From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered: The Evolution of Classrooms and Curriculum (1950's-present day)
By MerriVal
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1950's Classroom and Curriculum
"Children should be seen and not heard." The 1950's classroom and curriculum was stringently guided by a teacher-centered approach to learning. Students were considered empty pails or vessels that needed to be filled with teachers' knowledge. -
1960's Classroom and Curriculum
The 1960's classroom and curriculum was largely influenced by the Baby Boom that followed World War II (Chaela1509, 2013). An influx in the United States population created the effect of larger sized classrooms. Teachers were encouraged to be authoritative disciplinarians in the classroom to keep their large sized classrooms/population of students in control and subdued at all times. -
1965: Corporal Punishment Accepted
In 1965, 53% of Americans believed that corporal punishment was an acceptable practice to help teachers manage large numbers of students in their often small classrooms. Today, corporal punishment is illegal. It is more expected for students to be too genuinely engaged in learning to be distracted by misbehaving. Further, in learner-centered classrooms, teachers take a much more understanding and compassionate approach to resolving student misconduct or ill temperaments. -
1969: Australia's First Open Classroom
In 1969, Australia had its first open (student-centered) classroom. This influenced America's classrooms to evolve from teacher-centered to learner-centered during the 1970s (Chaela1509, 2013). America's 1970's curriculum was strikingly different from its 1950's and 1960's classrooms in which students were not given choice or voice in the curriculum. -
1970's Classroom and Curriculum
The 1970's curriculum was inspired by society acclimated to political and civil freedom. People thought that just as Americans' civil rights and liberties were being fought for, its public education system should allow students to freely learn (Chaela1509, 2013). As such, 1970's classrooms were marked by attractive learning centers and open spaces. Rarely were rows of desks seen in classrooms. Students' curriculum became much more flexible and conducive to appealing students' interests. -
1980's Classroom and Curriculum
The 1980's classroom and curriculum was just as different from it's preceding decade as the 1970's curriculum was in direct contrast to its preceding decade. The 1980's curriculum reverted from student-centered approaches to more teacher-centered approaches, and was characterized by the theme "Back to Basics." Learning centers were replaced with the traditional rows of desks facing the teacher/blackboard so students could again become pails absorbing knowledge. -
1990's Classroom and Curriculum
"Give pupils something to do, not something to learn." ~ John Dewey The 1990's curriculum was marked by the theme, "learn by doing." Students were encouraged to collaborate and exchange ideas which was representative of Constructivist theory of learning (Weimer, 2013; Chalea1509). The 1990's curriculum was further marked by the belief that students should not only work with others, but do work that mattered, or was meaningful and stimulant of students' natural affinity to learning. -
1994: Less Acceptance for Corporal Punishment
In 1994, the acceptance of corporal punishment had decreased from 20% (1980's) to 11%. This was even more considerable compared to the 53% acceptance rate seen in the 1960's. As curriculum became more learner-centered, not only was corporal punishment perceived as oppressive to students, but it was found less necessary to get keep students focused on learning in the classroom. -
21st Century Learner-Centered Classroom and Curriculum
The 21st century curriculum, marked by Constructivist and Transformative learning theory, is abundantly marked by learner-centered classrooms and curricula. Students are given much more choice and flexibility in what and how they learn as a result of plenteous research and compelling educative theory showing the benefits of giving students central roles in the classroom, or the ability to share power with their teachers about what is important for them to learn (Chaela1509, 2013).
