Learner Centred Education (LCE) and the benefits of it.

 The fundemental principles at the heart of learner centred education (LCE) is the idea that students have rights, a voice and learning enhances their experiences and capabilites. It is about empowering students to take ownership of what they learn and not be passive learners. Teachers need to be the facilitators that guide and not just authoritarian figures that impart knowledge. 

Traditional pedagogies see the teacher as the centre of the classroom and learning. They often are overlaoding students with knowledge, much of which has little value in their daily lives.

There are 7 miniumum standards for learner centred education. They are:

1.  Lessons much be engaging - motivating the students to learn.

2. There must be a respect between the teachers and the students. No form of humiliation or punishments to degrade a student.

3. The lessons must be built upon prior knowldge and skills that the learners have. It must be at the appropriate standard and level of reach. 

4. Learners have the right to their opinion and there is a focus on dialogic teaching. 

5. Curriculum must be relevant to the learners present and future lives - meaniful to them in their private and social lives.

6. Curriculum and pedagogy embrace skills and attitude outcomes as well as the aquisition of knowledge. 

7. The assessment process must be meaningful so learning is improved by it.

Here are some of the ways that LCE can be brought into a learning environment:

* Collaborative group work - encourages discourse and sharing of opinions. Learners can benefit from each other and the discourse can lead to higher levels of thinking.

* Student choice - giving students the choice of 'how' they explore a subject, inquiry or task. When given the same task, 5 people could all choose a different way to approach it and all would be valid and acceptable.

* Do authenic tasks - by this I mean that they are relatable to the learner and 'real life'. It uses and builds upon skills and knowledge that the learner already has and is relevant to their everyday lives. 

Many studies have shown that when learners are engaged and involved in their learning (LCE), they become more active and motivated in what they do. This then leads to better outcomes and learners that enjoy and aquire skills relevant to their lives. For me it makes sense to give children an active role in their education. This way learning is not a chore, rather a life long adventure. 

I can't say I have met any child who enjoys merely learning from a text book and gaining knowledge from an authoirtarian figure. Sparks fly when children collaborate, think outside the box, discover, create, be critical and have agency in what they do. 

So when we want to see a change in attitudes towards learning. We need to put those who are learning at the centre of it. 

The Societal Pressures of Educating your Children

 Everyone wants the best for their children and many chose to home educate because they feel that the education system is not offering the kind of holistic education you want for your child. Many chose alternative educational settings or private schools as they feel they offer something extra. Despite this the I am constantly hearing parents comparing their children to others and panicking they are not on the same level or are 'behind'. 

The current school system in the UK is still producing the same type of learner that it was 40+ years ago. A obedient learner, a passive receiver of knowledge who is expected to be able to reel off the knowledge learnt in high stake exams. The individual is not celebrated for their unique skills and talents, they are judged on a grade received. Are we really under pressure to work to a outdated system created by people that are out of touch?

The idea of always catching up and expecting your child to be at the same level as others will leave you and your children stressed and not enjoying learning. Child centred learning is an idea that many educationalists and governments strive to achieve but without major changes to all aspects of the system it will not be accomplished. The fact is, is that many governments don't want to lose the level of control that the current system brings. 

Each child learns in their own way, has their own interests, skills they excel in and enjoy.  To expect all children at a certain age to be all exactly at one level and enjoy the same things is ludicrous. I believe when each child is celebrated and learning is focused on the child rather than the system, we will start really excelling as a society and create individuals who enjoy learning and achieve great things. 

It is really worth thinking when choosing workbooks and curriculums what is the benefits to my child of this work. Can it be taught in a way that involves them and links to their world and current understandings?  Is a page of maths drills really the only way to teach percentages or would a project be more relevant and enjoyable? 

It is time to really start trusting our children and allowing them to be a partners in their education. Being able to say my child are at a certain level like everyone else is not my goal. I want so much more than that and when I realised this, societal pressure and expectations started to worry me a little less. 

What is in your hidden curriculum?

The hidden curriculum is what is learnt in an educaional setting informally, meaning it is not a prescibed subject or area on the formal curriculum. It includes things such as social and political norms, values and expectations. In a school setting this may be the behaviour policy, what is expected of you at school, (you passively listen and work hard you will be successful), uniform, how you interact with others and the teachers, hierarchy and what is expected of you. 

 Many schools stress conformity, obedience, compliance and punctuality. All the things that would make great docile industrial workers that conform. While some of the things in the hidden curriculum can be beneficial to students for their lives and learning how to behave in society, many of the values and norms may have a negative effect on students in the 21st century and is something that needs to be addressed. 

 Is the hidden curriculum crushing creativity, criticality, individuality and motivation in schools? Ability grouping in schools are still widely used. While this system can make the job of teachers easier, is it telling the children in the lower groups they will not succeed in their exams and are predetermined to take a certain type of job? Do pupils in the higher group have too much pressure to get certain grades? 

 The hidden curriculum is something that needs to be addressed whatever setting you teach in as it is affecting young people and how they experience learning. Norms, values and expectations that are present in a educational setting need to be for a positive purpose for the learners and teachers. Who is creating the norms and values? Is it political figures, teachers, peers? What is the reason behind them? The hype and pressure around exams for example being the focus of education has a detrimental effect on many young people's wellbeing and self worth. 

 Even for home educating families there is a hidden curriculum. You need to be aware of what is being imposed implicitly or explicitly to your children in your home. Make notes on the norms, values and expectations that your want for your home-school and think of ways that demonstrate these.