The child-centered curriculum focuses on the child being at the center of the educational process. [1] It emerged from research showing children are capable learners who construct their own knowledge through exploration and discovery. [2] The curriculum is built around the child's interests, abilities, purposes, and needs rather than focusing on rote memorization. [3] Teachers facilitate learning through asking questions, observing children, and providing opportunities for them to explore concepts in their own way.

2. THE CHILD-CENTERED
CURRICULUM
Reporter: Yolanda Teves
Sobrepeña

5. “Children are strong, rich, and capable. All
children have preparedness, potential,
curiosity, and interest in constructing their
learning, negotiating with everything their
environment brings to them.”
-Louise Boyd Cadwell

6. Children are smarter than we give them
credit for!
o Young children are amazingly observant
o We should never “dumb them down” and
lower our expectations of their capabilities
o They are naturally curious and therefore
capable of controlling their own learning

7. Two types of learning…
Rote memorization Discovery and personal
• Learn by hearing/drilling the same understanding
information over and over • Learning by doing (talking,
• i.e. letters, numbers, states and drawing, constructing, painting,
capitals, math formulas, phonics touching, experimenting)
• Rote memorization helpful to • Children understand concepts in
teach some types of information their own way, at their own pace,
• Many subjects in schools taught and within their own
by rote memorization developmental ability (schemas)
• Learning is static • Allows for deeper understanding
and connections of bigger ideas
• Representation of learning is • Learning is a result of the
shown by performance experience and is dynamic

8. Two types of questions…
• Answer is either right or • Open ended with no
wrong exact right answer (I
• Typically used with rote wonder…)
memorization • Promotes deeper
information understanding of
• Intimidating/boring to concepts
some children • Young children respond
well to this-but lose this
ability during school
years.

9. Two types of activities…
• Expected outcome • Creative and individual
(everyone’s looks the same) (each one is unique)
• A right and wrong way to • No right or wrong way to do
do the activity (i.e. the activity
worksheets, matching • Allows for experimentation
games) with tools and materials
• No personal attachment or • Personal pride in the result
pride in the result

12. Child-centered curriculum
The philosophy underlying this
curriculum design is that the child is the
center of the educational process. Thus
the curriculum should be build upon his
interest, abilities, purposes and needs.

13. This type of curriculum emerged from the
extensive research carried on in the 20th century
carried by John Dewey and his followers. A new
respect for the child, a new freedom of action, was
incorporated into curriculum building in the child
centered school. Common characteristics of
programs founded on the new philosophy were the
“activity program”, the “unit of work” and the
recognition of the needs for using and exploring
many media for self-discovery and self direction.

14. Child-Centered Curriculum
• The focus is on the process, not the product
• Through documentation (photos, children’s drawings,
transcripts) the parents will feel like they are truly
part of the experience and the children will feel like
valuable members of our community
• The children will be given the freedom to be who
they are- young children! Time allowed every day
for active outdoor play and meaningful indoor play
• It’s not all about worksheets and spelling tests!

15. Child Centered Curriculum
• The curriculum focuses on the whole child and
integrates all of the subject areas
• The day isn’t spent “clock watching” to ensure time
for all subjects every day

17. “Teachers facilitate children’s exploration of
themes, work on short-and long-term projects,
and guide experiences of joint, open-ended
discovery and problem solving. Teachers
listen and observe children closely. Teachers
ask questions; discover children’s ideas,
hypothesis, and theories; and provide
occasions for discovery and learning.”
-Louise Boyd Cadwell

18. Teachers…
o Share the role of leader with the children—don’t
always have to be “in total control” of every situation
o Ask and encourage the children to ask questions-but
do not always give answer
o Use words like “I wonder” and “what do you think?”
o Are excited and involved
o Find “teachable moments” throughout the day

19. Child-Centered. Teacher-Centered.
Environment
Low student: teacher ratio (1:10 or less) Higher student: teacher ratio (1:20-25)
One age grouping
Multi-age groupings with a focus on the peer
modeling and reinforcement
Teacher changes yearly
Students have the same teacher for three years
allowing for long-term, trusting relationships
Child is free to move about room, interacting Child is encouraged to stay seated, silence is
with anyone encouraged
Everything is introduced experientially with Manipulatives usually used only in math
manipulatives
Environment is maintained by children with a Environment is maintained by teacher and
focus on personal responsibility and pro-social custodian
skills

20. Curriculum
No practical life
Practical life activities used to develop sense of order,
cooperation, concentration and independence
Sensorial activities are systematically used to refine If used, sensory activities are used sporadically and not
coordination, discrimination and vocabulary as an integral part of the curriculum
Writing precedes reading Reading precedes writing
Phonetic, sight vocabulary and whole language are all Language texts used (although some schools are now
used to meet individual needs and learning styles of using whole language approaches)
children
Grammar introduced in kindergarten and taught in Grammar taught out of context (from text) at older ages
context
Interdisciplinary approach is used for art, music, history, Separate texts are used for social studies, science,
physics, ecology, zoology, botany, geography, anatomy, health and music
chemistry, foreign language, physical education
Math concepts and processes are introduced early Rote learning is used to teach math facts
Daily lesson plans are determined by each child's Daily lesson plans are determined by teacher's manual
needs
Lessons are given 1:1 or in small groups Lessons given to all students in a class at one time
Use of texts are for reference; lessons and activities are Texts are used for all subjects with little individualization
teacher-made

21. Character Development
Child-centered activity and curriculum Teacher-centered and curriculum-centered
activities
Internally motivated; children work because they Externally motivated; children work because
want to they have to
Child chooses work and works as long as Teacher chooses work
he/she wants, allowing for self-monitoring and
concentration
Pace of activities is determined by teacher's
Work continues until a child masters a concept
manual
Non-competitive processes; no reference to Competition for grades among peers; emphasis
other students' "grades" or "scores" is on tests and grades
Hands are considered a pathway to the brain Paper/pencil and oral explanation are used to
and a mechanism to understand abstraction "teach" abstraction
Children are introduced to concepts first; details Children learn detailed information first, then the
are learned after a concept is mastered concept

23. Children rather than miniature adults,
become the focus of educational
efforts
Experience rather than rote learning,
become the medium of learning
Research assumed significance in the
planning for the developmental needs
of children

24. Children’s motivation in learning was recognized
The creative energies of teachers and children
were released
Educational expectations and standards were
custom made in terms of each child’s abilities and
potentials
Rigid-grade organization was abandoned along
with traditional promotion policies
Reporting on children’s progress became
descriptive and
For the first time, teacher education on a board
scale became professional education

25. The weaknesses of the child-
centered curriculum are chiefly in
the possibilities for
“misinterpretation” and in the
neglect of adequate consideration
of the matrix in which the
education of children must occur:

26. 1. The misinterpretation of the
philosophy of the child-centered
curriculum was a natural
consequence of radical change.
Teachers sometimes ill prepared to
adapt to changing concepts of child
development, Frequently created a
school environment, which fostered
license rather than freedom.

27. 2.The child-centered philosophy is often conceded to be
an inherent weakness. In this effort to free the child,
many critics charged that the basic purposes in the
establishment of schools were ignored. From the
beginnings of formal education as a function of the
society, conceived as a means of perpetuating the life of
a people. Society supports school in order that its youth
will be educated in its values, beliefs, traditions,
customs, and mores. Society looked upon the child-
centered curriculum and found it lacking. While the
schools often became the scapegoat for ills were the
correctly attributed to other social agencies,
nevertheless they were frequently vulnerable to the
charges leveled against them.

28. Thank you for listening!