Name : Tasya Azzahra Wisnu Putri

NIM : 20020084034

Class : Argumentative Writing B

Proofreader : Ahmad Dhany (20020084033)

Teacher-Centered vs Student-Centered in Language Teaching, which one is better?

It is harder to be a teacher who designs truly student-centered learning environments –

Catlin Tucker. From this quote arise questions about what makes student-centered learning
difficult to be applied? Also, what makes it different from teacher-centered learning? These
questions are related to the learning method, which is one of the debatable issues until now.
In theory, according to Yunus (2018), student-centered learning is an approach in which all
activities are more concentrated on students than teachers. In comparison, teacher-centered
learning is an approach in which all activities are more concentrated on teachers than
students. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, choosing one of
them leads to avoiding the benefits of each other (Lak, Soleimani & Parvaneh, 2017). In
reality, there are many teachers who still prefer to use teacher-centeredness as an approach
(Dewi, 2017). However, student-centered learning is recognised as more suited for teaching
English as a foreign language (Lak, Soleimani & Parvaneh, 2017). Thus, despite the fact that
many teachers prefer to use teacher-centered learning, I agree that student-centered learning
is better to be applied because it has more benefits.

Student-centered learning stimulates student’s curiosity which makes the learning

process more interactive and effective. However, the opponents of student-centered learning
claim that teacher-centered learning is the most effective learning strategy. They think that
the learning process will run well and effectively if the students are quiet and put all of their
focus on listening to the teacher’s explanation only. Indeed, students in teacher-centered
learning are passive, which only respond to the external stimuli (Serin, 2018). It means that
they will not give a response unless the teacher lets them say something. However, there is
not enough evidence that supports the opponent’s argument. On the other hand, another
research states that learning can be effective if the teacher is able to provide a democratic
education to the students (Goodlad, 2004). It means that the students also have a right to be
an active learner during their learning process. Coincidentally, this fact is relevant with
student-centered learning. In student-centered learning, the teachers give more stimulus
which means they do not transmit the knowledge directly (Serin, 2018). They give an
opportunity for students to develop their own understanding by relating their prior knowledge
with what they learn. As a result, their critical thinking and curiosity will improve because
there will be a condition when they need to ask for clarification from the teacher. As a
facilitator, the teacher will provide the knowledge they need. This kind of learning
environment will deepen students' understanding which will make the learning process
become more interactive and effective.

Besides stimulating student’s curiosity, student-centered learning also can improve

their academic achievement. Unfortunately, this statement is refuted by the opponents. They
claim that the academic achievement of students in student-centered learning is no higher
than those of students in teacher-centered learning. They think by the way the teacher
controls everything, it can guarantee the students to have better academic achievement.
Indeed, in teacher-centered learning all the learning materials, teaching methods, curriculum,
and forms of assessment are already provided by the teacher (Duckworth, 2009). However, it
cannot completely support the idea that students in teacher-centered learning can get higher
academic achievement because there is not enough evidence related to it. Such an argument
completely ignores the fact that good relationship between the teacher and student actually is
the real factor that can increase student academic achievement (Kaput, 2018). Eventually, this
fact is included in the characteristic of student-centered learning. Student-centered learning
encourages both teacher and student to have a good relationship so that they can collaborate
well. A good collaboration can create a comfortable learning environment in which both
teacher and student can be supportive and communicative toward each other during the
learning process. So, whatever the challenges that are faced by the students are, they can
directly consult or communicate with their teacher without feeling nervous or afraid because
they already trust the teacher that makes them feel secure and comfortable. Therefore, the
role of the teacher is to help create a space, community, and process that supports the
students’ particular needs (Pendoley, 2019). In addition, teacher’s trust also plays an
important role for students’ success because it enables them to be more confident. When they
believe that they are capable enough, they feel more motivated and engaged in the learning
process. These can make students perform better in their learning and result in better
academic achievement.

Student-centered learning also encourage the students to be more independent with

their own learning. However, the final argument advanced by the opponents of student-
centered learning refute this statement. They claim if the students are encouraged to be
independent, they will be more difficult in overcoming some obstacles during the learning
process because the teacher’s instruction is rarely used, compared with those in teacher-
centered learning. Also, they think that dominated instructions by the teacher is necessary
because it makes the learning process more efficient. However, this argument was opposed
by the study that stated the concept of “spoon feeding” is not appropriate for the students
because it enables them to learn self-responsibility and independence (Nunan, 2015; Harsono,
2008). In fact, the teacher in student-centered learning gives an opportunity for the students to
play an active role in the learning process. They are offered to make a decision about what
they learn, how they learn, and when they learn it. This opportunity encourages the students
to learn independently in which there is no direct guidance from the teacher. The teacher only
facilitate and lead them to primary concentration (Attard et al., 2010). Thus, when the
students are able to do independent learning, it means they can create their own learning
strategy. This learning strategy allows students to develop their understanding of what they
are learning. Once they understand, they can easily overcome some challenges on their own,
which makes the learning more meaningful. This will make them more responsible with their
own learning.

In conclusion, student-centered learning is better to be applied because it has many

benefits for the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Student-centered learning
stimulates students’ curiosity better, which makes the learning process more interactive and
effective. It also engages a good relationship between the teacher and the student which can
affect students’ academic achievement positively. In addition, the students are offered to be
independent learners, so it means they become more responsible with their own learning. As
a result, through student-centered learning, the students can improve their critical thinking,
decision making, communication, and problem solving skills which is very important to
support their growth, especially in this era.