Learner Centered Education

When given the opportunity, most children love to learn and thrive, regardless of the circumstances.  However, there is a change in the delivery of knowledge.  No longer are children seen as empty vessels that need to be filled with information.  We now know that each individual is unique in how they learn and how they achieve.  Today, learners are seen and known as wondrous, curious people with vast capabilities and limitless potential.  We recognize that learning is a lifelong pursuit and that our natural excitement and eagerness to discover and learn should be fostered throughout our lives, especially in our early years.  We all learn at different paces and we see that the path forward is a journey and not a race.  With the use of technology, we can truly provide for the needs and passion of the individual learner.  The world is an open book ready to be explored.  We can now measure mastery and enact a formula to move the child ahead to meet their own very unique challenge.  Students are now very active in their learning, and as they gradually become owners of their learning, learning itself is seen as an engaging and exciting process.  Each child’s interests, passions, dreams, skills, and needs shape the learning experience.

            We no longer have to accept the idea that learning has to be the same for everyone and that there is an average learner.  A learner-centered paradigm for education assumes that each child is unique in meaningful and valuable ways since they have their own backgrounds, circumstances, interests, needs and aspirations.  So, one size does not fit all, and schools must provide space where the child is valued and known for their special gifts.

            At Oak Hill Academy in Lincroft, NJ, we have set a theme for the 2021-2022 school year as “Improvement, not perfection.”  For the individual, their learning journey needs time for their potential to unfold.  As parents and teachers, we should marvel at the progress made, not in the speed that knowledge is attained.  The role of the adults should be to partner with the young in creating and navigating their learning journeys.  We must encourage and support that natural desire to flourish.  Adults must also allow for the exploration of new learning ideas and opportunities.  As our children cope  with the idea of making sense of the world around them, they will aspire to enhance their communication and discovery skills, realizing that learning is continuous and happens constantly around us.  We are living in a very exciting time where knowledge is at our fingertips waiting to be explored. At Oak Hill, students enjoy the exploration as well as the learning destination.

Oak Hill Academy is a NJ private school that is co-educational, independent, nonsectarian, and nonprofit for grades pre-kindergarten through eight. Oak Hill Academy is dedicated to a traditional, challenging, and caring learning environment that encourages comprehensive thought processes and deep understandings; thus promoting the wholesome intellectual, emotional, moral, and physical lifetime growth of our students. If you want to learn more about what makes Oak Hill Academy one of the best private school in NJ, visit us online at www.oakhillacademy.com , or subscribe to our mailing list to be notified when we post more topics.