It does not take much practice at entering the consciousness of a young child to discover several things. The world, to a child’s consciousness, is wonderfully fresh and new, and wonderfully exciting. What is more, young children, before they enter school, have an incredible lust to learn. It is this desire that draws them upright and teaches them to walk and talk, and urges them to ask the incessant questions that normally drive adults to distraction.
But how long do these aspects of the child’s consciousness survive the normal educational environment? Maybe a year or two ― at most.
Extract from
Education for Freedom by Garry Richardson
(back cover 1985 edition)
During the last century there has been an intensifying interest in the ways in which we teach children to learn. In that time a transformation has taken place: from treating children as an empty slate which parents and educators can inscribe to a central concern with the natural learning processes of children. There are many people and movements who have contributed to this change: Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and ideas; Piaget’s ‘genetic epistemology’ emphasizing how humans acquire knowledge; Montessori’s emphasis on creativity and independence as the learning experience for children; and Ivan Illich’s notion of ‘de-schooling’, learning webs and life-long learning. These are just a few examples. This paper is based on my belief that human-centred education provides the best focus on the intrinsic learning needs of young children – needs which are inseparable from the children’s desire to express their growing understanding of the world in a creative way.
But how long do these aspects of the child’s consciousness survive the normal educational environment? Maybe a year or two ― at most.
Extract from
Education for Freedom by Garry Richardson
(back cover 1985 edition)
During the last century there has been an intensifying interest in the ways in which we teach children to learn. In that time a transformation has taken place: from treating children as an empty slate which parents and educators can inscribe to a central concern with the natural learning processes of children. There are many people and movements who have contributed to this change: Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and ideas; Piaget’s ‘genetic epistemology’ emphasizing how humans acquire knowledge; Montessori’s emphasis on creativity and independence as the learning experience for children; and Ivan Illich’s notion of ‘de-schooling’, learning webs and life-long learning. These are just a few examples. This paper is based on my belief that human-centred education provides the best focus on the intrinsic learning needs of young children – needs which are inseparable from the children’s desire to express their growing understanding of the world in a creative way.
