Amanda,
I sometimes have to remind my faculty that the student is reason we're employed in the first place. Without succesful student outcomes, people learn they may become unemployed at my institution.
Barry Westling
Remembering that you are there for the students' learning will help you stay focused during training and throughout your career. Seeing the student succeed and achieve their accomplishments will help the teacher know they are achieving their own goals.
Kathleen,
Great! Whenever an instructor is willing to serve the individual needs of their students, they're acting in a way consistent with being a student-focused (student-centered) instructor. Personalizing has to make a diffrerence in learning outcomes, even if it's difficult to quantify.
Barry Westling
For both my students and my employer, my main purpose is to help each student become as a well prepared as possible for the world of work. In each class, students come in at a variety of different levels. To help them succeed, I need to meet them where they are. That means I need to address THEIR strengths and weaknesses, and help them address both. My goal is to help each individual leave the class with skills much stronger than the ones they brought into it. Students clearly appreciate the personal feedback they receive throughout the course. I just wish I had a way to assess if I am making a long-term difference in both their skills and confidence.
Monica,
Good! Anytime an instructor gives individual attention, they are performining a version of being student centered.
Barry Westling
Allows me to focus on the student's learning. I can give them the textbook content, but I also need to help them with applying the content to provide effective patient care. Student-centered instruction allows growth in the student (as well as the instructor) to help the student reach his/her goals.
Vicki,
Nice sentiments. It's true, students do appreciate when they feel their instructor is in it for them. It's a form of customer service, like "
what, I''m actually getting some individul attention?" Most instructors have to balance getting in all they feel they need to, and assisting their students master the information they're supposed to. Being willing to adjust or modify is a step towards helping students succeed.
Barry Westling
Being a student-centered instructor is the best way to gain your students respect. When they realize that it is all about them and their learning experience, that you are there and prepared to help them succeed it helps to create a most favorable learning enviroment. They need to be excited about the content and productive. The process of preparation for my students is one of the ways that helps me in my learning to become a better instructor. Also, learning from my mistakes.
Brendon,
Great sentiment. I agree. "Convey care, capture competence".
Barry Westling
There is a syaing, "people don't care how much you know, until they know how mauch you care". When it comes to teaching adult students the way to open them up to learning is to demonstrate in your approach you care about helping them achieve their goals. Adapting your methods to how they learn and understand instead of forcing them into your mold really goes a long way in motivating them. The bottom line is the reason you have a job is because of them. Dispensing information is not your job, making knowledge professionals is your job, that means caring about your students and the future of your profession.
Aldorey,
Great summary. Success is in the details, in this case the details being student needs and our willingness to assist them.
Barry Westling
Adult learners are way different from traditional learners. Being a student-centered makes me feel that I am a succesful instructor. Helping students to understand the materials, spending more time for those students who are having difficulty learning the concept and thinking a new strategy to better understand it and offering the student of your time to do one on one tutoring makes me feel good as an intructor. The goal of being a student-centered is to see how the student learned and see them grew. It is not how you cover or finish the material it is the process of learning. The success of the student is also the success of the instructor.
Mitchel,
For me, student centered simply means I'm willing to adjust or modify my "canned" curriculum in favor of individualizing my instruction to assist students learn. They appreciate it and usually benefit by my efforts.
Barry Westling
I try to put myself in "their shoes", but I am a dentist teaching Anatomy/Physiology to medical assistant students.
Chukwuka,
Great! For me, student centered simply means willing to modify or adjust whast I have have planned in order to meet individual student needs. Nearly always students appreciah my efforts in this manner.
Barry Westling
People like to see the positve outcome of their hardwork. When you are a student-centered instructor, you will do everything to ensure your students' success. Your students' success is ultimately your success, and that is very fulfulling.
Sherry,
Right. Personalizing makes the class more interesting and really, we are meeting both our need to instruct certain topics while also connecting with the student's needs.
Barry Westling
A student-centered instructor is focused on the individual needs of the learner. In each class, students will be at different levels of competency and have varied needs. In assessing individual needs, the instructor can provide guidance that is tailored and meaningful. In this approach, the student is actively involved in the process.
Adrienne,
I also think the williningness to alter or modify our plans is sometimes needed, but often resisted by some instructors who are set in their ways and will not budge from their fixed (i.e., set-in-stone) curricular lesson plans.
Barry Westling
Amanda,
Great! If every teacher shared the passion you convey, our career education system would be producing many more qualified and motivated graduates. Kudo's to you!
Barry Westling
