Identify 5 Child Centered Curricula

Identify 5 child centered curricula.

Direct instruction- Academically based teacher centered. This is a highly structured approach designed to help at risk students accelerate their learning. The main feature is classroom scripts; The teacher presents activities and the children respond to them. Correct responses elicit positive reinforcement. The premise is that teachers can increase the amount of learning in the classroom by carefully planning the details of the students interaction with their environment. An example is the Slingerland method of teaching phonics and alphabet recognition for students with dyslexia. The child is a recipient of learning and expected to meet the demands of the workload and fast pace. Students are grouped by ability to allow teachers to maintain the pace and progress of the scripted learning. Teachers are authoritative figures, who plan and carries out the activities. The teacher is responsible to determining what is learned each day and provide positive reinforcement for correct answers.

Developmental Interaction – This is a child centered approach focused on individual development. It stresses the child as a whole and recognizes the importance of both the cognitive and social parts of development. The emphasis is on the child’s development progress towards competence (being able in thought and action/movement), individuality (letting the child be unique and accept that uniqueness) and socialization (helping children learn to control impulses and control their actions) and integration (helping children merge personal and impersonal experiences. Developmental Interaction schools empower children to deal effectively with their environments and the school is community connected. This uses the child’s natural curiosity to actively engage the child in their social and physical environment through sensorial exploration and experimentation (What a child can sense and see- they will explore and experiment with their actions and what the responses are to those actions)

High/Scope – Is a play based curriculum. This views children as active learners who create their own knowledge of the world. Active learning- which means children have a direct hands on experiences with people, objects, events and ideas as they construct their own knowledge with these experiences. Children take the first step in the learning process by making choices and following through on their plans. After the children make their plans, they experiment with their ideas. Teachers support the children in their efforts by asking questions, providing background support, guiding the planning process and commenting on the progress. After the children have had time to experiment with their plans and ideas, they share and discuss their findings with their teachers and peers. The child’s role is as an active learner and experimenter and explorer. Children develop a sense of self as they interact with significant people in their environment. The teacher follows the children and their interests and does not impose ideas or beliefs on them. The teacher shares control with the student by following the students lead in activities and play by interacting on the child’s level of understanding and encouraging the the child to succeed. Teachers also learn as they do not have a set script, and instead listen and actively work with the child to extend activities to more challenging levels.

Montessori – The Montessori method is a developmental, child-centered, hands on approach to education. Although play is not central to the Montessori method, some aspects of the Montessori method are related to play. As children grow and develop, they no longer “play” with materials but instead prepare for lessons that refine their senses and create order. Children have the freedom to explore and construct knowledge by their participation in learning and by making their own choices and experiences. Montessori believed children had the ability to teach themselves and the ability to develop freely if adults did not oppress children by limiting their minds. Unlike the Direct Instruction method where children are grouped by ability, the Montessori method encourages children of mixed ability/ages to help one another. Children learn to respect the work of others as they wait to use materials their peers are using. The children in the Montessori method are active learners who build their own knowledge and understanding of the world and have the ability to control their focus and actions. Children are given freedom within a carefully prepared environment and have the opportunity to develop according to their own

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