Learner focused solutions
Student-centred learning is based on the constructivist theories of the Swiss clinical psychologist Jean Piaget. Piaget argued that people build knowledge and understanding based upon their experiences. Through assimilation, the student blends new experiences with the old experiences. The result is this is that the student develops new outlooks, clarifies thinking, and, ultimately, alters perceptions. Through accommodation, the individual reframes their world as a result of these experiences.
Piaget's theory of constructivism also addressed how learning actually occurs. Critically, the role of teachers is still very important. However, the focus is now on the student and their learning; the teacher instead become facilitator and mentor. Instead of telling, the teacher asks. The student then comes to their own conclusions. Conversations take place, and the resultant learning can go in different directions as that learning progresses. Teachers following Piaget's theory of constructivism challenge the student by making them effective critical thinkers and not being merely "teacher" but also mentor, consultant, and coach.
We talk endlessly about project-based learning. In the publication imaginatively entitled “A framework for Project-based Learning, the authors cite six steps to success:
1. Students will learn deeply, think critically, and strive for excellence.
2. Student work is authentic and relevant to their culture, their lives, and their future.
3. Student work is publicly displayed, discussed and critiqued.
4. Students collaborate effectively with other students, either in person or online. Adult mentors and experts also provide them with guidance to inform further progress.
5. Students learn to use project management tools, process and strategies in order to proceed effectively from inception to completion.
6. Students reflect on their own and others’ work in order to inform the next step.
All very aspirational. But, as with so many of these types of documents, there is little in the way of meaningful advice to support teachers in their learning journey. Fortunately, there are some academics out there who are there to provide more than a list of those intended outcomes.
According to Petersen and Liu (2003), there are issues with student-centred learning because teachers are resistant to pedagogical change despite evidence of the efficacy of student-centred learning. Windschitl (2002) also concludes that efforts to implement constructivist practices in schools are met with conceptual, pegagogical, cultural, and political challenges that make the transformation from teacher-directed instruction to student-centred learning practices difficult.
Why? One reason for this resistance to change is belief. Teachers implementing a technology-rich, student centred programme are influenced by their experiences both as student and teacher; those beliefs influence the way in which a new programme will, ultimately, succeed or fail.
Peter Yongqi Gu conducted a study on English language study using ‘Strategy-based instruction’ (SBI) in Singaporean schools over a semester. He identified five steps to making the ideal a reality, based on the work of Chamot, Bernhardt, El-Dinary, and Robbins (1999):
1. Awareness-raising and preparation
2. Teacher presentation and modelling
3. Multiple practice opportunities
4. Evaluation of strategy effectiveness
5. Transfer of strategy to new tasks
According to Gu, successful Implementation of SBI is reliant on:
· Full understanding and co-operation from schools
· Full support and understanding from the teachers involved
· intensive effort and time invested by each teacher in addition to their regular teaching hours
· Teachers need to know not just the principles behind SBI but also what each strategy is, and how it should best be used, when, and for what tasks.
· Successful implementation of SBI also requires close collaboration between researchers, teachers, and school management.
· Weekly meetings also crucial so that teachers can meet for help, reflection, and monitoring.
What I found heartening was his observation that initiating a change can meet with some failure to begin with. But he encourages teachers to persevere, as results will track upwards as students become familiar with the new way of learning through a student-centred approach. Are we too ready to move on when things don’t quite turn out as intended? Is this response because we, as teachers, still want to control outcomes?