Toward defining and defending child centred curriculum and practice

Abstract

Six primary grade teachers’ descriptions of the beliefs that guide their teaching lead to an exploration of “child centred” programming and practice. Three of the teachers were involved, subsequently, in the production of a video tape illustrating and describing child centredness in three different settings. A group of graduate students viewed the tape twice, under different conditions, and described what they perceived as teachers’ interpretations of child centredness. Both teacher and observer perceptions suggested a tentative frameork for analyzing and promoting child centredness in primary classrooms.