6.2.1.2.

CHILD CENTERED EDUCATION

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.
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.

The teacher’s role is that of an interested observer and at best that of a guide who encourages, advises and
stimulates the child, if and when needed.

Here immediate purpose and interest are the motivating factors, which may go on changing with the situation,
modern education is child-centered.
Education Philosophers and Psychologists have put forward their ideas on the disadvantages of
teacher centred education showing the value of child’s freedom and the active nature.

Philosophers such as Plato, Rousseau, Dewey contributed a great deal towards the development of
the concept of child-centred education.

According to Rousseau, children are not little adults, they progress through various stages as they
grow up. The abilities they possess and characteristics they display change during the process of
growth. So do their interests, forces that motivate them, power of comprehension and self
expression.

Both Rousseau and Dewey state that the child should learn through experience and given
opportunities to gain experience doing various activities in their familiar environment.
The child should be taken to experience nature in order
to be aware
of his surroundings.

Maria Montessori has pointed out that teaching should

be done not according to the requirement of the teacher
or the course but according to the stage of development
and the interest of the child and that an environment suitable
should be created.
DISADVANTAGES OF TEACHER-CENTRED LEARNING
1. The Argument of Exhaustive Learning Outcomes
Teacher-centred learning limits itself to a specified content as proposed by the teacher or instructor.
The learning process therefore stops upon its expected delivery. The learner acknowledges the
authority of the teacher or instructor on any content to be justified a priori. The main critique of this
approach is for the learner to merely master limited sets of knowledge, e.g., by memorizing content or
applying rehearsed formulae, without addressing actual process-skills as needed in professional
practice.

2. Teacher and Instructor Dependency

Teacher-centered learning fosters a culture whereby the learner does not outgrow his dependency on
the supervising instructors and teachers. One of the main goals of modern pedagogy by contrast is to
create strong self-directed learners. A teacher- centered learning environment does by definition
neither facilitate nor empower a learner’s autonomous study-skills and subsequently lifelong learning
skills.
3. Non-facilitation of Higher Cognitive- and Meta-Cognitive Skills
Higher cognitive skills include abilities like analysis, synthesis, evaluation, critical thinking,
interpretation and self-regulation. Meta-cognitive skills such as facilitated in Problem-Based Learning
include the questioning about the justification and validity of arguments, not just the given reasons
themselves. Teacher-centered learning most often doesn’t address the importance of open inquiry
which can occur at any stage of the learning process.

4. Monopolized and Limited Assessment

Since the learner is only being assessed by the teacher or instructor, critical assessment of oneself and
others is not an intrinsic part of teacher-centered learning. Standardized grading and monopolized
assessment encompass a traditional top-down approach. Assessments are in many cases only carried
out as summative and not formative evaluations and they rarely address qualitative issues of the
learner’s progress.

5. Global Workforce Competencies

As the key competencies of a global workforce many researchers quote cross-cultural communicative
competencies, problem-solving skills, soft-skills to motivate and facilitate workgroups to be innovative
and high context adaptability. Almost all of such competencies are hardly mediated in traditional
curricula, in particular learning environments which are still based on passively receptive classes and
not interactive small groups.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD-CENTRED EDUCATION
1. Dignity of the Child.
The spirit of child-centred education upholds the dignity of the child in the academic and social setting. Such a
system of education gives due respect to the individuality of the child.

2. No Discrimination.
Child-centred 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-centred education.

3. Education
the Fundamental Right. Child-centred 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-centred education, curriculum, syllabi and teaching are organised in accordance with the needs and
interests of children. Teacher no more is a transmitter of knowledge but a facilitator of learning, a friend or
guide.

5. All-round Development of Child.

Child-centred 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-centred 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.
Teachers who indulge in such inhuman acts of punishment must be brought to the door of justice. Child-centred
education condemns such misbehaviour on the part of inhuman teachers.

7. Continuous Evaluation.
Under child-centred 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-centred 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-centred approach ensures that each and every child acquires
the minimum level of competencies in all the subjects.”

9. Not Soft-Pedagogy.
Child-centred approach is not ‘soft- pedagogy’. It is creating a child-centred ethos in the school under which child’s
right to education must be recognised. He should be helped to nurture and realise his creative potential.

10. Child - The Nucleus.

In child-centred approach to education, it is the 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 the child.