Eronn J D.

Ortega
1801491
Bachelor of Physical Education

Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher

Teachers encourage student-centered learning by allowing students to share in
decisions, believing in their capacity to lead, and remembering how it feels to
learn.
By John McCarthy
September 9, 2015
Have you ever attended a conference session and seen groups of teachers
leave in the middle? It's painful to watch, yet completely understandable.
Often, they leave because the session was not what they expected. Let's be
honest: when teachers and/or administrators attend learning experiences, what
is the one non-negotiable expectation -- without which the session is deemed a
failure?

Answer: Leaving with skills and strategies that can be used immediately to
impact instruction and work-related responsibilities.

Achieving this goal means understanding what the participant’s value, and
engaging them in those areas. Effective professional development caters to
what teachers think will help them become more effective. This also applies to
their students. The learners may not be allowed to leave the classroom when
the instruction doesn't involve them, but there are many other ways that they
check out.

Student-centered classrooms include students in planning, implementation,

and assessments. Involving the learners in these decisions will place more
work on them, which can be a good thing. Teachers must become comfort able
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."

This first of my three posts on student-centered classrooms starts with the

educator. As the authority, teachers decide if they will "share" power by
empowering learners.

Allow Students to Share in Decision Making

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.
Why is about relevance. Learners need to understand the value of the subject,
vocabulary, and skills before they are willing to invest effort. The answers "its
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. Showing relevance from students' perspective
is similar to teachers experiencing professional development that is job -
embedded.

What is learned involves students choosing the focus of content. Let their
interests drive the content that teaches skills and concepts. For example, when
learning how to write persuasively, some students may want to deconstruct
commercials, product reviews, op-eds, and/or social issue points of view. 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 learning will be demonstrated depends on the different ways that students
processes understanding. 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. Some examples include using
Minecraft to design models and prototypes, presenting through social media
tools, or writing in a professional medium.

Believe in Students' Capacity to Lead

Give students the chance to take charge of activities, even when they may not
quite have all the content skills. Students are accomplished education
consumers. The child in third grade knows three years of teaching and
learning, and the high school sophomore has experienced ten years.

While content increases in complexity, the school environment does not

change dramatically. Students experience math, science, English, and history,
plus other subjects, and interact with education experts (teachers). Veteran
students, like experienced teachers, know what types of learning experiences
work best for themselves.

Reduce teacher direct instruction by increasing student -led learning activities.

Some approaches include:

 Interest-based choices

 Interest centers (also applies to middle and high school students)

  Genius Hour

Recognize That Students Are Reflections of Us as Learners

When educators feel that their professional experiences are respected during
workshops and courses, their buy-in and involvement increases. Confidence
rises as they understand how their existing expertise fits into the new concepts
being taught.

Children and teens have the same need for curriculum to be presented in a
context that's meaningful to them. They need to understand how their existing
talents fit and how they can confidently apply the skills in a meaningful way to
their lives outside of school. Show real-world relationships where possible in
lessons. For a deeper experience, have students apply the skills in ways that
support or enhance their current "real world." This can be approached in
individual lessons or as a unit. For example, Loudoun County (Virginia)
teachers, led by Dr. Eric Williams, launched one to World, which provides
student-centered learning experiences.

Give Up Need for Control

My fifth-grade son shared these words of wisdom regarding school vs. home
activities: "Why do they (teachers) keep talking about the real world out there?
This is my real world."

Children and teens produce volumes of content through social media, such as
YouTube, podcasts, Minecraft, and Twitch. Some earn money in the process.
For their passions, these youths generate a following and join others as they
establish and extend social networks. When these same content authors and
entrepreneurs enter schools, all that they know and can p roduce is set aside.
Yet when they leave school, they collect skills left outside and reconnect with
their real-world networks.

Students bring much to the table that would engage and deepen their learning
journey. My next two posts will delve into empoweri ng learners in a student-
centered classroom. The difficult challenge -- and first step -- is teacher
commitment to reflect on practices that support students taking the lead.

Embrace the possibilities.

References:https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-starts-
with-teacher-john-mccarthy
Reflection
The teacher should be allowing the students to their decision in life and also to
have implementation to achieved their goal, and to be a professional.