The Song of the Bird

At teachers college (Auckland College of Education) I remember watching this clip (or video as it would have been back then) and I was in awe of this child-centred approach to education.  It helped me form part of my own teaching philosophy.  

As I reflect on where we are going with education in New Zealand, it is with great sadness that we are heading back towards such a prescriptive curriculum and away from Elwyn Richardson's idea that learning should be child-centred.
Richardson's approach to education involved an integrated curriculum, values education, inquiry learning, philosophy, te reo Māori and creative thinking.  He used the local environement and what was important to the children as his context for teaching.



Education is changing in New Zealand but I believe we need to ensure that we put the child at the centre and do what is best for them, not force them to meet standards that they may or may not be ready to meet.
 

I would love to buy a copy of his book The Early World .  If I'm honest with myself, in the last few years I have moved away from a child-centred approach mainly due to time constraints and expectations that have been placed on us by National Standards.  My goal for next year is to bring this approach back into my classroom so that my practice reflects my own beliefs about teaching.