LEARNER CENTERED

APPROACH

BELIEFS ABOUT
LEARNING

Students learn in
different ways

BELIEFS ABOUT
LEARNING
Learning

is an
active dynamic
process

BELIEFS ABOUT
LEARNING

Students respond well when

they are involved

BELIEFS ABOUT
LEARNING
Ss learn with guidance, not
prescriptions

BELIEFS ABOUT
LEARNING

Knowledge is
internal;Ss build it

OLD TRADITIONAL
APPROACH:

Most class time is spent with the

teacher lecturing and the students
watching and listening.

 Students

work individually on
assignments, and cooperation is
discouraged.
Activities have no meaningful purpose.

WE CAN GET THIS RESULT:

Or maybe this one!

 Learner-centered

methods shift the focus

of activities from the teacher to the learners.

KEY WORDS:

Active learnin
create

solve problems
discusS
answer questions

brainstorm
explain

debate
formulate questions of
their own

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
OF A STUDENT CENTERED
CLASS
Ss

are active doers:

Ss own 80% of the lesson

Teachers

are organizers:

Little time on TTT (20% of the lesson)

 A Checklist
we should meet in
order to achieve a
SCL:
When thinking
about activities
and tasks to
include in our
LPs

 A Checklist for
meeting a SCL: The activity
or task must contain

Prediction
Self-discovery
Lesson

involvement
Knowledge application
Varied Ss interaction
patterns

WE CAN achieve this checklist

through different kinds of
activities:
GAMES/SONGS WITH
LEARNING VALUE

TASKS

ACTIVITIES

WITH VARIED
INTERACTION PATTERNS

KEEP IN MIND

All of the tasks and

activities that
teachers
prepare must
facilitate
a positive and
effective learning

Benefits of SCL
Students
can work
in small groups, at
school / home
have access to more materials
are directly involved in what they
study
take ownership of their learning
are more motivated and committed
Teachers
act as facilitators / guides
help ss to work out learning
strategies
develop ss research ability

A good teacher is
one who makes
himself
progressively
unnecessary.
~Thomas Carruthers

Active Engagement
is
Learner Centered Teaching

20

Model of Instructional Contexts

for Reading/Content Engagement
Learning and Knowledge
Goals
Social Interaction
Teacher
Involvement

Formative
Assessment

Active
Engagement

Conceptual Knowledge

Direct
Instruction

Motivation

Cognitive Strategies

Collaboration
Support
Adapted from Guthrie et al. 2000

21

Scaffolding
Definition:
Temporary devices
and procedures used
by teachers to support
students as they learn
strategies.

23

Scaffolding Learning
Gradual Release of Responsibility Model

1.

2.

3.

Teacher Responsibility
Student Responsibility

4.

This graphic is based on

work by Pearson and
Gallagher (1983). In a
later study, Fielding and
Pearson (1994) identified
four components of
instruction that follow the
path of the gradual
release of responsibility
model:
1. Teacher Modeling
2. Guided Practice
3. Independent Practice
4. Application.
24

Tips for Effective Scaffolding

Anticipate

student errors
Conduct teacher guided practice
Provide feedback
Recognize when it is appropriate to
fade scaffolds

25

Types of Scaffolding

Prompts: specific devices that can be employed for

learning an overall cognitive strategy-something that
students can refer to for assistance while working on the
larger task. (graphic organizers, cue cards, checklists)

Think Alouds: teachers direct modeling of the strategy,

including self-talk, that enables students to begin
experiencing the strategy as a authentic set of
behaviors/actions that can be learned to used to their
advantage.

26

Processing Strategy: Tell-Help-Check

Tell:

Partner 1 turns to partner 2 and

recall information without using notes.
Help: Partner 2 listens carefully and
asks questions and gives hints about
missing or incorrect information.
Check: Both partners consult notes to
confirm accuracy.

A. Archer

27

What are the Common

Features of PBL?
Learning is initiated by a problem.
Problems are based on complex, realworld situations.
All information needed to solve problem
is not initially given.
Students identify, find, and use
appropriate resources.
Students work in permanent groups.

PBL: The Process

Students
are presented with a problem. They
organize ideas and previous knowledge.
pose questions, defining what they
know and do not know.
Assign responsibility for questions,
discuss resources.
Reconvene, explore newly learned
information, refine questions.

The Problem-Based Learning Cycle

Overview

(Assessment)

Mini-lecture

Problem, Project, or
Assignment
Group
Discussion

Whole Class
Discussion
Preparation of Group
Product

Research
Group Discussion

1.
2.
3.

Fertile question stage

Research stage
Concluding Performance
stage

Communities of Thinking, Harpaz & Lefstein,

Educational Leadership, 2000 (ASCD)

Open Q : that in principle has one definite answer, rather, it has

several different and competing possible answers.
Undermining Q: determines the learners basic assumptions casts
doubts on the self-evident or commonsensical, uncovers basic
conflicts lacking a simple solution, and requires the critical
considerations of origins.
Rich Q: necessitates grappling with rich content that is
indispensable to understanding humanity and the world around us. It
needs careful and lengthy research.

Communities of Thinking, Harpaz & Lefstein,

Educational Leadership, 2000 (ASCD)

Connected Q: relevant to the learners, the society in which they live,

and the discipline and field they are studying
Charged Q: with an ethical dimension, charged with emotional,
social, and political implications that potentially motivates inquiry and
learning
Practical Q: can be researched in the context of the learners,
facilitators, and school facilities and from which research questions
may be derived

Communities of Thinking, Harpaz & Lefstein,

Educational Leadership, 2000 (ASCD)

-Carefully focused questions make all

the difference.
- questions may do little support,
answers make it feel productive
( Douglas P. Newton, 2000)
- select the Right Type of question, each
serves a different purpose
- use the right technique

How can teachers utilize effective questioning?

Plan questions in advance- build up to more challenging
Focus on a few carefully constructed open ended questions.
Ask one question at a time.
Consider the need for think time- Avoid the trap of answering

your own questions.

Vary questioning strategies e.g. For a change make a provocative
statement and wait for a response.
Ensure all students have the opportunity to respond to questions
by catering for the range of learners in the class.

How can teachers encourage effective

student questions?
Introduce different questioning strategies
Develop student awareness of different types of questions

and the type of thinking required

Make time for student questions and celebrating them.
Providing positive feedback to student questions
Clarify students questions

 Students are often concerned about how their responses to

questions might be perceived by their teacher and their peers.

Important for students to learn how to respond to each other
appropriately.
Establishing trust is essential so students are prepared to
take risks and their share ideas freely.

Educational researchers Paul Burden & David Byrd (2010)

identify several effective questioning techniques:
Craft guiding questions aligned to each learning objective
Phrase questions clearly and explicitly
Ask questions logically and sequentially
Ask questions that demand responses at different
cognitive levels
Adapt questions to students ability levels
Follow up on student responses
Encourage students to ask questions of the teacher and
one another

The question is
how come the teacher asks all the questions
when Im the one who needs to know things.
The question is
why Im supposed to have the answers
to all my parents questions when they cant answer mine.
The question is
why scientists ask ten questions for every answer
they get
But I have to answer seven out of ten to pass.
The question is
why politicians learn not to answer questions
while I have to learn to answer them.

The question is
why questions have to be answered fast at school
when philosophers take years to answer them.
The question is
why are there so many little questions in school
when Marie Curie spent her whole life on one big question.
The question is
why must I find answers to already answered questions
when I have questions that have not yet been answered.
The question is
why cant I be in charge of the questions?

Questioning Web Sites

From Now On www.fno.org

The Great Question Press: Squeezing Import from

Content

21st Century Literacies

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/sitem
ap.html
Questioning www.questioning.org
Questioning Strategies

http://www.css.edu/USERS/ggaetz/Student.pages/Q
uestioning_Strategies_webpage.html

Inquiry Page

http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/

REFERENCES:

http://ehlt.fliners.edu.au/education/DLiT/2002/environ
s/scott/stucteac.htm
http://shambles.net/pages/staff/EAL_ESL/
http://www.2vobs.at/methods/communicative
_language_teaching
Educational Leadership, 2000
ASCD articles