Putting Students First in a Learner-Centered Classroom
A learner-centered classroom buzzes with activity- some students in small groups, others working on individual tasks. The teacher flutters from one area to the next, gathering information and guiding students in need of direction. In a room of twenty students, potentially twenty different activities are simultaneously happening in the shared space. It’s not chaos, but rather efficiency in motion.
Students have a degree of control over individual assignments, making choices about access, process and product to best showcase their skills. My first step towards this was choice in independent reading. Students with free reign are much more attentive readers. They laugh, they cry, they talk about what is going on in their books outside of class. I feel this step has been crucial in reaching my more reluctant students on difficult tasks because “adolescents are more likely to invest in the deep thinking needed for intellectual growth when given choice” (Gallagher & Kittle, 2018, p. 12). Growing students means moving them “toward greater independence and control of their decisions and experiences as readers and writers” (Gallagher & Kittle, 2018, p. 44). Penny Kittle has championed the idea of empowering students for years as a teacher and a literacy coach. She is one of many who advocate for the shift from a class focused on the teacher to one “beyond strict "academics" where the teacher dictates the goals, domain and "end game" terms” to “a place where students won't make superficial decisions that barely alter the course of learning, but rather establish their own reasons to learn, their own standards for quality and their own metrics for success. This is the foundation for a culture of can” (Heick, 2012). Heick, a contributor at Edutopia, states that making the learner responsible for their learning and allowing authentic choice and autonomy in the classroom better prepares students for a lifetime of learning.
Empowered students understand and reflect on their learning independently and through conferencing with their teacher. Together, they determine what the student needs and that drives instruction. Gallagher and Kittle put this simply as “Students are at the center of our work. We teach them, not curriculum” (2018, p. 12). According to Maryellen Weimer, PhD., writer of one of the top education blogs ranked on Teach100, learner-centered teaching “includes explicit skill instruction” and “encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it” instead of being passive recipients (2018). Putting responsibility in the hands of the students creates active learning.
Teachers who embrace the learner-centered approach understand that giving students ownership of their education enables students to be truly involved and engaged in the learning process. Through conferencing, teachers know the needs of their students and can craft lessons that will meet and stretch their students’ abilities. When students have the time to reflect on their learning and explore what interests them most, they become stronger academically and are greater prepared for the world beyond the classroom.
References
Gallagher, K., & Kittle, P. (2018). 180 days: Two teachers and the quest to engage and empower
adolescents. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Heick, T. (2012, November 19). Creating a Culture of "Can". Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-a-culture-of-can-terrell-heick
Weimer, M. (2018, June 20). Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching. Retrieved from
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/five-
characteristics-of-learner-centered-teaching/