Learner – centered teaching and learning approaches

  There is a growing consideration among teachers and instructors that to achieve the final goal of English language teaching and learning, there should be a shift in the method used in the classroom. According to Weimer in Wright (2011), students should not be viewed as an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge but as seekers to be guided along with their intellectual developmental journey. Students will get more comprehension of the material if they are actively involved in the learning process. Stice in Smith [1998] states that learners remember ten percent of what they read, 26% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say, and 90% of what they say as they do something. Therefore, learner – centered or student centered approach in English teaching needs to be socialized and applied in the classroom. Weimer (2002) states that classrooms at the college /university level are extremely instructor-centered and that this situation works against students becoming successful mature learners. She further explains that many instructors recognize this and try to make changes in the direction of more student-centeredness [3].

    The following description of student – centered instruction provides another starting point for conversations about student – centered learning:

Student – centered instruction (SCI ) is an instructional approach in which students influence the content, activities, materials, and pace of learning. This learning model places the student (learner) in the center of the learning process.The instructor provides the students with opportunities to learn independently and from one another and coaches them in the skills they need to do so effectively. The SCI approach includes such techniques as substituting active learning experience for lectures, assigning open – ended problems and problems requiring critical or creative thinking that cannot be solved by following text examples, involving students in simulations and role plays, and using self – paced and cooperative learning. Properly implemented SCI can lead to increased motivation to learn, greater retention knowledge, deeper understanding, and more positive attitudes towards the subject being taught  [5; 89] Collins & O'Brien, 2003 ].

Student – centered learning can also be viewed from the perspective of an influential report from the National Research Council (1999) that synthesized research on learning and recommended organizing learning environments around four foci: knowledge – centered, learner – centered, assessment – centered, and community – centered. Knowledge – centered learning approaches grow out of the research on novices and experts that has revealed that experts have organized their knowledge very differently than novices. So knowledge – centered learning stresses learners developing their knowledge to facilitate transfer of their learning to new contexts and application of their learning to open - ended challenges such as problem – solving, critical thinking, and design. In a learner – centered learning environment[4], McCombs  and Whistler [1997 ] state that “learners are treated as co–creators in the learning process, as individuals with ideas and issues that deserve attention and consideration.” Learner – centered learning environments provide opportunities for feedback and improvement throughout the learning process leading to evaluation and judgment at the end of the learning process.

    Although there are many different reasons why many different faculty members choose to adopt a student - centered learning approach, they might be placed into two broad categories. First, it is enjoyable. Faculty members who have adopted one or more of these approaches report that they are energized. Second, there is a growing set of results on how these approaches lead to improved student learning. Faculty members from across the nation (who teach both large and small classes )who  have adopted a student - centered learning approach find that teaching is more enjoyable.

    Student - centered learning, also known as learner - centered education, broadly encompasses methods of teaching that shift the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student. In original usage, student - centered learning aims to develop learner autonomy and independence by putting responsibility for the learning path in the hands of students. Student - centered instruction focuses on skills and practices that enable lifelong learning and independent problem - solving.[5]

    Student - centered learning theory and practice are based on the constructivist learning theory that emphasizes the learner's critical role in constructing meaning from new information and prior experience. Student - centered learning puts students interests first, acknowledging student voice as central to the learning experience. In a student - centered classroom, student choose what they will learn, and how they will learn, and how they will assess their own learning. This is in contrast to traditional education, also dubbed “teacher - centered” learning, which situates the teacher as the primarily “active” role while students take a more “ passive”, receptive role. In a teacher- centered classroom, teachers choose what the students will learn, how the students will learn, and how the students will be assessed on their learning. In contrast, student- centered learning requires students to be active, responsible participants in their own learning and with their own pace of learning.

    Usage of the term student - centered learning” may also simply refer to educational mindsets or instructional methods that recognize individual differences in learners. In this sense, student - centered learning emphasizes each student's interests, abilities, and learning styles, placing the teacher as a facilitator of learning for individuals rather than for the class as a whole. 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[6]. 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. The term student - centered learning most likely arose in response to educational decisions that did not fully consider what students needed to know or what methods would be most effective in facilitating learning for individual students or groups of students. For example, many traditional approaches to schooling could be considered “school - centered”, rather then student - centered, because schools are often organized and managed in ways that work well for organizational operations, but that might not reflect the most effective ways to educate students.For example, it's far more manageable – from an institutional, administrative, or logistical perspective - if all students are being taught in classrooms under the supervision of teachers, if they are given a fixed set of course options to choose from, if they all use the same textbooks and learning resources, or if their education unfolds according to a predetermined schedule. In the traditional approach to college teaching, most class time is spent with the professor lecturing and the students watching and listening. The students work individually on assignments, and cooperation is discouraged.

    Student – centered teaching methods shift the focus of activity from the teacher to the learners. These methods include active learning , in  which students solve problems, answer  questions , formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class; cooperative learning, in which students work in teams on problems and projects under conditions that assure both positive interdependence and individual accountability; and inductive teaching and learning, in which students are first presented with challenges (questions or problems ) and learn the course material in the context of addressing the challenges. Inductive methods include inquiry - based learning, case - based instruction, problem - based learning, project - based learning, discovery learning, and just - in - time teaching. Student - centered methods have repeatedly been shown  to be superior to the traditional teacher - centered approach to instruction, a conclusion that appliers whether the assessed outcome is short - term mastery, long - term retention, or depth of understanding of course material, acquisition of critical thinking or creative problem – solving skills formation of positive attitudes toward the subject being taught, or level of confidence in knowledge or skills[7]. Learner - centered teaching describes a pedagogical style that represents a shift away from an instruction practice that is often described as “sage on the stage” and is primarily teacher - centered. The term learner - centered  describes a practice in which students are asked to actively engage their content, one another, the instructor and the learning process. Such a   teaching practice expects that students, rather than instructors, will do most of the talking and by doing that and many other engaged activities, students construct knowledge within their own real life context because they have gathered it, synthesized and integrated it with their own previous knowledge. To accomplish this, students must use the skills that  are held high by educators, including inquiry, communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills. The role of assessment becomes intertwined with teaching and it becomes a tool to promote and diagnose learning. It might be included in a “flipped classroom” model, but the concept is much broader than that. Learner - centered teaching means subjecting every teaching activity (method, assignment or assessment).

Great teachers maximize the opportunities for students to learn, but even the greatest teachers cannot guarantee learning. The final outcome of what gets learned in any course will always be the students responsibility.

As teachers, we are all interested in creating an environment where our students can learn and where the learning environment is engaging, motivating, and exciting. In short, we like to see our students succeed. In reality, however, we often experience quite the opposite. Our students are neither motivated nor engaged. They are rarely excited about learning. They often forget more than they remember. The reality of teaching English/ESL for many is that classes are large (35-50 students), last for 45-50 minutes, and follow a prescribed syllabus. Interactions in classrooms occur through simulations, readings, audiotapes or CDs. There is little, if any, chance for interaction with people outside the classroom, so learning the language becomes disconnected from use outside of the classroom. Students are assessed based on how well they perform on written tests (usually grammar-based), and on the basis of these tests receive an evaluation of passing or failing with the requisite awards or penalties. Teachers, in turn, are evaluated on the basis of how well their students perform on these tests and are labeled as good or bad teachers. No wonder both students and teachers become complacent or unmotivated under such circumstances. It is no surprise that such an environment does little to capture the imagination, nurture the creativity, or foster the success of either student or teacher (Dö rnyei, 2005; Hansen and Stephens, 2000; Pintrich and Schunk, 1996). Research shows what teachers have long known: that students learn if they are able to put to work the knowledge and skills they have, if they put to work their creativity and their own inventiveness, and if they can work together to gain new knowledge and skills (Dieu, 2005; Nation and Newton, 2009). Teachers work best when they have students who are motivated and who challenge the teacher. Teachers are excited when they see positive results for their students, when teacher efforts are recognized by the administration and the staff, and when teachers are allowed to use their own professional skills and knowledge in creating classrooms that work. If data, intuition and experience all support the fact that traditional lecture or teacher-centered classrooms are not the most effective, then what alternatives are available? One solution is to create student-centered classrooms. As English teachers, this translates into one thing: giving the students the opportunity to practice the language in situations where they will actually use it (Swain, 2000)

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