Michelle Colquitt

October 26, 2015

Student-Centered Learning

Student-Centered Learning allows the student to take control of their learning

goals. Instead of a teacher standing in front of the classroom at a podium and lecturing

in a boring manner, students are given ownership and a voice during the education

process For example, in the Ted Talk The Power of Student Driven Learning, Shelly

Wright, a teacher in rural Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan related how that her students took

ownership of their education and decided to raise money for students in Uganda. She

related how excited that her students were during this process, setting the lofty goal of

raising $10,000 and then increasing it to $20,000. She related that each student

appeared to have a distinct role during this process to include the student least likely to

put himself out there ending up speaking with local business owners to pitch becoming

“Change for Change” sites. I relate this to impart that during the Student-Centered

Learning process, students can become very excited about their learning, continuing to

be active engaged participants who take ownership of their learning rather than passive

learners who only listen to a lecture.

Teachers who promote Student-Centered Learning are actually attempting to

increase collaboration within their classroom. Wright indicated that she reconfigured her

classroom where there was an open space in the middle so that she and her students

could sit on the floor to have discussions. In the article 5 Ways to Make Your Classroom

Student-Centered Marcia Powell relates that teachers need to be able to give up

absolute control and “…become(s) a participant and co-learner in discussion, asking

questions and perhaps correcting misconceptions, but not telling learners what they

need to know” (2013 para 4). Student-Centered Learning seems to be an area that

emphasizes making mistakes, learning from everyone, and also embraces the

uncertainties in life. Theoretically, it could be very difficult to embrace Student-Centered

Learning in classes with more concrete concepts, such as United States History,

Geometry, or even American Government. However, there can be magic and learning in

uncertain times.

In the article How to Spark Curiosity in Children Through Embracing Uncertainty,

Linda Flanagan states “if students can be made to feel comfortable with uncertainty—if

they’re learning in an environment where ambiguity is welcome and they are

encouraged to question facts—they are more apt to be curious and innovative in their

thinking. Approaching knowledge this way is difficult for students and teachers,

however, because ambiguity spurs unpleasant feelings. Indeed, studies show that the

typical response to uncertainty is a rush for resolution, often prematurely, and

heightened emotions” (2015, para. 7-8).

Learning about the concept of Student-Centered Learning was eye opening for

me as a non-educator. My educational experiences (with the exception of classes very

few and far between in High School and College) was mainly driven by the theory of the

teacher as the conductor of the class. I believe that Student-Centered Learning can

work, but the teacher would need to facilitate learning and the classroom as a friendly

space where uncertainty can lead to future learning. I also believe that the teacher

would have to know and trust that their students were able to maturely accept the

Student-Centered Learning process. I most appreciate and remember those classes

where teachers encouraged inquiry and also were not necessarily certain of answers,

but helped me to work through problems.