Week 5-6

MODULE 3- DESCRIBING THE TEACHER IN A LEARNER-CENTERED LEARNING

SETTING
The teacher takes the lead role in a learner-centered learning setting. Thus, teachers’
development contributes essentially to the success of the process inside the classroom.
Ang, et al. (2001) suggest the following attitudes and exercises to achieve of redefining this
learner-centered learning and teaching approach.
 It is genuinely believed that a learner-centered learning environment is necessary for the
total development of the learners.

 Both learners and teachers accept the changes in roles in this educational process.

 We locate within our curriculum opportunities for learners to engage in more

independent types of study.

 We begin developing instructional materials that support a learner-centered learning

environment.

 We sustain our interest in developing such an environment through constant dialogue and
discussion of ideas.

There are other items that could be added into the list. However, what is essential is the
acknowledgement of teachers’ abilities to develop attitudes to undertake successful activities.
Only that this is dependent on the level of personal and professional progress of teachers.
Not all can become teachers. Many individuals may try the profession, however, only with
calling for it and can find satisfaction with the job would remain fulfilled and stay in the job.
If the individual will find the “real teacher” in him/her, he/she might say “I am now a real
teacher” after undergoing a developmental process.
It is important that a teacher experiences growth in teaching as it is the key to an effective
learning-centered learning and teaching environment. The growth may be portrayed in the
following stages which young or novice teachers pass through as they transform into as trained
mentors.
STAGES OF GROWTH PROCESS FOR TEACHERS
Stage 1: Teaching is a job.
Initially, teachers tend to become ideals in managing their classrooms. They tend to focus
on themselves by putting themselves at the center of the class. Most, if not all, become conscious
on how they talk and communicate ideas in the class, how they carry themselves, how they
perform in class, and most especially, if they are teaching to the class the correct content.
Teachers could be particular in their styles of teaching, on answering students’ queries, giving
solutions to problems, or jumping into conclusions. They may also become super sensitive and
defensive on the remarks of their students, colleagues, and heads.
Teachers may also be too lax or too tight in handling their classes. Yet, they want their students
to like them. They try to relate and be friends with students. They want to project as an
accommodating and understanding kind of teacher.
Sometimes, teachers at this stage, start to create and earn an image, thus worrying whether to be
lenient or unable to disciple the learners. The ending may be becoming too strict and unrelenting.
Some teachers, especially the young ones, might even entertain the idea of having a feeling of
wanting to “get back at students” to equal the difficulties they have experienced when they were
student themselves.
Teachers may experience a lot of stress, tension, and worry because at this stage, they may have
not yet identified effective teaching styles suited to them. They are at this stage of worry for
mistakes. However, others may feel the ‘easy’ aspect of the job that is just going to the
classroom and meet the students and teach them. Mostly, teachers equate teaching with lecturing,
thus, others may feel, since they are able to do the lecture, then, they have done the job well.
Finally, at this stage teachers assess their teaching performance through looking into how
‘smooth’ or free-flowing the classroom is. No problem inside the class. No misbehavior. No
questions. According to Ang, et al., (2011), teachers tend to give grades according to what the
answers of the students are and not on how they arrive on that particular answer.
Stage 2: Teaching is a Career
At this stage, some of the teachers:
 Feel they already have their own identities as teachers
 Developed teaching styles
 Comfortable with classroom techniques
 Feel good getting along well with students
 More concerned about the subject matter
 Seek improvement of teaching methods
 Experiment with various classroom activities
 Read a lot
 Do some research on effective teaching approaches
 Are most creative
 Innovate in making classes interesting and exciting
 Accept questions wholeheartedly
 Excited with complicated questions from students
Stage 3: Teaching is a Vocation
At this stage, teachers:
 Experience transformation of teaching from a career to a vocation
 Transcended the “I” stage and no longer worry our selves
 Realize that learners are the center of the class, not them as teachers nor the subject
 Realize learners are the CORE of the teaching-learning process
 Start seeing learners as unique individuals than similar members of a group
 Develop a parent-child or teacher-disciple relationship
 Promotes genuine sharing of ideas and of selves
 Think about learners naturally
 Concerned with learners when they do not understand the lesson
 Get affected when learners fail or get a low grade
 Become attentive to the needs of the learners
 Listens carefully and intentionally to the learners with their whole heart

NURTURING THE GROWTH OF LEARNER-CENTERED LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT
At Stage 1, teachers:
 Are most likely unprepared to create a learner-centered environment
 Think they know everything while the learners don’t
 Are afraid that learners will know that they do not know all so they are not engaging in
genuine discussions
 Are ‘fearful’ to be labeled as ‘not knowledgeable’
 Concerned about getting the correct answers immediately
 Are ‘not that patient’ going through all the process but focusing on ‘get the teaching
done’
At Stage 2, teachers:
 Start with creating a learner-centered environment
 With an opportunity and a little confidence in creating this learner-centered environment
 Initiate shifting of focus from selves to the subject matter to the learners
 Wonder why learners do not easily get the lesson and search for answers
 Begin on assessing how the lesson has been taught, analyzing the approach
 Admit that probably the lesson is ‘difficult to grasp’ for the learners
 Consult experts, go to libraries, read journals attend conference discuss issues with
colleagues
At Stage 3, teachers:
  Most ready and equipped to co-construct with the learners in a learner-centered
environment
 Appreciate the varying levels of readiness, needs, interests, learning styles, and thinking
skills of the learners (prerequisites of learner-centeredness)
 Able to understand the success or failure of the teaching
 The search for effective teaching techniques becomes complex
 Accommodate multiple approaches to suit the unique learners
 Allow for more open, unstructured, and well-guided learning
These all lead towards a learner-centered environment, transforming teaching into a
vocation
UNDERSTANDING STAGES OF A TEACHER’S DEVELOPMENT: SOME
LIMITATIONS

The teacher’s development is with three (3) cautionary notes

1. Stages are descriptive rather than prescriptive

-provide a tentative theory about the complex processes the teachers go through
-mean to serve as indicators of teachers’ skills and attitudes attendant to the maintenance
of learner-centered learning environment
-the stages can give teachers a clue on the direction of growth
-attempts to illustrate patterns often observed among teachers
2. The progression from one stage to another is different for each teacher.
-teachers differ qualitatively, according to qualifications
3. The stages are reminders for teachers to reflect upon own teaching.
-teaching is a phenomenological moment and the best way is to practice metacognition
-teachers need to become experts in teaching themselves the ‘art of teaching better’