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Learner-centred, which is sometimes referred to as student-centred, concerns the way in which teaching and learning occurs in the primary, secondary, and tertiary classroom, it can be neatly defined as “…learning and teaching that emphasises student responsibility for such activities as planning learning, interacting with teachers and other students, researching and assessing learning�? (Cannon, 2000 p.unknown, quoted by Ingleton, Kiley, Cannon and Rogers, 2000, p.4). Further, learner-centred teaching (herein referred to as LCT) advocates the idea that “students should have more input into what is learned, how it is learned and when it is learned�? (Sparrow, Sparrow, and Swan, 2000, para. 3).
According to various authors, the concept of learner-centred teaching (LCT) encompasses notions such as “flexible-learning…self-directed learning�?, and life-long learning, while others state that these are teaching processes that are separate from LCT (Taylor, 2000; Bernard, 1999, quoted by O’Neill and McMahon, 2005, p.1; Sparrow et al 2000, para.1).
LCT focuses on the individual learner and how they interpret information learned in the classroom and the way knowledge gained in the classroom is connected to real-world contexts. LCT does not occur without the implementation of real-world scenarios and problems into learning activities in the classroom. “Problem-based learning�? is an example of such an activity, which involves problem solving where students consequently learn new skills, gain new knowledge, and work with other students, or on their own, using high-order thinking to solve the problem in the activity (Ingleton et al, 2000, p.9).
LCT is not about “delivering the content of the curriculum�?, where the teacher is the “master and controller…the assessor of success and competence�? (Deakin-Crick 2005; Cuthrell, 2002, p135). Rather, LCT requires that the learner “takes responsibility for (their own) learning�?, with the teacher acting as a “facilitator, (who) helps students access and process information�? (E-Learning @ BATH, 2002). There is a strong focus on “what (the) students do to achieve… rather than what the teacher does�?. This definition, according to O’Neill and McMahon, highlights that students have a “choice in their education�? (2005, p. 29). Learning is flexible, rather than rigid, and students are active participants, rather than passive, in all forms of learning activities that take place in the classroom (O’Neill and McMahon, 2005, p.28).
Examples of learner-centred teaching methods have been outlined in a paper on learner-centred learning by O’Neill and McMahon, these methods include:
Prior to the LCT, the paradigm was of a teacher-centred approach, which meant the teacher was the information distributor; “the gatekeeper of knowledge�?, the instructors, rather than facilitators, of learning (Learning at BATH, 2002). There has been a shift from this model to the LCT model, which, according to Deakin-Crick (2005), director of the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory, involved a change in values and techniques found in educational practices. This shift from teacher-centred teaching (TCT) to LCT did not occur at one particular time throughout all education systems; it was (and still is) a gradual transformation occurring at different places, at different times, and on different scales. The change has been said to come about based on several factors concerning:
Evident values found in LCT that are not found in TCT concentrate on “quality of relationships, the ethos of the classroom and school, practices associated with dialogue, reflection and a high level of emotional literacy�? (Deakin-Crick, 2005, p.162). The most common techniques expected to be practiced by teachers in a LCT environment pertain to having the ability to “model specific learning practices, values and attitudes for their students�?, while not being “completely constrained by external demands and expectations�? of the curriculum and assessment requirements (Deakin-Crick, 2005, p.162).
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Cuthrell, J.P. (2002) “The Autonomous Learner?,�? in J. P. Cuthrell (ed.) Virtual Learning: The Impact of ICT on the Way Young People Work and Learn, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, pp.134-142. ISBN 0754617769
Deakin-Crick, R. (2005) “Learner-centred Teachers,�? in T. Alexander, and J. Potter (eds.) Education for a Change: Transforming The Way We Teach Our Children, Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer, pp. 159-165. ISBN 0415334845
E-Learning @ BATH (2000) “Pedagogy: What is Student-centred Learning?,�? retrieved September 5, 2005, from http://www.bath.ac.uk/e-learning/student_centredness.htm
Ingleton, C., Kiley, N., Cannon, R., and Rogers, T. (2000) “Leap into Student Centred Learning,�? retrieved September 5, 2005, from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/materia/leap/leapinto/stud_ctrd_lrng.pdf
O’Neill, G. and McMahon, T. (2005) Student-centred Learning: What does it mean for Students and Lecturers?, in G. O’Neill, S. Moore and B. McMullin (eds.) Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and Teaching, Dubin: All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) ISBN 0955013402
Sparrow, L., Sparrow, H., and Swan, P. (2000) “Student Centred Learning: Is it Possible?,�? retrieved September 5, 2005, from http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2000/sparrow.html
Amy Thompson 22:18, 27 Oct 2005 (EST)
