Child-Centered Education

As the public increasingly views children as persons with rights, educators are implementing more child-centered approaches. Our discussion of the rights of children fits in nicely with the topic of child-centered education. Child-centered is a widely used term that is often misunderstood, leading to heated debates and misinterpretation of instructional practices. It will be helpful to keep these guiding principles about child-centered education in mind as you work with children, parents, and colleagues:

• All children have a right to an education that helps them grow and develop to their fullest; this basic premise is at the heart of our understanding of child-centered education. Therefore, daily interactions with children should be based on the fundamental question, Am I teaching and supporting all children in their growth and development across all domains—social, emotional, physical, linguistic, and intellectual? Such teaching is at the heart of developmentally appropriate practice.
• Every child is a unique and special individual. Consequently, we have to teach individual children and be respectful of and account for their individual uniqueness of age, gender, culture, temperament, and learning style.
• Children are active participants in their own education and development. This means that they should be mentally involved and physically active in learning what they need to know and do.
• Children’s ideas, preferences, learning styles, and interests are considered in the planning for and implementation of instructional practices.