October 17, 2000
Trust in the child While a teacher "conducts" and "commands" a conventional classroom, in child-centred education she is more likely to "facilitate" her students' learning process, which may include learning about the forest's ecology, building sand castles on the beach, walking through the paddy fields, making a simple sweet, or helping mum with chores. -- Pictures by Somkid Chaijitvanit and Yingyong Un-Anongrak Child-centred education is now de rigueur, according to the 1999 National Education Act. But, what exactly is it? More importantly, how can it be applied in a Thai classroom, and what are its benefits and pitfalls? In the first part of a two-day series, a prominent American educator shares over four decades of experience and lessons learned on both sides of the desk. In the second part, to run tomorrow, two educators explain how, and why, their child-centred schools came to be   Story By WIPAWEE OTAGANONTA There is a joke circulating in the local teachers' circle. Learning that "child-centred education" is now the national policy, one perplexed teacher in a provincial school wondered aloud to her colleagues whether it had to do with the classroom set-up, that students are now to be seated in the middle of the classroom so teachers can freely circulate around them. Real bewilderment or just a tongue-in-cheek comment, the anecdote reflects the level of confusion felt by many teachers nationwide, who are supposed to drop the traditional "teacher-centred" mode in favour of the "children-centred' one. Ask parents and youngsters, and likely as not, they, too, will little understand what the approach means or how it will affect them. Having spent 14 years teaching in conventional schools, and the subsequent 33 years founding and teaching in a child-centred school, prominent American educator Dr Pat Montgomery offered her experiences and insights on the topic during a two-day workshop recently held in Chiang Rai. CHILD-CENTRED EDUCATION: A STYLE RATHER THAN A METHOD "There are many words used to describe child-centred education, words like holistic, alternative, democratic, free ...," said Dr Pat, 65, director and founder of Clonlara School, an innovative school headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "In a nutshell, though, it's an educational approach that greatly values each child's needs, interests and abilities, she said. "While the approach respects that each child is an individual learner, who has his own pace and style of learning, it places the responsibility of his education upon himself, not somebody else." This style of teaching usually bears such hallmarks as flexible schedules, a relaxed classroom atmosphere, greater emphasis on learning through real-life experiences, students' greater say in deciding their own course of learning, and little pressure to perform to pre-determined standards. Shared characteristics aside, child-centred education is diverse and can be applied in different ways. "There are many kinds of child-centred classroom, each with its own system, philosophy, and recognisable set-up. "For example, the Montessori and Waldorf approaches each have clear types of classroom set-ups for young, middle and older children. At Clonlara, we have a different set-up for ages 13-18 than for the younger children," said Dr Pat, who in 1976 helped found the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools (NCACS) and now serves as its President Emeritus. A CLASSROOM THAT PLAYS ALONG Child-centred classrooms often don't look like conventional classrooms, which usually feature a blackboard and teacher's desk at the front, faced by neat rows of identical desks. Child-centred classrooms for young children may contain several "learning centres" or "corners". A staunch believer in the theory that children learn best through play, Dr Pat painted a picture of a child-friendly, play-based learning space. "The 'science corner' may have such things as bird nests and tree bark. In another corner-pillows on the floor, storybooks, picture books, books the children themselves make. In another corner, a mirror with dress-up clothes. Still in another, wooden blocks that the children can stack." Youngsters, who may vary in age within the same classroom, can move from one activity to another according to their own needs. Such flexibility-quite a contrast to the traditional class schedule, in which a bell signals a switch from one subject to the next every 45 minutes or so-allows the child-centred class to flow from one activity to another. "At Clonlara, we don't have subjects, the subjects are those learning centres," laughed Dr Pat. "When little Jenny goes to a centre with a pen, ruler, crayon, she might spend a long time drawing, copying poetry ... Johnny goes to the blocks and builds towers, and has a game of blocks with other children. When he's finished, maybe he'll go to the writing corner, or go outside and play on the playground." Since such a class often contain mix-aged children, each corner must contain materials with various levels of difficulty or sophistication. "The maths corner, for example, should have materials for easy, intermediate and advanced maths. A teacher then can gear a student towards activities that suit his age and skills." TEACHERS WHO "FACILITATE" Rather than playing a role as a person who relays, or in some cases, spoon feeds, information to students, a child-centred teacher acts more like a friendly observer and facilitator in their learning process. "Back when I taught in conventional schools, my role then was to compel students to 'learn'. I'd ways to make them listen-rewards with good grades, punishment with no recess, and so on," recalled Dr Pat. "In the child-centred class, though, my role was to set up the environment and to allow the students to use it they as pleased." While such a teacher may not seem to be "conducting" the class, she is indeed active. "She arranges things for the children. She is there to observe them, see that they're safe, active and loved. Being such a teacher, I take mental notes of each child, to see what interests them, what they need. I'd study why some children are angry, disruptive or not happy. With all this information, I would talk to parents and other teachers and decide a course of action." Lesson plans, the gospel for modern-day teachers, are not tossed out the window, assured the educator. "They just change form. The new lesson plans probably have to do more with team teaching, individual development, and interaction between teachers and parents." A CURRICULUM BASED ON JOINT DECISIONS Various styles of child-centred education have their own curricula and system of operation. "Some may have no classroom schedule at all, some divide their day-the morning runs to a fixed schedule while the afternoon is for 'free' classes," said Dr Pat. "At Clonlara, the schedules are decided upon by teachers and students during class meetings." For more complicated subjects, older students can sign up for special classes held at specific times. "At our school, we have part-time teachers who come in a few times a week for such subjects as advanced mathematics and drama," explained the silver-haired educator. "Teachers and students meet at some quiet corners, and they have textbooks, visual aids and so on. While it works like a conventional class, the difference is the students have a say in planning it." Aside from such "learning centres" and self-designed special classes, another popular form of learning often found in child-centred education is the project approach. Based on the same principles of participation and integration, it requires individual students to identify their own field of interest and course of learning. Secondary classes, especially, benefit from such approach. "If they have not been disturbed, teenagers are usually altruistic people, ready to go out into communities and observe people around them. They're ready to make an impact," insisted Dr Pat. One form of this approach is mentorship or apprenticeship, in which students choose identify an area of professional interest and learn directly from the professionals. "In a school set up in the '70s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called 'School Without Walls', the students meet in the morning, put things in their locker, and go separate ways. "Some, who want to become lawyers, become apprentices in law offices, following the lawyers to court. Some have mentors-university professors who are willing to give their time to guide them. The objective is to follow their interests-be it pollution, poverty, homelessness ... They use as their textbooks newspapers, billboards ..." Although a student may apprentice in a field he may not pursue in later life, the effort is not wasted. "He learns how to learn, which is the most important thing," pointed out Dr Pat. Another project-approach being used at Clonlara is called "Walkabout", a programme developed by Dr Maurice Gibbons, an educator from British Columbia. Students choose from classifications created by Dr Gibbons. Among them: adventure, current events, creativity, community services, and careers. Creativity and combining categories are certainly allowed. "One student made maths her 'adventure' project because the description said 'choose something that scares you, that you'd normally avoid.' She's afraid of maths," said Dr Pat. After a period of planning, the student sets time-line for herself-when she'll begin and end her project, and what she'll learn from it "At the beginning, the student must submit a proposal of what she'll do and when. She has not only mentors, but also a coach to push her. The parents are encouraged to be involved in coaching. "In the final review, she has to answer whether she has followed her proposal. If not, why?" One strength of this approach lies in its integrated learning. "Take the student who did a walkabout in maths," said Dr Pat. "She didn't just learn maths, she structured essays, short stories ... She studied the Arabs who gave us the number '0'-how they lived... She also learned computer skills, word processing, video and audio taping. As a conclusion to her project, she produced video and audio tapes." DISCIPLINE: FREEDOM IS NOT LICENCE Greater freedom naturally gives rise to concerns that the child-centred classroom may be one of chaos, with students running about doing what they want, clashing with teachers and classmates. "This can happen, after all, it takes time for children, especially those at secondary levels, to learn that 'freedom' is not a licence for an easy life," quipped Dr Pat. Unruly students are dealt with through group meetings and private counselling. "In the conventional schools I first taught in, rowdy students were sent to the principal's office. At Clonlara, when a student misbehaves, he has to face us and those who the bad behaviour affects. The student has to attend group meetings and listen to others reflect on his behaviour," pointed out Dr Pat, adding that private counselling can be done by teachers or professional counsellors. A positive attitude certainly helps in dealing with classroom conflicts. " Through conflict, democracy is learned," chuckled Dr Pat. "I tell my students that when there are two persons in the room, there will be conflicts. We'll solve it here, and we'll be good at solving problems, because that's what the world needs." EVALUATION-A THORNY ISSUE Addressing the issue that weighs heavily on many teachers and parents' minds-assessment, and how it can be done in such a system, Dr Pat said:"One of the challenges facing a child-centred classroom teacher is how to evaluate whether a child is growing, and whether the teacher is doing all she needs to do to help her student grow, and in turn, how well the whole class run," confirmed Dr Pat. Various child-centred schools have devised their own systems to assess their students, including grading, which again is determined by joint decisions. "A system we use at Clonlara's day school, which has 70 to 80 students, is that each student grades himself. His teachers also grade him, then the two parties meet to discuss what the grade should be. "Interestingly, students tend to give themselves lower grades than the teachers give him." Teachers, too, are evaluated, in this manner by students and parents. "One factor is whether the students want to continue with a particular teacher," smiled Dr Pat. Like most things that go on in child-centred classes, testing, when done, is based on students' needs. "Many alternative schools do some tests like SAT. What they do not have is the kind of tests that require cramming. When you do not pressure children, they'll learn with more security. "At Clonlara, we have no tests in our school until some students, especially those in secondary level, realise universities requires scores of such tests as SAT and ACT. They then go take them at testing centres. The school doesn't force them, they do it on their own." In this continual assessment method, expectations must be worked out in advance, and they must be in line with the approach itself, insisted Dr Pat. "Before [the switch to the child-centred approach] even starts, these expectations have to be set up: what is the anticipated outcome for teachers, students, and parents? If expectations in the child-centred class are the same as in conventional classes, it won't work." To make sure the government knows what to expect of teachers, parents and children in the new system, Thai teachers must insist on being part of the planning being done by the Ministry of Education, said Dr Pat. "They also must insist teaching centres be set up to help train them," added the educator. AN EDUCATION FOR ALL For the child-centred education movement to take root in Thailand, it needs to involve and educate not just teachers, but also parents and students, Dr Pat emphasised. "A child in the child-centred classroom learns at their own pace. We have children in our school who can't read until they are eight, nine or 12. So teachers preparing to enter into this system must be part of the dialogue with parents: what are the benefits for them and their child?" Students themselves must also be informed and consulted. Without the understanding and cooperation of both parties, chaos may ensue. "Years ago when they started the programme 'Schools Within Schools' in public schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota, parents protested, afraid their children were guinea pigs. Meanwhile in other schools, students protested wanting their school to become child-centred," laughed Dr Pat. The value of child-centred education was not automatically embraced by parents, teachers, and bureaucracy. "When budgets were tight, some states would first cut programmes like art, music and child-centred education. It was a struggle every step of the way," she recalled. While fighting for such large-scale reform within the system, local teachers and school administrators can also work from their own desk. "First, they should read up and visit Internet Web sites on the subject (see Some questions answered, page 1). They can also visit working models here already using the approach, like the Children's Village School, Montessori schools, and so on." As information leads to ideas, teachers can then put themselves into child-centred education mentally, see where they want to be, and discuss how they can work as a team to implement it. "All factors cannot be totally determined beforehand. It has to be an ongoing, open and free process," said Dr Pat. Although the need for reform can feel overwhelming and urgent, the educator suggested Thai teachers start small and work their way up. "Maybe Thai teachers could start on the lower-level first, kindergarten for instance. For older classes, change the schedule slowly. For example, in the morning have academic-oriented classes, and in the afternoon, projects, such as pollution of the local river for instance." Concluding her workshop, the outspoken educator smilingly told her audience, mostly northern teachers: "After all the planning, I hope you throw yourself in child-centred education, and enjoy it as much as I did for 34 years."		Daily Main Entrance Page Local News Business Outlook Weekly IT news Horizons Travel NiteOwl (Trink) Real.Time Motoring Student Weekly Entertainment & Lifestyle What's on Dining out Recipe of the week Movies Music Book Review Beauty Fitness Nutrition NEW! 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