EDUC/TEACH/GINT-Moving from a Teacher Centered Classroom to a Student Centered Classroom

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Making the Shift

Moving from a Teacher Centered Classroom to a Student Centered Classroom

BY SUSAN VERNER

In the past, classrooms were often all about the teacher. This “sage on the stage” was there to offer what he or she knew, and it was up to the student to make the most of it.

These days, though, we know that student centered classrooms make a better and more effective learning environment for students. Sometimes knowing just how to change the focus from the teacher to the student is, well, hard. It’s easy to stand up front and talk for an hour but not as easy to create an environment where your students take the center stage. Whether you are just moving to a student centered classroom or are a pro at stepping back and letting your students take the stage, here are some tips for making the shift and staying there.

Isn't It Time to Move from a Teacher Centered Classroom to a Student Centered Classroom?

1 Knowledge

In a teacher centered classroom, the goal is for the teacher to transfer his or her knowledge to the student. As a teacher, I have something important that my students should know, and I am going to give them that information. And although it is true that the teacher possesses more knowledge on his subject than his or her students, this outlook on learning is more about the teacher than the student. Student centered classrooms focus on the students’ desire and ability to acquire knowledge. I want to know something, and my teacher is here to help me figure or find it out. Ask your students what they want to know when possible, and let them play a part in determining what you learn in class.

2 Focus

It may seem obvious, but a teacher centered classroom is focused on the teacher. He or she stands at the front of the room, and all eyes are on him. A student centered classroom focuses on the student. Teachers move around the classroom and check in with students’ progress and productivity. Students do more of the talking, and class is designed to meet their needs rather than the material the teacher hopes to cover. Make a point of avoiding traditional lectures. Make sure your students do more talking than you do each day, and let your students know that you are there as a resource for them.

3 Structure

Classrooms need some type of structure, but a teacher centered classroom puts more value on the plan than it does on the participants. There is an agenda or curriculum, and the material must be covered. Student centered classrooms, on the other hand, are more fluid and flexible. Sometimes the best lesson for the day is the unplanned lesson but the one that meets the needs of the students. Be flexible in what you cover in class. Take advantage of bunny trails and teachable moments. They may be the best lessons you cover all year!

4 Objectives

Those who look will see the subtle difference between the objectives of the teacher centered and the student centered classrooms. The former focus on teaching objectives. We must cover the material set out in the plans and do it in such a way to meet the teaching objectives. The latter classroom, however, focuses on the learning outcomes of the students. What will it take for the members of the class to learn particular points? That is what determines what is covered in class and how it is covered. Think about what you want your students to learn (or what they have said they want to learn) and then design a path to get them to that knowledge.

5 Questions and Answers

In the teacher centered classroom, the teacher’s goal is to provide answers to his or her students. Again, it is a matter of the teacher having knowledge that he or she wants to impart to his students. The student centered classroom, however, focuses more on students asking questions. When students ask questions, they engage with the material and have a personal investment in the answers that are coming. Students and their interests influence what material their classes contain. Encourage your students to ask questions. Pay attention to the questions they ask. Make sure you are meeting the needs of your students and not just the requirements of your curriculum.

6 Guidance

Follow the leader might be an accurate description of the teacher centered classroom. I have material I am going to cover, and I want you to track with me. When a classroom is student centered, however, the teacher is more of a guide than a leader. The teacher points out important points on the students’ educational journey. They help students move in the right direction as they explore and motivate their own learning. Give your students a chance to discover knowledge or figure things out on their own. It may take longer to get to the final goal, but your students will gain more along the journey.

7 Activity

In the teacher centered classroom, students are passive. They are there to take in what the teacher presents. They are a sponge. In the student centered classroom, on the other hand, students are actively engaged in class. They influence so much of what happens in class, and they are actively participating. They are not a sponge taking in knowledge but an archaeologist digging for treasures of knowledge. Encourage your students’ inquisitiveness and curiosity. Show them you value their questions and their input, and make sure they know that you are there as a resource for them.

Some differences between the teacher centered classroom and the student centered classroom are subtle. Others are blaringly at odds.
Some teachers may have a difficult time walking the narrow line between the two if they have pressure from administration but still want to meet the needs of their students. Ultimately, only you can decide what the best way to run your classroom is, but the more we can focus on students and their needs the better language learners they will become.

What do you do to make your classroom more student centered?

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Source:https://busyteacher.org/14770-move-from-a-teacher-centered-class-to-student.html








Teacher-Centered No More

10 Tips for Teaching Today’s Students

BY SUSAN VERNER

Gone are the days when teachers stood at the front of the class doling out their wisdom to rows and columns of students.

Today’s students are very different from those that sat in those desks so many years ago, and so our classrooms and teaching styles must advance as well. But if you’ve been in teaching for any length of time, catering to a postmodern classroom might not come naturally.Today’s students are very different from those that sat in those desks so many years ago

Here are some simple tips for getting you there.

10 Tips for Making Your Classroom Work for Today’s Students

1 Make Your Classroom Student Centered

You can do several things to better suit your postmodern students in the classroom. One of the biggest yet easiest shifts is making your classroom student centered. In the past, the teacher stood at the front of the room and held the undivided attention of their students. The teacher was the focal point. These days, students should be the center of the classroom. That doesn’t mean that they stand up front and lecture you, but it does mean that your place as teacher may not always be at the front of the class. Try ditching the rows and columns of desks and opting instead for larger tables that seat several students, or arrange student desks to make larger tables or conversation groupings. Put student desks in a circle and leave an open area in the center of your room for instruction and activities. Get your students out of their desks and moving as much as possible, and consider taking your class outside the classroom with fieldtrips and even sitting on the school lawn for class. The goal is to make the classroom more community oriented rather than teacher oriented.

2 Keep Your Classes Communicative

Keeping classes communicative may already be how you teach. Language is for communication. So getting your students to communicate with each other is essential both for language learning and for appealing to post-modern students. Focus on communication rather than perfection. Encourage your students to communicate creatively with the language that they do know rather than getting tripped up because of language they don’t know. Get your students doing most of the talking during class. It will benefit them as language learners as well as members of a post-modern world.

3 Think of Yourself as a Facilitator Rather Than an Instructor

The traditional teacher is one who stands in front of a class and dispels knowledge to their students. That just doesn’t cut it with post-modern students. Try considering yourself a facilitator rather than an instructor. You are there to give students direction in their own discovery of the English language. That doesn’t mean you can’t instruct, but when possible let your students discover language for themselves and point them in the right direction when they need a nudge.

4 Encourage Students to Set Their Own Goals

Getting your students invested in their own learning is a big plus for the postmodern classroom. Rather than having student compete against each other, try having students compete against themselves by setting their own learning and language goals. Of course, you will want to help your students set appropriate goals and guide them on the road to accomplishing those goals, so take time to meet with individual students to discuss both their goals and their progress on a regular basis.

5 Integrate Media Whenever You Can

Today’s students are continually surrounded by technology. Use it to your advantage. Welcome smart phones and tablets in your classroom. Use them to access online resources such as videos and quizzes. Record student presentations on their own devises and ask them to review their own performance. Use them to send and receive emails or access your classroom blog as needed. Technology is a part of life these days. Make is a part of your classroom, too.

6 Include Pictures with Every Block of Text

If you look at books for today’s young people, there’s one thing you won’t see. A page with nothing but text. Postmodern students like visuals to go along with the written word, so include pictures on your worksheets, slide shows, and any other places where you would normally have only writing on the page.

7 Use the Discovery Grammar Method

A student centered classroom will challenge your English learners to take more of a role in their own learning. You can do this with methods such as the discovery grammar method. When you teach this way, you give students a worksheet that practices a certain grammatical pattern with the answers already in the blanks. Then challenge students to see if they can figure out the rule for the answers on their own. Once they have come to a conclusion about how that grammar point works in English, give a short lesson on the topic to make sure students found the correct solution and to answer any questions they may still have about it.

8 Consider a Flipped Classroom

If you haven’t heard of this newer structure for classrooms, it’s worth looking into. Basically, a flipped classroom has students receive instruction outside of the classroom and then uses class time to practice and deepen that knowledge. It’s the reverse of a traditional classroom which typically does instruction within its walls and then has students practice that knowledge for homework. You’ll need to consider several things before fully committing to a flipped classroom, but consider this model even if only for one or two lessons during your semester.

9 Set up and Use Independent Learning Centers

Everybody loves a good buffet, right? Why not give your students a teaching buffet. Set up learning centers around your classroom that focus on different language skills. Give your students regular periods to work at those learning stations. This will tailor instruction to their needs, and is also a good way for students to accomplish the goals they set for themselves. You can also set some students to work at learning centers while you meet with others either in small groups or individually for assessment or practice, so it helps classroom management as well.

10 Set the Mood in Your Classroom

Just because your room comes with rigid desks and florescent lights doesn’t mean you have to settle for that as your decor. Bring in lamps that offer more natural light. Play music in the background. And bring in several large floor pillows for your students to sit on while they work independently. Classrooms don’t have to feel sterile. By making yours more inviting and personal, your students will feel like English class is an invitation they want to answer rather than an obligation they have to meet.You may or may not have a postmodern mindset, but either way you can have a postmodern friendly classroom.
Try these tips for making your class more student centered, more interactive, and feel more like home and your students will love you for it.

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.




Source:https://busyteacher.org/24018-how-to-teach-post-modern-classroom-10-tips.html