The natural world
serves as an inspiration for emotional and intellectual growth. Learning
is not limited to the classroom. The outdoors is an important learning
venue.

13. Assessment
Primarily through careful observation and personal interaction, the
teachers are constantly assessing the children. We know each child
intimately over time, as a student and a human being, creating
longevity of assessment. In conferences with parents, teachers share
their assessments of each child's progress. Assessment is done in this
way to help children accomplish the ultimate goal – developing and
valuing their skills of self-assessment.
MERITS OF CHILD-CENTERED EDUCATION
➢ Maintain children’s interest by allowing them to do what is
important to them.
➢ Give children the opportunity to develop skills in which to take
care of their own needs and solve problems.
➢ Minimize adult-child conflicts.
➢ Avoid Borden.
➢ Promotes greater student-faculty and student -student
interaction.
➢ Increase student retention.
➢ Children construct their own knowledge.
➢ Help them grow and develop to their basic premise of
understanding..
➢ It can help to build social skills and self-esteem.
➢ And also students gain more emotional and cognitive support
from their peers.

14. Demerits of Child-Centered education
➢ The weakness of the Child-Centered curriculum are chiefly in the
possibilities for interpretation
➢ Teachers sometimes ill prepared to adept to changing concepts of
child development
➢ It requires a longer time for students so it is difficult to achieve
curriculum targets.
➢ Take a long time for teachers so that teachers in general do not
want to use cooperative Learning.
➢ It requires special skills of teachers so that not all teachers can do
or use of cooperative Learning.
➢ Specific nature of student demands, such as the nature likes to
work together.

15. MCQ
1.Child-centred pedagogy means:
A. giving moral education to the children
B. asking the children to follow and imitate the teacher
C. giving primacy to children’s voices and their active participation
D. letting the children be totally free
Ans:C.
2.Which of the following is based on Learners-centred education?
A. Needs, ability and interest of the learner
B. Learning of the learner depends upon the qualitative teaching of
teacher
C. Teacher remains active and learner remains passive
D. There is prescribed curriculum for learners
Anc:A.
3.Which of the following is the most important in learner centred
curriculum?
A. Teacher
B. Child
C. Content
D. Environment ans:B.
4.Who discovered progressive methods?
A. Mahatma Gandhi

16. B. Rabindranath Tagore
C. John Dewey
D. Plato
Anw. C.
5.The main objective of child centered teaching method is?
A. To develop the learning abilities in children in free way
B. To develop the skills in children
C. To develop independence in students
D. All of the above
Answer: D.
6.Child centered education involves.
A. Children sitting in a corner
B. Learning in a restricted environment
C. Activities that do not include play
D. Hands on activity for kids
Ans:D. Hands on activity
7.The main objective of child centered teaching method is?
A. To develop the learning abilities in children in free way
B. To develop the skills in children
C. To develop independence in students
D. All of the above
Ans:D