Unit 2

Foundations and Characteristics

Learning Outcomes:
The students must be able to attain the following learning outcomes:
• the students will be able to demonstrate the differences between
learner-centered learning and learner-centered teaching.
• the students will be able to use and explain the different
characteristics and foundations of learner-centered teaching.
• the students will be able to apply the different approaches used in
learner-centered teaching.

Discussion

Learner-centered learning

• is a system of instruction that places the

student in its heart and core. It is teaching that
facilitates active participation and independent
inquiry, and seeks to instill among students the
joy of learning both inside and outside the
classroom. Thus, the term “Learner-centered
learning” can be applied broadly to almost any
type of learning activity.

• refers to a wide variety of and that are intended to address the distinct learning needs,
interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students and groups of
students. Grounded on the constructivist learning theory that emphasizes the learners’
critical role in constructing new meaning from new information and prior experience,
the following are the different definitions of learner centered from multiple perspectives
of educators and scholars.

• defined most simply as an approach to learning in which learners choose not only
what to study but also how and why that topic might be of interest (Rogers, 1983).In
other words, the learning environment has learner responsibility and activity at its heart,
in contrast to the emphasis on instructor control and the coverage of academic content
found in much conventional, didactic teaching (Cannon, 2000).

Teaching Approaches
APPROACH - theoretical position and beliefs about teaching.

• It is a set of principles, beliefs, or ideas about the nature of learning which is

translated into classroom.
• An approach is a way of looking at teaching and learning. Underlying any
language teaching approach is a theoretical view of what language is, and of
how it can be learnt.
• An approach gives rise to methods, the way of teaching something, which use
classroom activities or techniques to help learners learn.

TEACHING APPROACHES

A) TEACHER-CENTERED APPROACH

❖ Teacher is the only reliable source of information.

❖ Teaching consist in teacher telling and
prescribing what learners should do.
❖ Learner is passive recipient of instruction.

B) SUBJECT MATTER-CENTERED APPROACH

❖ Subject matter gains primacy over the learners.

❖ By all means, teacher finishes subject as scheduled even if learners have not
learned it.
❖ Sticking to course syllabi is priority.

C) TEACHER-DOMINATED APPROACH

❖ A teacher does what he/she planned without necessarily considering the

learners’ interests, concerns, and situations
❖ Teacher is the authority.

D) BANKING APPROACH

❖ A teacher deposits knowledge into empty minds of students for them to commit
to memory.
❖ Students perceived to be empty receptacles waiting to be filled.

E) LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

❖ Learner- Centered Teaching is an approach that places the learner at the center
of the learning. This means that the learner or student IS responsible for
learning while the teacher is responsible for facilitating the learning.

❖ Learner-centered teaching is an instructional approach that places the focus on

the students instead of the teacher. The overall goal of student-centered
 learning or its mission is to create both independent and responsible leamers
for the future.

❖ Learner-centered teaching puts students interests first, acknowledging student

voice as central to the learning experience. In a Learner centered learning
space, students choose what they will learn, how they will pace their learning,
and how they will assess their own learning.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING (Weimer, 2012)

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of

learning.

❖ Teachers let students do more learning tasks because the goal of learner-
centered teaching can only be achieved when teachers recognize that learning
is a process shared by both the teacher and students.
❖ Engaging in a hard, messy work of learning in the classroom is manifested
when teachers allow students to work via task-based and problem based
learning.

2.Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction.

❖ 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. They do not assume that
students pick up these skills on their own, automatically.”
❖ Explicit instruction is a term that summarizes a type of teaching in which lessons
are designed and delivered to novices to help them develop readily-available
background knowledge on a particular topic. Explicit teaching practices involve
showing students what to do and how to do it Explicit instruction is also known
as “fully guided” practice. Teachers who follow an explicit approach explain,
demonstrate and model everything: from blending sounds together to decode
words, to writing a complex sentence with figurative language, to kicking a
football.

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

learning and how they are learning it.

❖ “Learner-centered teachers talk about learning. In casual conversations, they

ask students what they are learning. In class they may talk about their own
learning. 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. Learner-centered teachers include learning
activity components in which students reflect analyze and critique what they are
learning and how they are learning it. The goal is to make students aware of
themselves as learners and to make learning skills something students want to
develop.”
 ❖ Learners need to understand the value of the subject, vocabulary, and skills
before they are willing to invest effort. The answers “It’s required curriculum,
“You need it for the test,” or “Because I say it’s important are intended to save
time, but they only result in students giving lip service to the rest of instruction.

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. They might give students some choice about which
assignments they complete. They might make classroom policies something
students can discuss. They might let students set assignment deadlines within
a given time window. They might ask students to help create assessment
criteria.”

5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration.

❖ “It sees classrooms (online or face-to-face) as communities of learners.

Learner- centered teachers recognize, and research consistently confirms, that
students can learn from, and with, each other. Certainly the teacher has the
expertise and an obligation to share it, but teachers can learn from students as
well. Learner-centered teachers undoubtedly have the experience and the
responsibility to share it but teachers should also learn from students. Learner
centric teachers are working to build frameworks which foster sha red
commitments of learning.”
❖ Learner-centered activities with this characteristic include interactions such as
engaging students on group works, and collaborative pairs.
❖ “Learner-centered learning is not about devaluing the knowledge, expertise and
authority of teachers. In fact, it demands more from them and draw on
wellsprings of creativity, forward planning, flexibility and resourcefulness.

Role of the Teacher

The teacher creates environment that:

❖ Foster Students Learning

❖ Accommodates different learning styles
❖ Motivates students to accept responsibility for learning
❖ Consistently and explicitly aligns objectives, teaching methods, and
assessment
❖ Utilizes multiple teaching techniques appropriate for student learning goals
❖ Design activities in which students interact with the material, the teacher,
and each other
❖ Inspires and encourages student ownership of learning

Dimensions of Learner-centered Teaching

 Dimensions of learning is a systematic structure of instructional planning that
mainly focus on learning. This framework has been customized to achieve some
important parameters in learning

According to Weimer (2002), there are five (5) practices or dimensions that
need to change to achieve learner-centered teaching.

1. THE FUNCTION OF CONTENT

In addition to building a knowledge base, the

content facilitates students to:

❖ Build an appreciation for value of content

❖ Build discipline-specific learning methodologies
❖ Practice using inquiry or ways of thinking in the
discipline
❖ Learn to solve real problems
❖ Content includes building a knowledge base, how the instructor and the
students use the content.

Content Strategy ( Marton and Saljo)

1. Surface Learning
When students concentrated on memorizing the facts, focused on the
discrete elements of the reading, failed to differentiate between evidence and
information, were unreflective, and saw the task as an external imposition.

2. Deep Learning
When students focused on what the author meant, related new
information to what they already knew and had experienced, worked to
organize and structure the content, and saw the reading as an important source
of learning

Constructivism
This theory is about the relationship between learners and content:
Constructivist approaches emphasize learners’ actively constructing their
own knowledge rather than passively receiving information transmitted to
them from teachers and textbooks.
2. THE ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR

The instructor creates an environment that:

❖ Fosters students learning

❖ Accommodates different learning styles
❖ Explicitly aligns Objectives, Teaching
Methods And Assessment

An essential role of the instructor is to assist

students to learn

Presence

❖ Physically place yourself among students when possible instead of standing in

front of them.
❖ Clearly communicate what type of availability you have outside of the
classroom for questions, concerns, or chats.

Facilitation of learning

❖ Act as a moderator during discussion.

❖ Be a source of information not only when it comes to content but also when it
comes to skills and ways of learning.
❖ Be conscious of using jargon with the students.
❖ Encourage collaboration and student teaching.

3. THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING

❖ The students should take responsibility for learning

❖ Often it is the faculty who does because we adapt our teaching to t requests/
needs of students through detailed notes, study guides
❖ Students should assume greater responsibility for their own learning over time.

Set the tone early on:

❖ Ask students to fill out a short survey at the beginning of the semester reflecting
on how they learn best and what new modes of learning they are open to.
❖ Set some time during syllabus review to create classroom standards that
students develop and commit to as a class. Make sure that these community
standards are available to students (i.e. posted on CourseWorks or in the
classroom).

Ownership and responsibility:

❖ Allow students to become stakeholders in the course objectives whenever

possible by soliciting input and feedback throughout the course on the syllabus,
lessons, assignments, and evaluations.
❖ Having students teach part of the material to their peers and present content,
be it through leading discussions, presenting exercises, etc.
 ❖ Get to know students: Why did they sign up for the class? What do they hope
to learn this semester? This can be done in class, office hours, or through email
to help them take responsibility for their learning.

4. THE PURPOSES AND PROCESSES OF ASSESSMENT

❖ Assessment is integrated within the learning process

❖ Instructors give formative feedback for the purposes of fostering improvement
❖ Students have multiple opportunities to assess themselves and their peers
❖ There are additional purposes and processes of assessment beyond assigning
grades.

Facilitate student success:

❖ Debrief assessments and exams. Talk through challenging sections, student

experiences, and what could be done differently.
❖ Reduce stress and anxiety associated with exams. Include students: what
would put their mind at ease and encourage success (without reducing fairness
or rigor)?
❖ Have regular, low-stakes quizzes throughout the course that encourage
students to stay engaged and assess their knowledge on an ongoing basis.
Communicate the purpose of these quizzes to the students.
❖ Have students mark up either each others' or a sample assignment (essays,
exam questions, etc.) as either peer-review or a way of studying/learning skills.
Include students in the evaluation process:
❖ Discuss the purpose of evaluation with students and outline goals: assess
student knowledge, reasoning, performance under pressure, or something else?
❖ Invite students to contribute to planning the format and potential questions for
exams.

5. THE BALANCE OF POWER

❖ Learner-centered approaches empower students to take responsibility and to

share in some of the decisions about their courses
❖ Students can have some say over some policies, deadlines
❖ Allows students some grading options
❖ The balance of power shifts so that the instructor shares some decisions about
the course with the students.

Engagement between facilitator and learners:

❖ Establish a trusting relationship and allow students to be critical of their learning

methods and the content they are studying.
❖ Ask students what they hope to gain from the course.
❖ Alternate learning methods to have varying levels of responsibility put on the
student throughout the course.
❖ Have students run discussions or present what they found challenging,
interesting, and/or thought-provoking in readings.

Continuous feedback and encouraging oneself:

 ❖ Actively request feedback about teaching methods and learning experiences.
❖ Have students work together to develop study guides.
❖ Outline options for review of material prior to an assessment, then gauge
student opinion on what works best for them.
❖ Give students assignment options to choose from so that they can engage with
the material in a way that they are confident and excited about.

Summary of the Dimensions of Learner-centered Teaching

Dimensions Definition An Instructor- Learner-

of this Essential centered centered
Dimension Component Approach Approach
The Function Content Level to Instructor allows Instructor
of Content includes which students to encourages
building a students memorize students to
knowledge engage content transform and
base, how content. reflect on most
the the content to
instructor make their own
and the meaning out of it.
students
use the
content
The Role of An Instructors Instructor does Instructor
the essential uses not have specific intentionally uses
Instructor role of the teaching learning goals various teaching
instructor is and learning and/or sees and learning
to assist methods teaching and methods that are
students to appropriate learning methods appropriate for
learn for student that conflict with student learning
learning learning goals goals.
goals
The Students Responsibilit Instructor Instructor
Responsibilit greater y for assumes all provides
y for responsibilit learning responsibility for increasing
Learning y for their should rest students learning opportunities for
own time. with the (provides content students to
to memorize, assume
should students does not require responsibility for
assume students to their own
create their own learning, leading
learning meaning of to achievement of
over content tells stated learning
students exactly objectives.
what will be on
examinations).
The There are Formative • Instructor Consistently
Purposes additional assessment uses only throughout the
 and purposes (giving summative learning process,
Processes of and feedback to assessment (to instructor
Assessment processes foster make decisions integrate
of improvemen to assign grades)
assessment t. • Provides • Formative
beyond students assessme
assigning with no nt
grades. constructi • Constructi
ve ve
feedback feedback
The Balance The Flexibility of Instructor Instructor is
of Power balance of course mandates all flexible on most
power shifts policies, policies and
so that the assessment deadlines. •
Course
instructor methods, policies
shares learning or • Assessme
some methods, nt
decisions and Instructor does methods
about the deadlines. not adhere to • Leaming
course with policies. methods
the
students. Deadlines and

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

• Learner-centered learning is a system of instruction that facilitates and

seek to instill students their needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural
background. Defined most simply as an approach to learning in which
learners choose not only what to study but also how and why that topic
might be of interest (Rogers, 1983).
• Teaching approaches are mainly 1) teacher-centered approach, 2) subject
matter-centered approach, 3) teacher-dominated approach, 4) banking
approach, and 5) learner-centered teaching.
• The characteristics of learner-centered teaching are 1) learner-centered
teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning, 2) learner-
centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction, 3) learner-centered
teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how
they are learning it, 4) learner-centered teaching motivates students by
giving them some control over learning processes, and 5) learner-centered
teaching encourages collaboration.
• The dimensions of Learner-centered teaching are 1) the function of
content, 2) the role of the instructor, 3) the responsibility for learning, 4)
the purposes and processes of assessment, and 5) the balance of power.

Read and answer carefully. Choose the best answer.

1. It address the distinct learning needs, interest, aspirations, or cultural

background of individual students and group of students.
a. Role of the teacher
b. Learner-centered learning
c. Learner-centered teaching

2. It is an approach where the teacher does what she or he planned without

necessarily considering learners' interest, concerns, and situation.
a. Teacher Dominated Approach
b. Teacher-centered Approach
c. Subject Matter-centered Approach

3. It is when student concentrated on memorizing the facts, focused on the

discrete elements of reading.
 a. Surface Learning
b. Constructivism
c. Deep Learning

4. In learner-centered teaching includes explicit instruction that is a task based

and problem based learning.
a. True
b. False
c. Maybe

5. The following are function of content EXCEPT one:

a. Learn to solve problems
b. Build an appreciation for value of content
c. Accommodates different learning styles

6. The following are the characteristics of learner-centered teaching EXCEPT one:

a. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration
b. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit instruction
c. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit learning

7. It is when students focused on what the author meant, related new information
to what they know and experience.
a. Deep Learning
b. Surface Learning
c. Constructivism

8. It is where the teacher is the only source of information.

a. Learner-centered teaching
b. Teacher-centered Approach
c. Teacher Dominated Approach

9. The following are the roles of the teacher EXCEPT one:

a. Inspires and encourages students ownership of learning
b. Foster students learning
c. Create both independent and responsible learners for the future

10. Give at least one teaching approach.

 References
https://ctl.columbia.edu/faculty/sapp/learner-centered-teaching/
Blumberg, P. (2008). Developing learner-centered teachers: A practical guide for
faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Blumberg, P. (2008). Implementing learner-centered approaches in your teaching
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Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-centered teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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