Student-centered learning ( SCL ), is a term which was always hesitating to my ears during the last three years, my experiences years in teaching. I was heard it from many persons, in many courses and lectures. I still remembered the first words that my senior teacher told me about the learning and how to be a modern teacher not to be a traditional one, she said that I have to know and understand the meaning of the term SCL, how to apply it and how to let it be my teaching style. Also, I heard it from other teachers and other administration's persons from the ministry. Then, I realized the importance of it and how it is helping the students in many and different ways and is helping me also in achieving my basic goals in teaching like building students self esteem , preparing students for higher learning and assisting students to become independent and self regulated learners.
Before, when I started teaching, I was confused and don’t know how to be a good teacher and how to apply the SCL to achieve that goodness but then, when I was reading more about it, asking the other professional teachers and attending their classes, I found the correct ways to teach and to use the SCL. The most thing that was confused me what is my role inside the class, I knew that I had to be a good manager and leader which have the control over everything, but should I have to be the center of the teaching process or should I let the students be the center and give them chance to explore and achieve the lesson goals by themselves. After, few months I could take a general ideas and knowledge about the SLC and how much it is important to the students and to the teacher himself.
I found that I had to be a facilitator and the resource person during the teaching process but not an information presenter. Also, I had to help the students to build their personality, their knowledge and to be interdependent. After these understandings of the meaning of SCL and its benefits, I tried to use some teaching strategies which are helped me to apply the SCL like, teaching by projects, by group work, by discussions, practical practices and activities. Therefore, I have to change my evaluations and assessments styles, I have to depend on the projects. Work groups and students portfolio.
At the end, I think that I have to learn more about SLC, read more, see other teachers experiences and take courses related to this topic same as in BTC ( Bahrain Teachers Collage ). Specially, I have to learn more about it to achieve its real values which are emphasis by Edwards (2001) when he said " Placing learner at the heart of the learning process and meeting their needs, is taken a progressive step on which learner-centered approaches mean that persons are able to learn what is relevant for them in ways that are appropriate. Waste in hummen and educational resources is reduced as it suggested learners no longer have to learn what they already know" (Edwards 2001:37)
References:
1. Student centered learning: what does it mean for students and lectures?
Geraldine O'Neill and Tim McMahon, University College Dublin
2. Edwards, R (2001 page 37 ) Meeting individual learner needs: power, subject, subjctio. In C Peachter,M.Preedy, D.Scott and J.Soler (Eds) London SAGE
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