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Learner-Centered Approach to teaching and learning
The focus in education has changed over the last several years from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered strategy. Too frequently, traditional education has been built on a passive lecture paradigm that relies on a knowledgeable instructor to impart information into students' fairly receptive minds. A distinct role for instructors is suggested by more recent learning theory: that of facilitators. Based on studies regarding how people learn, it is recommended that teachers utilize more active, inductive training in the classroom which reflects a student-centered approach. The learner-centered teaching emphasizes the importance of the student's role as being superior to the teacher's. This implies that the activity's attention is switched from the instructor to the students, which results in learner-centered teaching and the growth of students' autonomy and independence. As a result, students take center stage in the classroom, and the instructor provides them choices and a voice (Weimer, 2008).
The theoretical background (foundation) of the learner-centered approach
As cited in Patel-Junankar (2021), constructivist learning theory serves as the cornerstone of learner-centered instruction. According to constructivism, people see and interpret their surroundings and derive meaning from both recent and past experiences (Jonassen, 1991). Hence, instructional design should put a strong emphasis on offering resources and settings that will enable students to understand many points of view and create their own worlds (Karagiorgi & Symeou, 2005). According to Prince and Felder(2006), whilst some have claimed that constructivism dates back as far as the 4th–6th centuries B.C. in the writings of Lao Tzu, Buddha, and Heraclitus, constructivism has its origins in the 18th-century philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Giambattista Vico. The constructivist approach to education is shown in the Piaget, Dewey, Bruner, and Vygotsky, among others, all proposed developmental theories. According to cognitive constructivism, which has its roots principally in Piaget's work, an individual's responses to events determine whether or not learning occurs. According to social constructivism, whose main proponent is Vygotsky, the process of creating meaning from experience is primarily influenced by language and interpersonal relationships with family,
classmates, and instructors. Meaning is not only created; it is jointly created.
How different scholars defined learner-centered approach
The most straightforward definition of student-centered learning is an educational strategy in which students decide not just what to study but also how and why that subject could interest them (Rogers, 1983). In other respects, the learning environment places a strong focus on student responsibility and action, as opposed to the emphasis on teacher control and the thoroughness with which academic material is covered in many conventional, didactic teaching methods (Cannon, 2000). Furthermore, when topics are appropriate to their needs, interests, and daily lives as well as when they are actively involved in generating, comprehending, and relating to information, McCombs & Whistler (1997) claimed that learners regard the learning process to be more meaningful (as cited in TEAL Center staff, 2010). Learner-centered approach according to my own perspective It is a system of techniques, strategies, and methods which perceive learners as the main building blocks in the learning process. This means that learners have the power to choose and change what to learn while they are fulfilling many tasks to promote their thinking skills and to be self- depended.
The objectives of learner – centered approach
Learners centered teaching’s main goal is to make learners’ proactively search for meaning. It also seeks to help learners build knowledge rather than merely absorbing it through passive means; molding experiences as well as being shaped by them. Additionally, the instructional strategies and methods which are used in the learner – centered approach aims to: – Adjust time management to learners' needs. – Include educational activities that learners may relate to on a personal level. – Assign learners more and more responsibility for their learning. – Give learners challenges and questions that encourage thinking beyond rote memory. – Using critical thinking techniques, assist students in clarifying their knowledge. (TEAL Center staff, 2010).
The Characteristics of learner-centered teaching, as proposed by Dr. Maryellen Weimer
1. Personally involving students in the difficult tasks of learning. 2. Offering explicit skill instruction. 3. Encouraging pupils to consider the lessons they are learning and the methods they are using. 4. Encouraging pupils by granting them some degree of influence over the educational process. 5. Promoting collaboration amongst students and between instructors. 6. Language is taught inductively. 7. Learners are engaged in problem solving tasks, analyzing arguments, and evaluating evidence (Weimer, 2008).
Learners’ role in learner – centered approach According to TEAL Center staff (2010):
– Learners take an active role in their own education. – By building on their prior information and skills, learners construct new knowledge and abilities. – Learners are aware of expectations and encouraged to use self-evaluation tools. – Learners keep an eye on their own learning as they create learning techniques. – They collaborate on projects with other students. – They provide work that shows how real learners choose what and how they will learn.
Teachers’ role in learner – centered approach to teaching and learning According to TEAL Center staff (2010):
– Acknowledge various learning modes and take them into account. – Provide organization without being unduly prescriptive. – Pay attention to and value each student's perspective. – Promote and assist group decision-making among students. – Assist students in overcoming obstacles by posing open-ended questions that encourage them to find answers or solutions that satisfy them.
The advantages and disadvantages of learner – centered approach (RAO,2020) The advantages:
– It focuses on the fact that pupils must actively participate in learning, therefore it attempts to pique their interest. – When they take responsibility in tasks, students become more confident in themselves. – Students can acquire the skills required for their future jobs through student-centered
learning. – It pushes students to reflect on their learning, as well as the concerns and problems, and it fosters innovation and creativity via deep learning. – The learner gains the ability to take ownership of his education and actions. – The learner gains knowledge and enjoys teamwork, collaboration, and skill development. – Student-centered learning gives students the opportunity to operate, manage, and monitor their own learning processes while still being under the supervision and guidance of the teacher. This allows students to develop their independence and autonomy, which will make them better leaders in the future.
The disadvantages
– It disregards the fundamental social objectives of education that every student must achieve. – The cost of the design includes effort, materials, and time is expensive. – As a result of their lack of teamwork abilities, pupils find it challenging to work in groups. – Despite a teacher's best efforts, some pupils may not respond well to student-centered learning. Although it can happen in classrooms at the highest levels, it is more common at the lower ones. – To be able to assist students in choosing the most important activities for study, it relies far too much on the personality, initiative, and intelligence of the instructor. – The curriculum cannot be designed in advance since the structure of this design is determined by the demands and interests of the students.
The difference between the learner-centered teaching and teaching-centered teaching
A change in pedagogy from the instructor being at the center of the classroom to the learner being at the center is necessary if students are to be engaged in learning and taught to be critical thinkers. The emphasis is on the teacher and pupils work independently in teacher-centered education. The teacher directs the discussion and corrects the pupils' answers. Also, the instructor assesses pupils' learning. On the other hand, the job of the teacher is more like to that of a coach in learner-centered pedagogy than it is to that of an expert. Both the teacher and the pupils are in the spotlight. Through interactions between the teacher and pupils as well as among the students, learning takes place. Both the teacher and the students respond to inquiries, offer criticism when appropriate, and suggest improvements. The teacher and the students both assess the students' learning (Patel Junankar,2021).