Learner-centered teaching - recommendations for the teacher
Learner-centered teaching methodology represents an educational and instructional philosophy in which the key elements of teaching and learning in the traditional teacher centered format of education are redefined and reformed .
In conventional teaching methodology (teacher-centered), which has governed most of the world's teaching for centuries, instructors are the center of instruction and learning, with the students following the leads of the instructors.
In learner-centered teaching, students are no longer passive receivers of knowledge; instead, they are "active participants in learning and co-constructors of knowledge". The instructors act as mentors and advisors to encourage students' participation in active learning.
Interactions between instructors and students facilitate the learning process through discovery, inquiry, and problem solving.
Learner-centered teaching emphasizes students' intrinsic motivation to learn and the development of students' abilities to acquire appropriate techniques in problem solving .
Curricula are designed around the learning process and not the content of knowledge in order to provide an environment that adapts to the developmental needs and social influence on learning.
Guided by the leaner-centered teaching philosophy, researchers around the world have developed various frameworks and teaching principles to facilitate the philosophy. Jones et al. (1995) constructed a framework of twenty-six indicators in eight categorical variables of engaged learning that included vision of learning, tasks, assessment, instructional model, learning context, grouping, teacher roles, and student roles. Similarly, a framework of fourteen learner-centered psychological principles was constructed based on educational and psychological research in a report published by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1997). Other scholars, such as Norman and Spohrer (1996), have suggested that learner-centered teaching should be 1) engaging by providing rapid, compelling interaction and feedback to the student, 2) effective by concentrating on the learning process and outcome but not the test score, and 3) viable by supporting curriculum needs as well as practice .
Weimer (2002) reviewed the extensive literature on learner-centered teaching and learning and summarized that "to be learner centered, instructional practice needs to change in five ways" , which she called the five key changes:
1.the balance of power,
2.the function of content,
3.the role of the teacher,
4.the responsibility for learning,
5. the purpose and processes of evaluation.
Learner-centered teaching methodologies have been widely applied in educational practices across a variety of subject fields, such as accounting (Adler et al., 2000), information systems (Law, 2007), business statistics (Lockwood et al., 2007), social sciences (Watters et al., 1998), and distance learning (Duffy and Kirkley, 2004; Eastman and Swift, 2001), and have been successfully implemented to reform education in countries, such as Thailand (Khemmani, 2006). Many educators incorporate learner-centered teaching philosophy in developing leadership capabilities (Orr, 2007), instructional interventions (Smart and Csapo, 2007), and strategies contributing to expertise in classroom practice (Thompson et al., 2003A). Other scholars propose that learner-centered teaching techniques should be applied to the design of courses and projects where technology and multimedia play a vital role (Norman and Spohrer, 1996; Schwienhorst, 2002; Waiters et al., 1998).
Learner-centered versus teacher-centered instruction
The best way to describe a learner-centered classroom instruction is to compare and contrast it with its opposite, the teacher-centered instruction. Here are 2 ways that the learner-centered instruction differs from the teacher-centered one.
1. Knowledge direction - The two paradigms of classroom instruction, teacher-centered and learner-centered, differ significantly in knowledge direction.
· Source of knowledge - In the teacher-centered classroom instruction, knowledge primarily comes from the teacher. The teacher is the major source of information. On the other hand, in the learner-centered paradigm, knowledge is the combined efforts of the teacher and the students. Under the guidance of the teacher, the students synthesize the gathered information using problem solving, critical thinking, and inquiry skills.
· Acquisition of knowledge - In the teacher-centered paradigm, teaching strategies is usually that of the lecture or exposition type. This paradigm places much emphasis on the faster pace and greater bulk of knowledge transmitted from teacher to student. But in the learner-centered classroom instruction, greater emphasis is given on the meaningfulness of knowledge. Students acquire knowledge to address real-life issues and problems.
· Receipt of knowledge - In the teacher-centered classroom, students receive knowledge passively, while in the learner-centered classroom, the students are actively involved in seeking out knowledge.
2. Assessment approach - The fundamental purpose of conducting assessment in a teacher-centered classroom is similar to that of the learner-centered one. The fundamental purpose is to increase the effectiveness of instruction in the classroom. However, the approaches to conducting assessments are different in these two paradigms.
· Assessment tools - Since the teacher is the primary source of knowledge in a teacher-centered instruction, there are only two kinds of answers - the right and the wrong. Thus, the tools used for assessment are those that clearly delineate the right answer from the other answers. On the other hand, in the learner-centered classroom, the importance of right answers is overshadowed by the importance of creating better questions. Thus, assessment tools vary to embrace the multiple facets of learning. Besides paper tests, there will be portfolios, performance tests, and others.
· Assessment functions - In a teacher-centered paradigm, the instruction follows a distinct step by step procedure. Once the subject is taught, assessment follows. The results of the tests are recorded and the function of the assessment was to monitor the academic progress of the students. But in the learner-centered paradigm, assessment is intertwined with classroom instruction. The results of a test are used to discover learning difficulties. The functions of the assessment are to diagnose learning problems and to encourage better learning.