What are your thoughts about student-centered instruction?

"Who's responsibility is
it?" for making learner-centered environments work.
Student-centered instruction
I feel student centered classrooms offer students the opportunity to be active in
their own learning experience. My thought all classrooms should be mandated to
be student-centered. Student centered classroom would force students to stop
sitting by casually while instructors did all the work. Teaching is exhausting and
many teachers leave the profession after five years. Students need to step up their
initiative to learn, participate in what and how they want to learn while creating
problem solving and collaborative skills with peers.
The responsibility for making sure the concept of learner-centered environments
work is the responsibility of the superintendent, building administrator, teacher and
student. The superintendent has a responsibility to make sure the district and every
classroom displays a learning-centered environment. The building principals has the
responsibility by classroom observation making sure learning centered classrooms
are implemented. The teacher is responsible for facilitating instruction and the
student is responsible for active learning. The ultimate success of the studentcentered environment is not comprised of one member, but the superintendent,
building principal, teacher, student and parent.
What skills do you think teachers need?
I think teachers should attend professional development workshop on strategies on
transforming teacher centered to student centered environments. The strategies
would include and emphasize distinctions between classrooms environments
focused on teacher control to student control classroom. Teachers will have to be
given the tools, lessons, curriculum, tips for transformation and release of ultimate
control in the classroom. Teachers need strategies on developing active lessons
which make students active. I think most teachers would need consistent
workshops, guidance, mentors and lead teachers to help them accomplish the skill.
The strategies would include methods on making their classroom active learning
centered where students are responsible every day for constructing their own
learning experience. According to Barr & Tag, (1995) instructors must be willing to
emphasize learning while sharing power with learners in the classroom.

What about students? Student are resilient and will take the lead of the teacher.
Students must take responsibility for their learning if they are to make it in the 21st
century. Learning must be sought after the student and put in to meaningful
activities, lessons and inquiries by the teacher. In the student centered classroom
learning is differentiated and individualized and often done in groups.

What kinds of skills and prior learning experiences do student need to

make student-centered learning work?
In order to make student-centered learning work, students must become more
participatory in obtaining the knowledge and expertise they need in the classroom
environment. Students must be aware of their learning environment and
understand what they are comprehending, why and the relevance
What are some specific strategies that might be used to make sure that
students are ready to be 'student-centered' learners?
Teachers can take steps to move away from teacher centered classroom
environments where students are passive to student centered classroom where
students are actively. Slowly the classroom can be transformed from lectures and
traditional teaching to problem based learning, and resource-based learning