Connecting Ibn Khaldun’s Educational Philosophy to Modern Child-Centered Perspectives

Abstract

This article examines Ibn Khaldun’s educational philosophy through the lens of contemporary children’s geographies. Drawing on his reflections in the Muqaddimah, we analyze historical teaching practices in medieval North Africa and Muslim Spain, focusing on their implications for child development, spatial learning, and moral formation. Through thematic interpretation and comparative visualization, we explore how Ibn Khaldun’s insights resonate with modern educational frameworks such as dynamic assessment,
child agency, and spatial autonomy. Rather than modernizing his work, we position it as a conceptual anchor that invites critical reflection on how tradition, geography, and education intersect. This paper offers a culturally grounded and geographically sensitive perspective on education, one that values children not only as recipients of knowledge but as active participants in shaping their learning environments.