At its heart, student centered learning comes down to shifting the focus from the teacher to the student. This means getting the student involved and invested in his or her own learning. This approach is often quite collaborative, allowing students to learn with and from one another. Ultimately, this alters the role of the teacher. Instead of being an all-knowing imparter of knowledge, the teacher serves to facilitate learning, teaching students how to learn, a skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. This approach allows the teacher to involve students more actively in their education, moving away from a basic lecture-style of teaching and more towards a hands-on, discussion based model.
Through student centered learning, students are given a more personalized, interactive education. This is especially relevant in the 21st century classroom where standards and test scores are being pushed on students and teachers alike. A student centered approach allows students to learn and retain material while learning to reflect on their education and think about their thinking. This thinking about thinking is referred to as metacognition, and although it may seem counter-intuitive, it is not a skill that most individuals possess unless they have been taught how to be metacognitive. Once students learn to reflect on their own thinking processes, they can "learn how to learn." This can be facilitated through student centered learning.
Additionally, a student centered learning approach allows students to share in the decision making process in regards to their own learning experience. Teachers may encourage students to share in the process by encouraging them to ask "Why", "What" and "How". "Why" is concerned with the relevance of the material to be learned while "What" is about students choosing what they want to explore. Finally, "How" requires students to choose or create their own product or performance. Allowing students to ask "Why," "What" and "How" empowers them to take ownership of the material and to practice leadership skills. A student centered learning approach also promotes "buy-in," which increases student involvement and self-confidence.
As stated previously, student centered learning shifts the focus from teacher to student. But it is an approach which is broad in scope with many applications. "The term student-centered learning refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students. To accomplish this goal, schools, teachers, guidance counselors, and other educational specialists may employ a wide variety of educational methods, from modifying assignments and instructional strategies in the classroom to entirely redesigning the ways in which students are grouped and taught in a school."
Student centered learning has many advocates. The following TED Talk video features student centered learning advocate, Shelly Wright.
As stated earlier, student centered learning can take many forms in the classroom. Each question below explains a unique aspect of students centered learning and offers suggestions for how those approaches can be implemented in the classroom.
How could you design the physical environment of the classroom, including technology, to be conducive to student-centered learning?
DIY Design : Having the students decorate the classroom themselves through artwork, writing prompts, or consigns gives the students a sense of pride and responsibility. By playing an active role in the design of their learning environment, it makes students feel that the classroom is their space.
A classroom, as we all know, is the proper place of learning, and of course, we have to consider many things if we want this classroom to provide the needs of learning of our students. We are now in the computer age and a new era of learning, and the 21st century classroom design is an ideal classroom to be modeled. It should be:
· constant, ubiquitous connectivity
· moving beyond just 4-walled classrooms
· flexible, blended learning environments
· imagining the future
· students as designers of their environments
· class size limits as fundamental to thinking about learning spaces
· collaborative environments allowing global connections
· studio-based learning
· empowerment and autonomy of teachers and students to design spaces
· connections to communities and access to tools
· space for reflection and creativity
· design based on pedagogy
· bringing the real world into the classroom, and the classroom into the real world
· empowering teachers to learn creative classroom management techniques
· moving beyond just 4-walled classrooms
· flexible, blended learning environments
· imagining the future
· students as designers of their environments
· class size limits as fundamental to thinking about learning spaces
· collaborative environments allowing global connections
· studio-based learning
· empowerment and autonomy of teachers and students to design spaces
· connections to communities and access to tools
· space for reflection and creativity
· design based on pedagogy
· bringing the real world into the classroom, and the classroom into the real world
· empowering teachers to learn creative classroom management techniques
This information gave ideas on what really an ideal classroom for 21st century skills look like. Of course, it should be updated with technology so that learners may be able to adjust as early as possible with the changes happening nowadays. No matter what character a classroom has, what is really important is that it is conducive to learning and provides a great role in honing one's brain and personality.
What are some student-centered approaches or techniques that are based on or require collaboration?
Socratic Seminars : The goal of this student-centered teaching strategy is for students to collaborate with one another in order to understand the ideas and issues in a specific text. The students themselves lead the discussion within their group around the ideas and values set out in the text, rather than just giving opinions. This activity encourages communication and dialogue by having the students listen to the ideas and opinions of those in their group in order to make meaning and find common ground among themselves. A Socratic Seminar is not used for the purpose of debate, persuasion, or personal reflection, as the focus is on developing shared meaning of a text.
Think, Pair, Share – Facilitating discussions in small and large groups : This is a discussion technique that allows students to respond thoughtfully to questions in written form. This then leads to students participating in meaningful discussions with their peers. Using this technique allows students to compose their ideas as they have more time and therefore it helps build their confidence and increase participation.
Town Hall Circle : This technique mimics a town hall meeting style and allows all students to share their perspective on a topic. It allows for students to be at the centre of their discussion and collaboratively share their opinions, thoughts and ideas. It encourages them to listen to others and help broaden their understanding of a subject.
Assigning of roles for group work : This is great way to structure group work, it prevents some students taking on too much responsibility whilst encouraging others to take a larger role than they normally would. It helps to distribute responsibility in a way that ensure accountability for all students in the group allowing them all to develop their skills.
How can you implement assessment so that it enhances student-centered learning?
Assessment can be a powerful tool in creating a more student-centered learning environment. Student-centered assessment provides a structure for students to assess their own work and their peer's work, in comparison to the more traditional way of assessment coming strictly from the teacher.
Self-assessment: A self-assessment takes the power away from the teacher, and instead empowers the student to assess their own strengths and weaknesses. An effective self-assessment could look like students comparing their work to a predetermined rubric, which could be produced either by the teacher or by the student. The self-assessment can be an effective tool in allowing students to reflect and revise their work before it is turned in.
Peer assessment: A peer assessment is when students give feedback to one another. Similar to the self-assessment, a peer-assessment should be based on a clear rubric and standards. This is a tool that allows for students to get a broad range of feedback on an assignment or project that is still in progress. Students can use this feedback to revise their work. It also allows them to interact and learn from their peers, which encourages student driven learning.
Process portfolio: A process portfolio is a student portfolio that documents student growth and learning. The purpose is to promote student reflection and to encourage students to have ownership over their work. Students should set their own goals for the portfolio and decide which pieces of work will go in it. This tool should not be used as a summative evaluation of the student's best work, but rather as a formative assessment within the classroom. Examples of progress portfolios can be found
here.
What student-centered approaches or techniques can you use to address differentiation?
Learning Stations :
Having different learning stations/centers set up around the room not
only allows for groups of varying academic levels to be working at the
same time, but also allows for teachers to be flexible in their
grouping. Whether its homogenous groups that all need to work on the
same focus area or heterogenous groupings that allow for a more
equipped student to help a student who isn't as equipped. This grouping
system allows for differentiation such as tiered activities and
assignments to be given without any student being any wiser.
Chunking: Breaking down assignments and activities into smaller more manageable parts allows for students to access the content no matter what level there are at. Each “chunk” of the assignment can allow for different types of participation. The first part can be a whole class collaboration such determining the topic of interest they have would like to research. The next part could be a small group collaboration such as an in class research team. The final part could be a independent assignment/self study such as an independent report based on group findings in their own words and context. This chunking allows for students to be able to take charge of their learning.
What student-centered approaches or techniques include physical movement as a central element?
Nature Walks : A small study of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studied how the environment influences children’s concentration skills. The research found that the student’s scores on tests that measure attention and concentration improved after walks outdoors, even more so for children who took walks in natural settings than those who walked in urban areas. The researchers found that “a ‘dose of nature’ worked as well or better than a dose of medication on the child’s ability to concentrate.” Spending time outdoors not only allows children to move but also to observe and interact with their surroundings, all of which foster learning.
Brain breaks: It improves students' concentration and relieves stress. It helps the student focus on the task at hand. Students should take a brain break every 25-30 minutes of work. Brain break should last about 1-3 minutes long. Examples of brain breaks: dancing, stretching, chair aerobics, etc. When implementing brain breaks, you should set 'behavior expectations' (Tell the students to give their best and remind them that it was scientifically researched) Should set a time so you don't exceed the time limit and have a technique for students to resume work right after. (Example: 10 second count-down cue, a music clip for 10 seconds)
What are some student-centered approaches or techniques for reading?
Readers Theatre : This in an effective teaching strategy that helps students process certain experiences and dilemmas faced by characters in a text. For this activity, students are split into groups and are assigned a small excerpt of the text to present to their classmates. Unlike a more traditional approach such as presenting a skit of the plot, this activity requires students to create a performance that reveals an underlying message, theme, or conflict represented by the text. Performances can be silent or they can use voice in creative ways (composing a choral reading that emphasizes key phrases for example). Students may choose to use movement or remain static, holding their body position to create a frozen image, like a photograph. Readers theater encourages students to be creative in expressing certain concepts and ideas through the words of the text and helps students understand and interpret what they are reading, rather than just representing the plot.
Close Reading Protocol : This technique requires students to focus on a text, reading and rereading it in detail in order to understand the purpose of the author, the meaning of the text’s structure and its vocabulary. The purpose of close reading is to gain an in-depth understanding of the text. Close reading is an effective technique for students to learn evidenced based skills, which require that answers to questions be objectively justified and present in the text itself. Close reading can be implemented in whole group (full classroom) or small group classes (classroom divided into differentiated groups). Students may be required to use different methods to highlight the texts content: encircle the names of characters, use boxes around place names and highlight words they don’t understand. They can be encouraged to extract the meaning of the words based on the context and do so as part of the class or group discussion. This teaching method is best if introduced using shorter materials such as news or magazine articles, essays, short stories, or segments from a novel. Close readings can be combined with other techniques such as Readers Theater or Gallery Walk.
Here's a video in which a sixth grade teacher implements a close reading. Note that the desks are arranged such that students can work in groups to promote the student-centered emphasis of the learning and teaching.
James Moffett and Betty Wagner suggest giving students the power to choose what they read as this makes for the best reading program and this should be started as soon as students learn to read and continued throughout their educational years. Another good idea from these authors is to allow the students to follow a subject that interests them in literature across nations and ethnicities instead of organizing literature assignments in advance that follow structured time periods to provide a more student centered approach.
Another technique that can be used in student centered reading is to empower students to take charge of their learning by having the student create reading comprehension targets, check their understanding of reading materials and track it daily, compare their reading comprehension to a standard and then celebrate their learning, possibly in a public setting. This allows the student to assess themselves and be accountable for their own progress and learning.
SOURCES :
Assigning Roles for Group Work. (n.d.). Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved February 24, 2016, from https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategy/assigning-roles-group-work
Characteristics of Effective Instruction: Student Centered Classrooms. (n.d.). Iowa Core. Retrieved from http://www.iglls.org/files/classroom_brief.pdf
Hidden Curriculum. (2014, August 26). The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum.
Irish, B. What's the ideal classroom design for 21st-century learning? (2012, October 16). Intel. Retrieved from https://engage.intel.com/message/97292#97292
Parker-Pope, T. (2008, October 17). A ‘Dose of Nature’ for Attention Problems. The New York Times: Well. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/a-dose-of-nature-for-attention-problems/?_r=0
Pottsgrove School District / Pottsgrove School District Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.pgsd.org/
Student-Centered Assessment Resources. (n.d.). Students at the Center. Retrieved February from http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/resources/student-centered-assessment-resources
Teaching Strategies. (n.d.). Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies
TEAL Center Fact Sheet No. 5: Differentiated Instruction. (2010). Retrieved from https://teal.ed.gov/sites/default/files/Fact-Sheets/5_TEAL_Differentiated_Instruct.pdf
Student-Centered Reading Activities by James Moffett and Betty Jane Wagner The English Journal Vol. 80, No. 6 (Oct., 1991), pp. 70-73 Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/818583?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
How to Help Students Own Their Learning by MiddleWeb · 02/25/2016 Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment By Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, and Libby Woodfin Reviewed by Elisa Waingort. Retrieved from http://www.middleweb.com/28197/how-to-help-students-own-their-learning/
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