Module 1

Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and Characteristics

Lesson 1: Learner-centered Teaching

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the pre-service teacher should be able to:
1. revisit the definitions of learning and analyze the meaning of learner-centered
teaching; and
2. put emphasis on the different holistic ways of learning and how these ways be
integrated into the learner’s own process of learning.

Learning Defined
Learning is viewed as an experiential process resulting in a relatively permanent
change in behavior that cannot be explained by temporary states, maturation, or innate
response tendencies (Le Francois, 2000). Learning has also been defined as a
reorganization of the cognitive structures, a change in the behavior due to practice.

In the Final Report of the Flinders University Institute of International Education

high-level seminar on the UNESCO Report Education: The Treasure Within, Jacques
Lucien Jean Delors believed that “Learning is the heartbeat of the society.” He further
believed that education is not simply about preparing people to take their place in the
knowledge-age economy of the 21st century. It is about enlarging people’s minds,
enlivening their imagination, arousing their curiosity, assisting them to learn how to
think. Education and training are seen as the keys to economic prosperity, engine that
drives nation’s economy.
(http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/publication/REPORTS/fuiie99a/INDEX.HTM
Retrieved on March 16, 2009).

He also believed that the only progress that can be achieved by any nation is
through education because no nation can develop or function well in the absence of

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education or educated people. He elaborated by saying education goes beyond
cognitive learning where achievements are measured not by a test but by innovative
teaching that involves the values and attitudinal aspects
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Delor Retrieved on March 16, 2009).

Moreover, learning has been defined as a relatively permanent change in one’s

behavior as a result of his interactions in the environment. Omrod (2004) has defined
learning as something that happens as a result of one’s experience. Changes in
behavior are pieces of evidence showing that learning has taken its place. However,
most theorists agree to the following definition of learning because it is useful for
identifying the kinds of events that learning theories should explain.

Learning is a relatively permanent change in one’s behavior as a result of

interaction in the environment. Nearly, all definitions of learning point to three equally
important concepts: change, behavior, and experience.
1. Change. Learning involves change in knowledge and behavior. Psychologists
agree that learning involves change within the individual organism. For example, if a rat
is lost in a maze, it produces an array of attempts to look for its way out. For several
times, it does the same thing until it finally gets its way out. Here, we see that nothing
about the maze has changed for it remains the same. Everything else in the rat’s
situation has remained unchanged except the rat.

Behavioral theorists maintain that learning consists of changes in behavior, while

cognitive theorists claim that learning involves changes in knowledge. It is therefore
clear that performance of some observable behavior is a necessary indication of
learning, but it is not necessarily identical to learning. A change that disappears after a
few hours does not reflect learning. (Mayer, 2002)

2. Behavior. In the previous example about the rat in a maze, we can say that
learning is acquisition of knowledge. But, to some extent, do we know that knowledge

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has been acquired? The mere fact that the rat makes an array of attempts to get its way
out demonstrates that it has learned.
The changes brought about by learning are relatively permanent. Changes in
making responses can be produced by other factors aside from learning. The nature of
relative permanence helps us to rule out changes that are brought by such things as
drives, fatigue, disease, and injury that dissipate rapidly. Drugs can also produce
changes in responding but will also dissipate when the drugs wear-off.

3. Previous experience. Learning results from previous experience. Therefore,

learning involves experience. Many changes that we observe specially among children
are the results of growth or maturation of the skeletal, muscle, and nervous systems.

Ways of Learning
The different ways to learn are embedded in the word LEARNING. They are as
follows:
L- Listen. The learners need to listen to those with whom they can extend their
knowledge. They must also listen to their inner voice and feel how such voice echoes
deep within them.
E- Evolve. Learning must change the learners from one form to the other. It means that
learners need to follow the ladder of knowledge. They do not just confide themselves to
acquiring mere facts. Rather, they create their own personal knowledge and start their
journey from ignorance to wisdom.
A- Adapt. The learners change their cognitive structures in order to accommodate new
bits of information. They monitor, regulate, and modify their own thoughts and create
new avenues for transformation.
R- Reciprocate. The learners are able to recognize their personal worth and contribute
to the welfare of the majority. It means that they are able to transcend what they have
learned and use it for the benefit of all.
N- Network. The learners do not limit themselves to the confines of the classroom.
Rather, they go out and explore new horizons and acquire novel experiences as they
share their learning to others.

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I- Integrate. The learners have the ability to organize their knowledge around the
existing schemata which they use to aid understanding.
N- Navigate. The learners are willing to explore new things and follow the right path to
learning. They find meanings as well as enjoyment while they are on their journey to
learning.
G- Grow. The learners do not just accept things as they are. Rather, they quibble about
how and why things are done. They grow from their own mistakes and use such
mistakes as building blocks to learning.

Who are the Learners?

All human beings regardless of age, race, or space, need certain conditions to
thrive. They must feel that they:
 belong and are included.
 have some worth and value.
 are safe in all aspects: physically, emotionally, and cognitively.
 have some choice and freedom related to their environment and activities.
 can be successful.
 are appreciated for who they are.

Cognitive research tells us that every brain is unique. Even children born into the
same family with the same nature (genes) and nurture (environment) do not look or
act alike. Each has a preferred learning style and will thrive better in a visual, auditory,
tactile, or kinesthetic environment. Some like natural light, some a musical background,
some a quiet space. Some students need hands-on or “being-there” experience, while
others appreciate analogy. Some need movement and activity and collaboration, while
some need quiet time for contemplation and reflection. Most brains are naturally curious
and seek understanding and meaning.

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 “Children Are Like Trees”
Children are very much like trees; they differ in kind and form
Some have grown in the open with lots of space to expand
The crowded forest around them has affected others
Some have been tied to sticks to keep them straight
While others have been allowed to develop naturally with a minimum of pruning

Some children are made of hard wood; others, of soft

Like trees which may be best for shade, or fruit, or decoration;
children have their best uses
Some are better to look at; some are better in groups;
others are better standing alone
Some grow strong and sturdy; others need protection from the elements
But every wood, every tree, and every child has a unique and different value

We may try to graft the characteristics of a child onto another

But we know we cannot make a palm tree into an oak or vice versa.
The best we can do is to accept the tree as it is:
To feed it, to light it, and to prune it gently to its natural shape.
And we need to remember that in working with children, as well as in working
with wood
For best results, always sand it with the grain.
—Author Unknown

How Does Learning Occur?

As learners develop their own strategies for learning, learning must be viewed in
terms of teaching. In other words, teaching must be taught of in ways that will help the
learners learn better. It is important to review things about how learning occurs. The
following principles are worth revisiting (Starko,et.al, 2003):

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 Learners learn only what they are ready to learn. Individuals learn best when
instruction is matched to their development and readiness. It is therefore imperative
for teachers to have a basic understanding of the development and learning of
students.

Students in the classroom display a lot of learning styles and preferences. They
also display certain degrees of physical, emotional, cognitive, and moral
developments. Some students may find difficulty constructing simple sentences
while others may find it difficult to spell some unfamiliar words.

 Learners construct their own understanding. Understanding is created by

individuals as they interact with the world and with the people around them. For
example, Andrei sees an orange for the first time, then, he decided to fit this new
experience with the old ones. Just because an orange is likened to a ball in shape
and probably in color, he might believe that an orange is a ball. However, with the
help of an adult, his perception can change. His mother should emphatically teach
him that an orange is not a ball. Trying to explain further, his mother gets an orange
and peels it. She then asks Andrei to hold it, smell it, and eat it. At first, Andrei would
not believe. But little by little, he is made to decide that his previous experience does
not fit this new experience. So, he begins to construct a new concept. It only shows
that understanding students’ concepts has been constructed over time (Starko, et.
al, 2003).

Ways to Promote Learning

There is no single best idea or recipe to promote learning in the classroom.
Teachers are eclectic; they tend to utilize a mix of strategies that can promote
meaningful learning. Mayer (2002) provides some ways of teaching for meaningful
learning by:
 Giving productive feedbacks. Useful and immediate feedback to the learners can
help them practice their cognitive tasks.

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 Providing concreteness, activity, and familiarity. Teachers should make the
lessons concrete, activity-based, familiar, and simple-to-complex-based.
 Explaining examples. Teachers need to explain the step-by-step procedures in
academic tasks.
 Guiding cognitive processing during learning. Teachers are on tasks to monitor
or supervise the learners while learning occurs.
 Fostering learning strategies. Teachers should provide instruction for learning a
new material.
 Fostering problem-solving strategies. Teachers should provide the necessary
instructions and ways in order to solve problems.
 Creating cognitive apprenticeship. Teachers should encourage the learners to
actively participate in group tasks
 Priming students’ motivation to learn. Teachers should build on students’ desire
to learn.

Learner-centered Teaching Defined

 An approach to teaching that focuses on the learners and their development rather
than on the transmission of content; it addresses the balance of power in teaching
and learning, moves toward learners actively constructing their own knowledge, and
puts the responsibility for learning on the learners.
 Students learn information by systematically examining the subject and critically
assessing the situation. Students are active members of this learning process.
 A teaching approach where students are required to take on active learner roles and
responsibilities beyond listening passively to instructors’ lectures and taking notes.

Characteristics of Learner- centered Teaching

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning.
On any given day, in most classes teachers are working much harder than students.

2. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction.

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Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems, evaluate
evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses—all those learning skills essential
to mastering material in the discipline.

3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning

and how they are learning it.
They challenge student assumptions about learning and encourage them to accept
responsibility for decisions they make about learning; like how they study for exams,
when they do assigned reading, whether they revise their writing or check their
answers.

4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over

learning processes.
Learner-centered teachers search out ethically responsible ways to share power with
students.

5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration.

Learner-centered teachers work to develop structures that promote shared
commitments to learning.

It is pretty easy to see how these core characteristics can apply to any age learner —
be they kindergarteners or faculty in a school system. If we want our educators to be
learning models for students, we would do well to employ some of these characteristics
at all levels of learning.

Dimensions of Learner-Centered Teaching

In teaching, consider the following questions:
What is the role of the teacher?
What is the balance of power?
What is the function of content?
Whose responsibility is it for learning?

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What is the purpose and process of evaluation?
Most respond to these questions from a traditional point of view. The faculty give
students content to learn. Evaluation is for students to show faculty what they know.
Faculty have all the power. Another perspective to these the questions is called
Learner-Centered Teaching (LCT). In their seminal paper, Barr and Tagg (1995) argue
that teaching needs to shift from an instruction-centered focus to a focus on student
learning. So to move to a learner center approach, Weimer invites us to consider the
five questions that we posed at the beginning of this blog post. These questions
challenge our assumptions about teaching and invite us to rethink our approach to
undergraduate education.

What does LCT look like in practice? Phyllis Blumberg developed a rubric that contrast
instructor-center and learner-center approaches to teaching based on Wiemer's 5
dimensions of LCT.
Dimension Definition of An Essential Instructor- Learner-Centered
this Component Centered Approach
Dimension Approach

The Function Content Level to Instructor allows Instructor encourages

of Content includes which students to students to transform
building a students memorize and reflect on most
knowledge engage content. the content to make
base, how content. their own meaning
the instructor out of it.
and the
students use
the content.

The Role of An essential Instructors Instructor: Instructor

the Instructor role of the use teaching intentionally uses
Does not have
instructor is and learning various teaching and
specific learning
to assist methods learning methods that
goals; and/or

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 students to appropriate are appropriate for
Uses teaching
learn. for student student learning
and learning
learning goals.
methods that
goals.
conflict with
learning goals

The Students Responsibility Instructor Instructor provides

Responsibility should for learning assumes all increasing
for Learning assume should rest responsibility for opportunities for
greater with the students students to assume
responsibility students. learning responsibility for their
for their own (provides own learning, leading
learning over content to to achievement of
time. memorize, does stated learning
not require objectives.
students to
create their own
meaning of
content, and
tells students
exactly what will
be on
examinations).

The Purposes There are Formative Instructor Consistently

and additional assessment throughout the
Uses only
Processes of purposes (giving learning process,
summative
Assessment and feedback to instructor integrate
assessment (to
processes of foster
make decisions  Formative
assessment improvement.
to assign assessment
beyond
grades)
assigning  Constructive

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 grades.
Provides feedback
students with no
constructive
feedback

The Balance The balance Flexibility of Instructor Instructor is flexible

of Power of power course mandates all on most
shifts so that policies, policies and
 Course policies
the instructor assessment deadlines.
shares some methods,  Assessment
or
decisions learning methods

about the methods, and Instructor does

 Learning methods
course with deadlines. not adhere to
policies.  Deadlines
the students.
and

Instructor always
adheres to what
instructor has agreed
to with the students.

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