Student-Centered Learning :: Education Teaching Papers

Student-Centered Learning Recently, the buzzword for school wide educational sort out is student- touch learning. My last year teaching, the administration threw around this term, yet no in-services were in place on this subject in order to accomplish the goal. Even capital of Georgia Public Schools strategic technology plan uses the common student-centered learning phrase, Teachers will move from mentor in the center to guide on the side. However, very some teachers actually use this approach in their classrooms. One example of an excellent student-centered learning activity was Biomes in a Box. A colleague of mine utilise this project, her students work in teams to seek and create a biome of a particular climate of their choosing. I observed students using various forms of media including the Internet and CD-ROM resources to research their particular biome. They constructed the climate conditions of that biome using various raw materials at their disposal. In the end, they presented their biome to the class with an oral discussion of the climatic elements involved with that biome. The students were so proud and so participatingly involved in their learning. It was a great success. I am sure that Biomes in a Box will be one lesson those students wise(p) in that school. Even though some teachers use this new approach successfully in their class, my concern is that not all of the teachers can or take down know how to change from the mentor in the center to guide on the side. Has the school systems come up with way to change the mindsets of these teachers and show them how to make their classrooms active learning environments? No, they are just content to throw the phrase around without determining how to bring about student-centered learning in the classrooms. So what is Student centered learning? Is it the cure all for the ailing public education system? What tools need to be in place in order to facilitate a student-centered learning environmen t? What kind of in-service or extra training will be necessary in order to foster the student-centered classroom? In this paper, I will define student-centered learning, explain the key attributes to this type of learning process, and identify the tools that will facilitate its growth.From Mentor in the Center to Guide on the side of meat Students should be presented with real life problems and then helped to discover information required to solve them John Dewey