Student-centered teaching transfers the focus from the instructor to the students. It brings more attention to the students needs and learning ability. It requires students to be more active and responsible in their learning. It may also make it more interesting to the students than listening to the teacher lecture the entire class time.
If you truly want your students to succeed then it is important to be student-centered. Learning styles are very important to keep students motivated and passionate about their field, if they get into a class with an instructor that is just there to collect a pay check and don't truly care about their students they don't learn. If you know your students sometimes you realize they may not be unmotivated they just don't know how to learn from you.
It will help me relate to the student and their learning prefences.
I feel it helps my success by directing my focus. Planning for class stops being a chore, and becomes an enjoyable challenge trying to find new ways to keep the students engaged, while giving them the subject matter. I also try not to forget that the student is my customer, we work for them.
Being student centered allows me the opportunity to adjust my course to meet the needs of my students. Through observations and student assessment I can achieve a more effective instructional standard.
I totally agree we can shift the responsibility towards the students. I often advise my students this is 50/50 and they need to give their portion if we are to achieve the goal of 100%. When we give theem some input into the course we allow them empowerment which makes them want to succeed.
My first question when I saw this topic was, "What is meant by a student-centered instructor?" I think that helps me understand a little bit more. It seems to me that the students are the reason we are teaching. The focus should be on each student learning whatever the subject is. The reason we are doing this training is to improve our ability to teach the students. Does that sound right? I like the idea of looking at my instruction from the student's point of view. I find that it differs from class to class and student to student. I have had all great students, but some are more teachable than others. Some come in with a greater desire or ability to learn than others. It is important to try to see each individual perspective in order to reach each individual student.
I totally agree. The classes that I teach are the common ground that my students share, since the career they are preparing for is like no other, that no matter what their backgrounds are, or the differences in their ages, my students do find commonality in the course, and very quickly become a close knit group no matter how large or small the class may be.
Hi April:
Sensitivity to how best can I convey or impart the student learning outcomes and course objectives is another way of expressing a student centered focus.
Regards, Barry
Hi April:
Good description. For me student centered means one of two things. One is individualizing the instruction for each student as much as possible. The other is approaching my instruction from the students point of view. Two methods of a simialr concept. In both the student benfits from my flexibity and willingness to facilitate their learning, rather than just giving information.
Regards, Barry
Small settings are always ideal. However, I personally am not given that opportunity very often to work with a small class. I have found that breaking students into groups when dealing with a larger amount of students helps to create the intimacy of a small class and assists the students in completing their assignments.
Being a student centered instructor shows the student that you are there for the student's benefit. Showing the student that you are not teaching just for a paycheck, but you enjoy the content and excitement that the students bring. This behavior will fuel the student and cause them to strive to do well.
When I think about this, I see a student-centered instructor in contrast to an instructor-centered and/or a content-centered instructor. It is very easy to focus on just the content and have the students conform to, say, the text book.
However, students each have a best learning method and varying goals. So, since the instructor's goal is to have the highest level of learning possible, the successful instructor will develop an appropriate rapport with students and adjust content delivery to their needs.
Since my students are in the arts, all my teaching, handouts and instruction are geared to show them the relevance of my course to their working lives in a particular field.
Students are my reason for being here. I do my best to keep abreast of what is on their minds in the classroom and what may be of interest to them. Sometimes we will spend more time on a subject than planned for in the syllabi because the student’s interests lead that way. However, I make sure to cover the learning objectives for the class and not get off subject.
Hi Jack:
Better student centered activities might be quite diverse. For instance, you might begin with lab (covering previous day skill practice). Or some weaker students may need more time to grasp the technical theory, while stronger students may be able to take basic information and get into lab earlier than others.
For me, student-centered means (in part) adjusting the curriculum to fit the individual needs of students. If the goal is for them to learn, sometimes we have go to where they are to make that happen.
Regards, Barry
My teaching schedule has been set to cover theory (lecture) and then have a lab session. Connecting the theory classes directly into the lab assignment allow for student centered environment that allows you to access what the student has learned. This allows for a second and different approach to have the student understand the theory covered earlier.
i tell my students that i am there for them, as a resource and an aide in them understanding the material. i do not hound them for work, rather let them know what is expected of them and help them to understand the more difficult concepts.
Students must know teacher's care in order to succeed in a course. Taking the time to speak individually to get feedback on the lesson can pay dividends in creating a student-centered classroom.
Rich,
I also have those same types of classes with varying ages. I'm more of a "hands-on" teacher for the simple fact the jobs my students will try to obtain after their graduation is based on more than bookwork and theory. Having hands-on helps students get experience and gives them more confidence for future exercises we do in the future. I've noticed in all of my surveys that most of the students appreciate I give them time and practice with hands-on because it gives them more confidence going forward and gives them a chance to practice real-world scenarios in the classroom without the risk of being fired.
