Teacher-Centered & Learner-Centered Approaches

Teacher-Centered & Learner-Centered approaches

Content:

·        Introduction

·        Teacher-centered instruction ( pros & cons)

·        Learner-centered

·        Flipped classroom

·         Conclusion

Key words:

·        Teacher,

·        Student,

·        Facilitator,

·        Classroom,

·        Instruction,

·        Pros,

·        Cons,

·        Leaning,

·         Collaboration

HOW DO YOU THINK WHAT IS THE ROLE OF TEACHER IN MODERN CLASSROOM? IT IS SAID THAT,THEY ARE NO LONGER LECTURERS THEY ARE FACILITATORS. SO WHAT DO THEY MEAN WITH THIS I WILL TRY TO CLARIFY IN THIS PAPER.

         We are all aware that teachers are always looking for the method that is most beneficial for all of their students. Teachers want their students to enjoy the learning process, and they want the classroom to be orderly and controlled. As a result, the debate of teacher-centered vs. student-centered education has been for many years. There are both advantages and disadvantages to each approach.

First of all, let’s talk about Teacher-centered education and its features. Here  focus is on the teacher. Teacher is the main person, who decides what to do how to do. Students are not involved in decision making. The teacher talks, while the students listen. During activities, students work alone, and there is no collaboration. Students are viewed as “empty vessels” whose primary role is to passively receive information (via lectures and direct instruction). In this kind of teaching a teacher stands at the front, writes step by step instructions and verbally tells students how to complete for example, the some mathematical exercise. Then, students practice on their own.

This approach has both pros and cos. These are Pros of Teacher-centered Education:

·         When education is teacher-centered, the classroom remains orderly. Students are quiet, and the teacher has full control of the classroom and its activities.

·         Because students learn on their own, they learn to be independent and make their own decisions.

·         Because the teacher directs all classroom activities, they don’t have to worry that students will miss an important topic.

These are the Cons of this approach:

·         When students work alone, they don’t learn to collaborate with other students, and they don’t develop communication skills.

·         Teacher-centered instruction can get boring for students.

·         Teacher-centered instruction doesn’t allow students to express themselves, ask questions and direct their own learning.

·          Places students in a passive rather than an active role, which hinders learning.

·         Margaret Mead said “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” So it is not like to direct them , it is about guiding and encouraging them to complete some task.

After discussing the Teacher-centered approach, now let’s look at Student-centered instruction.

When a classroom operates with student-centered instruction, students and instructors share the focus. Instead of listening to the teacher, students and teachers interact equally. Group work is encouraged, and students learn to collaborate and communicate with one another. Student-centered teaching is based on the constructivist model in which students construct rather than receive or assimilate knowledge. The role of the teacher in student-centered learning is to facilitate the students' learning by providing a framework (i.e. activities for students to complete) that facilitates their learning. For example, the teacher posts activities or questions that students complete. Projects include: writing papers, essays, and reports, publishing Web pages, conducting research, answering open-ended questions etc. Student-centered teaching model students can turn from passive into interactive or active learners. Teachers and students play an equally active role in the learning process. The teacher’s primary role is to coach and facilitate student learning.

An example of student centered approach: We start any unit by asking the students what they want to learn about in that unit. If they want to learn about golf, for example, we would create a foreign language unit based on the various aspects of golf. We would take their suggestions about the different vocabulary they think they would need to know, and we would also let them do a lot of the work in planning how they want to learn in the unit (if they want to be responsible for presenting information, for example, or if they want to take a field trip to a golf course). The kids, in this unit, will be learning the material they need to know in a way that is relevant to their own interests. Even more, they are motivated to learn because they have a stake in designing and planning their own learning.  So in these cases students empowerment is more and they become   more responsible for their own learning. And these are just examples how this approach works.

Pros

·         Students learn important communicative and collaborative skills through group work.

·         Students learn to direct their own learning, ask questions and complete tasks independently.

·         Students are more interested in learning activities when they can interact with one another and participate actively.

Cons

·         Because students are talking, classrooms are often busy, noisy and chaotic..

·         Some students prefer to work alone, so group work can become problematic.

We can stress on  Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching.

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning.  teachers are doing too many learning tasks for students.

2. Learner-centered teaching includes developing skills. Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems, evaluate evidence, analyze arguments.

3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it. Learner-centered teachers talk about learning. In casual conversations, they ask students what they are learning. In class they may talk about their own learning. like how they study for exams.

4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes.  Teachers decide what students should learn, how they learn it, the pace at which they learn, the conditions under which they learn and then teachers determine whether students have learned. Students aren’t in a position to decide what content should be included in the course or which textbook is best, but when teachers make all the decisions, the motivation to learn decreases and learners become dependent. Learner-centered teachers search out ethically responsible ways to share power with students. They might give students some choice about which assignments they complete. They might ask students to help create assessment criteria.

5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration. It sees classrooms (online or face-to-face) as communities of learners. Learner-centered teachers think  that students can learn from and with each other.

One of the example of learner-centered approach is flipped classroom. What does it mean ?It is reversed teaching model that delivers instruction at home through interactive teacher created videos.  In this model, students first study topic by themselves using video lessons and then try to apply the knowledge by solving problem and doing practical works at class.  It is powerful one of the learner centered classroom model that helps students to be learners who can learn for themselves and by themselves.

Which is Best: Teacher-Centered or Student-Centered Education?

To conclude, I would like to say that In recent years, more teachers have moved toward a student-centered approach. However, some students maintain that teacher-centered education is the more effective strategy. In most cases, it is best for teachers to use a combination of approaches to ensure that all student needs are met.When both approaches are used together, students can enjoy the positives of both types of education. Instead of getting bored with teacher-centered education pupils can benefit from a well-balanced educational atmosphere.