Philosophy and Pedagogy

What is Child-Centred Learning?

Some parents ask: What do you mean by child-centred learning? Why have you chosen to take this approach? Will my child learn what they need to succeed (especially for the transition to high school)?

Child-centred learning is a particular approach to education that puts the child at the centre of learning. Most conventional education puts adults in the centre. Adults are the givers of knowledge, and children are the receivers. Of course, the knowledge that we pass on to our children is essential, but if you watch children learn, you soon realize that the things they learn and keep are those that:

1) hold their interest and

2) are learned through experience (of course, this is true for adults as well).

3) and nurture and embrace their spirit and individuality

At CMCS, children have a voice in directing their education, so they learn what interests them, and learning in the Colin Macdonald classroom is a multi-layered learning experience. Our teachers provide opportunities for children to learn with all their senses in many unique ways. Our school teaches children the skills they need to learn whatever may interest them rather than teaching them what adults think they should know, hoping they pick up the skills to learn along the way. Or, to put it another way, you could say that instead of making a child follow a curriculum, we make the curriculum follow the child.

So why do we take this approach? The goal of education is to produce lifelong learners with high self-esteem, a strong sense of self, a commitment to the community and the skills to live a whole and happy life. Child-centred learning has several advantages in achieving this goal. First, it is an approach that allows children to take a learning path of personal discovery. It provides them with an opportunity to confront new information and challenges of their choosing when they are ready. This approach allows for a steady progression of growth so that students are energized and engaged.

The result is that students gain self-confidence and retain their love of learning. Not all children have the same learning preferences. Some children prefer to learn through listening, some through reading and others by doing. CMCS allows children to learn in the way that best suits them while providing opportunities for them to improve other skills. This approach also encompasses all the different types of intelligence (including social skills and self-knowledge) that children need to become whole, happy, successful human beings.

Our child-centred approach includes an emphasis on community. Our school is very connected to our external community through our field trips. Children need the whole world as their classroom, and our educators not only bring the world into the classroom through visitors, the internet, and other forms of information, but they also take their students out into the world to explore. Our school community is also central to learning. CMCS is our children’s “village.”

There is a lot of interaction between grade levels, and all the teachers know all the children and vice versa. There is an emphasis on helping children learn how to deal with a variety of other people – that is, they learn the skills to build and maintain community. They also feel the safety and support of many adults and other children – not just their teacher.