Student-Centered Learning: Empowering Students in Their Educational Journey
The term "student-centered learning" has broad implications and may encompass a wide variety of potential instructional strategies and academic programs. Because of this broadness, it may be difficult to determine precisely what the term is referring to when it is used without qualification, specific examples, or additional explanation. In some cases, the term may have a very specific, technical meaning, but in others, it may be vague, undecipherable jargon. It is important to clarify the meaning and application of student-centered learning to avoid confusion and ensure effective implementation.
Defining Student-Centered Learning
Student-centered learning (SCL), also known as learner-centered education, broadly encompasses methods of teaching that shift the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student. In contrast to teacher-centered approaches, SCL engages students as leaders and decision-makers in their own learning. Student-centered classrooms include students in planning, implementation, and assessments.
Personalized Learning vs. Student-Centered Learning
Some educators use the term synonymously with "personalized learning" (and related terms), while others see personalized learning as one aspect of student-centered learning, but not a synonymous term or concept. In student-centered learning, students’ interest drives education. Student-centered learning gives students the opportunity to decide two things: what material they learn and how they learn it.
Historical Context
Dating back to the 1930s, if not earlier, American educators have used the terms "teacher-centered" and "student-centered" to describe two distinct approaches to instruction. Teacher-centered typically refers to learning situations in which the teacher asserts control over the material that students study and the ways in which they study it-i.e., when, where, how, and at what pace they learn it. In contrast, student-centered typically refers to forms of instruction that, for example, give students opportunities to lead learning activities, participate more actively in discussions, design their own learning projects, explore topics that interest them, and generally contribute to the design of their own course of study.
Education researchers and historians have found that teacher-centered instruction has been the dominant mode in American public schools for more than a century, and evidence suggests that only a small fraction of instructional settings in American public schools could be considered authentically "student-centered" (though a greater proportion of teachers might describe their approach to instruction as "student-centered"). That said, some aspects of student-centered instruction-such as the arrangement of desks into circles or small groups, or assignments that allow students to choose their own reading materials-have been widely adopted by teachers.
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Core Principles of Student-Centered Learning
Several key components define student-centered learning environments. These include:
Individualized Needs: Student-centered learning environments are highly tuned in to students’ individual needs.
Student Voice and Choice: Including a student’s voice in the co-creation of a learning plan or pathway. The closely related characteristic of choice by students further internalizes the value of learning for them. By providing options for students, relating to the format of their learning (e.g., independent work, teacher-led instruction, Socratic seminars, project-based learning, internships, online or digital options, etc.), and to a degree, the content of their learning, we tap into the intrinsic value and relevance of learning.
Flexible Assessment: Furthermore, the manner in which we assess students should also be flexible. Student-centered learning typically involves more formative assessment and less summative assessment than teacher-centered learning. In student-centered learning, students participate in the evaluation of their learning. This means that students are involved in deciding how to demonstrate their learning.
Mastery-Based Progression: Another critical characteristic of student-centered learning environments is the academic progression of students based on the demonstration of mastery or competence of predetermined standards. Earlier, we mentioned that all students learn differently, and this also includes that all students progress at different paces. With an established standard of expected performance, all students can work toward competency along their own pathway and at their own pace.
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Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment: In an effective student-centered learning environment, all three of these characteristics are governed by a process that is committed to the continuous monitoring and adjustment of individual student learning pathways.
The Role of the Teacher in Student-Centered Learning
In student-centered learning, teachers serve as experts and key sources of knowledge, and students share responsibility for accessing that knowledge.
Facilitator vs. Instructor
A further distinction from a teacher-centered classroom to that of a student-centered classroom is when the teacher acts as a facilitator, as opposed to an instructor. Classroom roles shift in SCL, as students take on leadership and teachers move away from being the sole deliverers of content.
Providing Structure and Guidance
Teachers provide the structure and guidance that enables students to overcome challenges and see how their classwork connects to larger interests and goals. For example, at XQ school PSI High in Sanford, Florida, teachers create visual content maps that students and parents can access to see the big picture of the student learning journey in any particular unit.
Sharing Power and Empowering Learners
As the authority, teachers decide if they will "share" power by empowering learners. Placing students at the center of their own learning requires their collaboration. They need a voice in why, what, and how learning experiences take shape. Teachers must become comfortable with changing their leadership style from directive to consultative -- from "Do as I say" to "Based on your needs, let's co-develop and implement a plan of action."
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Why: Learners need to understand the value of the subject, vocabulary, and skills before they are willing to invest effort. Showing relevance from students' perspective is similar to teachers experiencing professional development that is job-embedded.
What: Let their interests drive the content that teaches skills and concepts. The best strategy is simply asking what students want to explore. Start with a brainstorm of what they like to do, and dialog together to match their interests with the skills and concepts.
How: Offer a variety of product options based on what you know about your students. A safe approach is to offer three options. The teacher designs two options based on what most students may like to do. The third choice is a blank check -- students propose their own product or performance. If a proposal meets the academic requirements, perhaps with some negotiation, the student gets a green light.
Benefits of Student-Centered Learning
More schools are moving to an SCL approach because of the benefits it yields for students. The pedagogy used in SCL environments is designed with students at the core-it activates prior student knowledge, connects to students’ experiences, and adapts to their needs.
Increased Motivation: Teachers can put student-centered learning to use in their classrooms to increase students’ motivation.
Ownership of Learning: Help students take ownership over their learning.
Stronger Relationships: Build strong relationships. Strong relationships with trusted adults give students the confidence and motivation they need to take leadership in their learning.
Academic Success: A study from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education examined the academic outcomes of students at four SCL schools in California.
Implementing Student-Centered Learning
Even though the benefits of SCL are high, it’s not always easy to envision how student-centered learning will work in practice, especially for schools that are structured more traditionally. However, the success of many schools in transitioning to SCL shows that the initial difficulties of SCL can be overcome.
Seeking Student Input
First, you have to get input from students themselves. We built this student self assessment tool during hybrid learning, and it continues to support conversations with students around educational goals.
Understanding Individual Circumstances
Finally, as you work to create lessons that meet the personalized needs of students, it’s crucial to keep in mind how each student’s experience and capacity at school is impacted by their individual circumstances. Understanding-and having empathy for-every student is crucial to building a learning plan that works for them.
System-Level Reorganization
Additionally, the Nellie Mae review of SCL studies study shows that schools that were most successful in implementing SCL did so at a systems level-reorganizing how time and relationships functioned throughout the whole school, and providing teachers with structural support the whole way through.
Theoretical Foundations of Student-Centered Learning
Theorists like John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, whose collective work focused on how students learn, have informed the move to student-centered learning.
John Dewey: Dewey was an advocate for progressive education, and he believed that learning is a social and experiential process by making learning an active process as children learn by doing.
Carl Rogers: Carl Rogers's ideas about the formation of the individual also contributed to student-centered learning.
Self-Determination Theory: Self-determination theory focuses on the degree to which an individual's behavior is self-motivated and 'self-determined'. When students are allowed to gauge their learning, learning becomes an incentive, thus more meaningful.
Lev Vygotsky: According to Lev Vygotsky's theory of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), students typically learn vicariously through one another. Scaffolding is important when fostering independent thinking skills. Vygotsky proclaims, "Learning which is oriented toward developmental levels that have already been reached is ineffective from the viewpoint of the child's overall development.
Student-Centered Learning in Higher Education
Student-centered learning environments have been shown to be effective in higher education. They have been defined specifically within higher education as both a mindset and a culture within a given educational institution and as a learning approach broadly related to, and supported by, constructivist theories of learning.
Addressing Challenges and Misconceptions
While student-centered learning has sometimes been criticized as a fuzzy concept that refers to a vague assortment of teaching strategies, or that means different things to different educators, in recent years some education reformers and researchers have sought to define the term with greater precision.
The Importance of Clear Learning Goals
Traditional course design methods focus on the teacher as the primary agent of learning. This process risks resulting in a learning experience that is ill-defined, where students don't know what they are supposed to be learning. Ultimately the course may fail to impart the real skills that students want or are expected to gain. Student learning goals should come first.
We advocate for a more student-centered process, where the learning goals come first and design questions are framed from the student's perspective. This method tends to result in learning experiences that are more cohesive, transparent, and intentional. Often called "Backward Design" this method inverts the sequence of the traditional model.
The process begins defining the course goals by asking the question "What will students be able to do at the end of the course?" The answer to that question, the learning goal, is separated into smaller student learning objectives (SLO). As a whole, the objectives should sum up to the broader course goals and be specific, demonstrable, and measurable. This is a critical step, as clear SLOs will help to inform every aspect of the design.
Next, determine the most appropriate assessment by asking "How will students know if they are meeting the learning objective?" The next two steps are informed by the assessments. Any course design process is iterative. Expect to adjust your goals and objectives throughout the design process. You'll likely find that they need more definition, or perhaps new objectives will emerge. Course design is also an interdependent and holistic process. Every major course element is interconnected with the others.
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