BioEducation 11

LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics

A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS

Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics

A. Learner-centered teaching
B.Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching

Introduction:

What is Learner-Centered Teaching?

1. An approach to teaching that focuses on the learners and their development rather than on the
transmission of content; it addresses the balance of power in teaching and learning, moves toward
learners actively constructing their own knowledge, and puts the responsibility for learning on the
learners. Learn more in: Creating Collaboration in Global Online Learning: Case Studies
2.Students learn information by systematically examining the subject and critically assessing the
situation. Students are active members of this learning process. Learn more in: START Model in
Science Teaching
3.Teaching methods that put the learner and the learner’s needs at the center of the lesson. Learn
more in: Active Learning, Student Engagement, and Motivation: The Importance of Caring Behaviors
in Teaching
4.A teaching approach where students are required to take on active learner roles and responsibilities
beyond listening passively to instructors’ lectures and taking notes. Learn more in: A Learner-Centered
Approach to Technology Integration: Online Geographical Tools in the ESL Classroom
5.As proposed by Dr. Maryellen Weimer, the five characteristics of learner-centered teaching are: 1)
directly engaging students in the hard, messy work of learning; 2) providing explicit skill instruction;
3) encouraging students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it; 4)
motivating students by giving them some control over learning processes; and 5) encouraging
instructor-student and student-student collaboration. Learn more in: Polk State College's Engineering
Technology Program: An Innovative Solution to Industry Demands and Student Success

Learning Outcomes:

In this lesson, you are expected to:

a. demonstrate a classroom activity that encompass teacher-centered or learner-centered
teaching

Warm-Up and Central Activity:

Register and watch the video:

https://study.com/academy/lesson/facilitation-strategies-for-learner-centered-teachers.html

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS
A. Learner-Centered teaching vs Teacher-Centered Teaching

Learner-centered pedagogy creates an environment that speaks to the heart of learning. It encourages
students to deeply engage with the material, develop a dialogue, and reflect on their progress
(Weimer, 2002). It represents a shift away from the “sage-on-the-stage” mentality and puts the
students’ learning at center stage (King, 1993). As students gain greater access to information, it is the
educator’s role to guide the application and assimilation of that information into real-world problems.
The foundation of learner-centered teaching is rooted in a constructivist framework of learning
theory. Constructivists postulate that humans are perceivers and interpreters who construct meaning
from new and prior experiences (Jonassen, 1991).

The anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “children must be taught how to think, not what to think” .
The notion of engaging students in learning and educating them to be critical thinkers requires a shift
in pedagogy from the teacher being at the center of the classroom to the learner being at the center
(Table 1.1). In teacher-centered pedagogy, the focus is on the instructor and students work
independently. The instructor controls the conversation and makes corrections to students’
responses. The instructor also evaluates students’ learning (Figure 1.1). In learner-centered pedagogy,
the role of the teacher is more that of a coach than a person with all the answers. The focus is on both
the instructor and students. Learning occurs through the process of interaction between the instructor
and students and among the students (Figure 1.2). Both the instructor and students answer questions
and provide feedback and corrective measures when needed. Both the instructor and students
evaluate students’ learning. A similar approach occurs during clinical teaching, when trainees are
taught to round together and care for a patient as a team rather than individually.

TABLE 1.1
Teacher-Centered Versus Learner-Centered Pedagogy
Teacher Centered Learner Centered
Focus is on the instructor Focus is on both students and the instructor
Students work individually Students work in groups or alone, depending on the
activity
The instructor observes and corrects students’ The instructor provides feedback and corrective action
responses when needed
Only the instructor answers students’ questions Students may answer each other’s questions and use
the instructor as a resource
Only the instructor evaluates students’ learning Students evaluate their own learning, which is
supported by the instructor

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS

FIGURE 1.1
Focus in teacher-centered pedagogy.

FIGURE 1.2
Focus in learner-centered pedagogy.

2 021

Five characteristics of teaching that make it learner centered (Weimer, 2002):

1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning.

2. It is teaching that motivates and empowers students by giving them some control over
learning processes.
3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how
they are learning it.
4. It is teaching that encourages collaboration, acknowledging the classroom (be it virtual or real)
as a community where everyone shares the learning agenda.
5. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction. It teaches students how to think,
solve problems, evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, and generate hypotheses.

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS

DOMAINS OF LEARNER-CENTERED PEDAGOGY

TABLE 1.2
Five Domains of Learner-Centered Teaching
Factor
Role of the teacher
Balance of power
Function of content
Responsibility of learning
Process and purposes of
evaluation
Learner-Centered Pedagogy Example
Instructional action should focus on Approaches that avoid the tendency to tell
students’ learning students what to learn:
• Not “reading the syllabus” to
students
• Providing “how-to” study advice
Faculty share decision making about Assignment choices and policy setting
learning with students
Content should be used to build a Approaches that do not separate learning
knowledge base and develop learning strategies from content:
skills and learner self-awareness • End-of-class summaries
• Exam-review sessions
Cocreate learning environments that Student-driven activities to create
motivate students to accept constructive classroom climates and logical
responsibility for learning consequences
Evaluation activities should also be Self- and peer-assessment
used to promote learning and
develop self- and peer-assessment Evaluation of participation
skills

Source: Adapted from Weimer (2002).

Teacher-Centered Philosophies are essential for the longevity of education and the continued
influence of teachers in the classroom.

1. Essentialism. This philosophy advocates training the mind. Essentialist educators focus on
transmitting a series of progressively difficult topics and promotion of students to the next
level or grade. Subjects are focused on the historical context of the material world and culture,
and move sequentially to give a solid understanding of the present day. This philosophy
stresses core knowledge in reading, writing, math, science, history, foreign language, and
technology. The tools include lecturing, memorization, repetition, practice, and assessment..
A typical day at an essentialist school might have seven periods, with students attending a
different class each period. The teachers impart knowledge mainly through conducting
lectures, during which students are expected to take notes. The students are provided with
practice worksheets or hands-on projects, followed by an assessment of the learning material
covered during this process. The students continue with the same daily schedule for a
semester or a year. When their assessments show sufficient competence, they are promoted
to the next grade or class to learn more difficult material. For each class, the school board has
approved a specific curriculum, which must be taught, although how it is taught is left to the
teacher’s discretion.
2. Perennialism is the educational philosophy that the importance of certain works transcends
time. The goal of a perennialist education is to teach students to think rationally and develop
minds that can think critically. A perennialist classroom aims to be a closely organized and
well-disciplined environment, which develops in students a lifelong quest for the truth. They

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS
believe that education should epitomize a prepared effort to make these ideas available to
students and to guide their thought processes toward the understanding and appreciation of
the great works, works of literature written by history’s finest thinkers that transcend time
and never become outdated. Perennialists are primarily concerned with the importance of
mastery of the content and development of reasoning skills. The old adage “the more things
change, the more they stay the same” summarizes the perennialists’ perspective on
education. Skills are still developed in a sequential manner. For example, reading, writing,
speaking, and listening are emphasized in the early grades to prepare students in later grades
to study literature, history, and philosophy.

Learner-Centered Philosophies

Progressivism is based on the positive changes and problem-solving approach. Progressivist are
outcome focused and don’t simply impart learned facts. Teachers are less concerned with passing on
the existing culture and strive to allow students to develop an individual approach to tasks provided
to them.

John Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and John Dewey (1859–1952) are the guiding minds of
progressivism. Rousseau maintained that people are basically good and that society is responsible for
corrupting them. He supported education in nature, away from the city and the influences of
civilization, where the child’s interests (as opposed to a written set of guidelines) would guide the
curriculum.

John Dewey proposed that people learn best by social interaction and problem solving. Dewey
developed the scientific method of problem solving and experimentalism. As a result of the varied
opinions emerging from the movement, progressivism was not developed into a formalized,
documented educational philosophy. Progressivists did, however, agree that they wanted to move
away from certain characteristics of traditional schools. In particular, they were keen to remove
themselves from the textbook-based curriculum and the idea of teachers as disseminators of
information, in favor of viewing teachers as facilitators of thinking.

The progressivist classroom is about exploration and experience. Teachers act as facilitators in a
classroom where students explore physical, mental, moral, and social growth. Common sights in a
progressivist classroom might include: small groups debating, custom-made activities, and learning
stations. Teachers typically walk freely among the groups, guiding them using suggestions and
thought-provoking questions.

Social reconstructionism is an educational philosophy that views schools as tools to solve social
problems. Social reconstructionists reason that, because all leaders are the product of schools, schools
should provide a curriculum that fosters their development. Reconstructionists not only aim to
educate a generation of problem solvers, but also try to identify and correct many noteworthy social
problems that face our nation, with diverse targets including racism, pollution, homelessness, poverty,
and violence. Rather than a philosophy of education, reconstructionism may be referred to as more
of a remedy for society that seeks to build a more objective social order.

The reconstructionist classroom contains a teacher who involves the students in discussions of moral
dilemmas to understand the implications of one’s actions. Students individually select their objectives

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS
and social priorities and then, with guidance from the teacher, create a plan of action to make the
change happen.

For example, a class may read an article on texting while driving and watch a documentary on the
need for awareness in school systems. In addition, a police officer or a loved one of someone who has
been affected by texting while driving may speak to the class and describe dangerous and/or fatal
events that have resulted from choosing to text while driving. If the article, the movie, and the speaker
inspire them, the students may take on a long-term awareness project.

Existentialism promotes attentive personal consideration about personal character, beliefs, and
choices. The primary question existentialists ask is whether they want to define who they are
themselves, or whether they want society to define them. Although freedom and individuality are
highly valued American principles, existentialists argue that there is an underlying message of
conformity. Rather than the belief that the mind needs to understand the universe, existentialists
assume that the mind creates its universe. Their beliefs incorporate the inevitability of death, as the
afterlife cannot be experienced personally with the current senses, focusing on the fact that the
experience we have of the world is temporary and should be appreciated as such.

Education from an existentialist perspective places the primary emphasis on students’ directing their
own learning. Students search for their own meaning and direction in life as well as define what is true
and what is false, what is pleasant and satisfying, what is unpleasant and dissatisfying, and what is
right or wrong. The goal of an existentialist education is to train students to develop their own unique
understanding of life. An existentialist classroom typically involves the teachers and school laying out
what they feel is important and allowing the students to choose what they study. All students work
on different, self-selected assignments at their own pace. Teachers act as facilitators, directing
students in finding the most appropriate methods of study or materials, and are often seen as an
additional resource, alongside books, computers, television, newspapers, and other materials that are
readily available to students.

Assessment and Wrap-Up:

Group yourselves into 10 and come up with a 5-minute classroom activity that encompass
both teacher-centered and learner-centered teaching. This will be presented on February 14,
2023. Please come on time and be ready with your materials (depending on the activity
conceptualized. Topic will be about biology.

A quiz will be administered in your mvle on February 9, 2023 during your class period.

References:

https://connect.springerpub.com/content/book/978-0-8261-7718-
6/part/part01/chapter/ch01

https://www.theedadvocate.org/philosophies-education-2-types-teacher-centered-
philosophies/

2nd sem AY 2022-2023

BioEducation 11
LEARNING Unit I. Learner-centered teaching: Foundations and characteristics
A. Learner-centered teaching B. Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
PACKETS

https://www.theedadvocate.org/philosophies-education-3-types-student-centered-
philosophies/

https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/creating-collaboration-in-global-online-
learning/40896

2nd sem AY 2022-2023