Student Centered Learning

Student Centered Learning

    The student learning experience and measurability of course learning outcomes are often influenced by practical instructional design practices, but student centered learning always begins with the teacher. Student centered learning is based on several actions.

     First, students should always be allowed to share in decision making. Placing students at the center of their own learning requires their collaboration. They need a voice in why, what, and how learning experiences take shape. Student centered learning must include explicit skill instruction Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses all those learning skills essential to mastering material in the discipline. They do not assume that students pick up these skills on their own, automatically. Students need to be aware of themselves as learners and to make learning skills something students want to develop. The biggest contribution and development of student centered learning has been technology. In addition, open source and shareware technology tools allow learners an endless ability to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of learning. Implementing learning elements like videos are one of the most effective ways to successfully create a vibrant learning environment. However, instructional designers must be cognizant the length of videos to ensure the message maintains an identified perspective while delighting the view pleasures of others. Student centered learning models have continued to replace commonly used passive learning practices. While passive learning continues to demonstrate effective opportunities like the consumption of large quantities of information and promoting a more and relaxed learning environment; it does not require consistent use of higher-level cognitive skills while quickly losing learner appeal. Instructional designers need to maintain a student first perspective in learning development to increase critical thinking, increase their autonomy, and stimulate their desire to try new approaches to learning.

From Video script 

Learning Approach Models

Experiential Learning

Consider this example from earlier about the online geography class. A professor comes to you and says, "I teach geography. I'm told I have to put my course online. Can you help me with that?"

So how could you organize that?  Are students going to read things, take tests, and write papers?  Is the information kind of a pile of facts?  Or are they going to do something more active?  Are they going to start by reading and end by doing something--or the other way around?

Well, the first learning approach is called experiential learning.  Consider this: you may have taken a class where you start by reading about something and then later you do it. For example, you read the textbook, and then you work in the lab.  In experiential learning, you experience something first.  After actively participating in something (a lab, simulation, exploration, etc), you reflect on the experience, share your observations, and acquire knowledge/facts only after you’ve actively engaged in the learning experience. Click here to read more on experiential learning.

So for a geography class, you might ask people to explore spaces that are near them.  You can't have everyone fly to Peru or Colorado or wherever it happens to be that has an interesting geographical feature.  You might ask people to explore the areas around them, talk to each other about their findings, and then introduce a geographical concept that people could use.  In asking learners to explore local geography and share ideas before reading about or formally studying geographical features, you’ve transformed an online geography course into an interactive, experiential environment that has relevancy for each individual learner.

From https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@sequential+block@1bab908e5ace43969c6bc499d8e06783/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@vertical+block@5ff88a067dd14433bae8943f671a7237

Students learn  to cook  Thai food by doing.

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

  Another learning approach is project-based learning, something that many of you pointed out in your observations of adult learning. Many educators believe they are incorporating PBL into their instruction when they require students to develop posters, PowerPoint presentations, or dioramas demonstrating their understanding of a concept or unit.  True project-based learning is not that simple. True PBL happens when an instructor incorporates a project as a challenge for learners, and learners dig deep into content knowledge, acquiring skills they need in order to meet the goals of the project. Learning happens during the completion of the project; the project is not simply a demonstration of earlier learning or facts acquisition. Click here to read more on project-based learning.

Here are two additional readings describing how to create a project based learning activity. Take a few minutes to review the content and ideas presented:

This article provides ideas on how you might incorporate them into your design approach.

          Click here to access the article.

   This site provides ideas for getting started with Project-Based Learning. Click here to access the site.

  So, revisiting our geography class example, how might we establish a project-based learning approach when we transition the course to an online environment?  Perhaps we give the learners a final project in which they have to use geography to solve a real-world problem: for example, learners might be placed into the roles of advisors of a production company looking to expand.  Learners would need to work in teams to develop a proposal about where the next production facility should be built based on research they conducted about geographical features that might impact the costs of or time required for production/distribution.  While their final project is a proposal, milestone tasks would be assigned to ensure learner groups made adequate progress; the products they developed for these milestones (such as geographical maps, data visualizations about costs, etc) could be incorporated into their final proposals.

From https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@sequential+block@e2902c4c7aea4b4ebba8733c1532513d/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@vertical+block@746ea5fee3e54e4e96cdc1b8ded5adba

Gamification

  Gamification has become popular. Gamification is, you could say, Behaviorism on steroids. It's taking mechanisms you find in games (rewards, leaderboards, points, immediate feedback) and using them very systematically to get people to (usually) compete but sometimes to cooperate towards some particular end. But really the idea in gamification is that the whole learning experience is gamified. So you would want to give students rewards for certain things. Maybe you want to reward them for cooperating. They could work in teams and compete against each other. And all those kinds of game mechanics could be brought together, essentially kind of lots of Behaviorism in different dimensions to make the learning experience more exciting. Click here to read a short article on gamification strategies and how to use them in education.

  Educational software Knewton has produced a visually-appealing infographic on gamification. Click here to access the infographic.

  As you can start to imagine, using gaming strategies and approaches can have a positive impact on teaching and learning environments. Continue your exploration of gaming by reading at least two of the following articles:

• Review Learning-Theories.com succinct overview of gamification. Click here to read the overview.

• A blogger for TopHat.com has suggested four-plus ways to bring gamification to the classroom. Click here to read the blog post.

• In 2013, Wendy Hsin-Yuan Huang and Dilip Soman published a nearly-thirty-page "Practitioner's Guide to Gamification of Education" for the Rotman School of Management. Click here to access the guide.

• In 2013, Edward R. O'Neill proposed thinking about the way sports and games are structured similarly to learning experiences. Click here to access the article.

Keeping up with the times is imperative. At this point in the game (no pun intended), gaming is almost old-school. It is beyond escape. The interactive component ensures that passive participant can hardly yield success. Gaming helps support active engagement in the classroom.

Badging and Motivation

  A discussion of gaming wouldn’t be complete unless we talked about badging. Badging is the idea of earning rewards and recognition for achievements. The following article discusses why achievements, trophies, and badges Work. Click here to access the article. 

  The following article published by Abramovich, Schunn and Ross Higashi present results of the study titled "Are badges useful in education?: it depends upon the type of badge and expertise of learner". Click here to read the article.

The outward recognition of digital badges can provide internal motivation to complete learning experiences or tasks. Motivation means a reason for doing something, our degree of interest in or desire to do a given thing in specific circumstances. If learners are not motivated, it's hard to get much learning to happen. Psychologists distinguish broadly between two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.

• • • Extrinsic motivation is some kind of external reward: it could be money or praise or a candy bar.

    • Intrinsic motivation refers to the personal concerns and interests which draw us to, say, an activity.

  Think about it this way: I may play chess for money, or I may play chess because I love the game, because I am curious about how it works, because I want to improve, etc. The first motivation is extrinsic,  the other is intrinsic. Extensive research shows that intrinsic motivation is more successful in supporting learning. Extrinsic rewards can increase specific behaviors which will lead to learning, but not the learning itself. Applications to teaching are not hard to find. Review Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching and Learning discussing motivating learners. Click here to access the article.

From   https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@sequential+block@3e292026e16440bb8099091dbcfaab03/block-v1:USMx+LDT100x+3T2021+type@vertical+block@4f066b4122194bc0ac901876fd9c3d1d

Assessment

Discussion in class.课堂讨论。

     -What Is Assessment? -什么是评估？

     -Why We Do Assessment?-什么是评估？

HOW CAN WE MAKE ASSESSMENTS MEANINGFUL?

我们如何使评估有意义？

              Assessments are essential to the learning process, providing students with feedback on their understanding of course material. However, traditional assessments, such as multiple-choice tests, often fail to provide meaningful insights into students’ knowledge and skills. In this article, we will explore how assessments can be made more meaningful and provide more valuable feedback to students.

One way to make assessments more meaningful is by using open-ended questions. These questions require students to think critically and apply their real-life knowledge. This type of assessment allows for a more thorough evaluation of a student’s understanding and can provide a deeper insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

Another way to improve assessments is by incorporating formative assessments. Formative assessments are designed to provide feedback during the learning process, allowing students to make adjustments and improve their understanding. This type of assessment can be as simple as a quick quiz or as complex as a group project.

Incorporating technology into assessments can also make them more meaningful. For example, online assessments can be designed to provide instant feedback and personalized recommendations for improvement. In addition, digital tools like video and audio recordings can also assess students’ presentation skills and other non-cognitive abilities.

Assessments should also be aligned with the learning goals and objectives of the course. This alignment ensures the assessments are relevant to the material taught and provide meaningful feedback on the student’s progress. In addition, when assessments are aligned with course goals, students are more likely to see the value in their learning and engage in the assessment process.

Incorporating diverse assessment methods can also make assessments more meaningful. For example, incorporating portfolio assessments, where students compile a collection of their work over time, can provide a more comprehensive view of their learning and achievements. This assessment can also give students a sense of pride in their work and a deeper appreciation for their progress.

Finally, assessments should be used as an opportunity for growth and development. Assessment feedback should help students identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to achieve their learning goals. Assessments should also be seen as an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of course material and showcase their achievements. Making assessments meaningful is crucial to the success of the learning process. By incorporating open-ended questions, formative assessments, technology, alignment with course goals, diverse assessment methods, and a growth mindset, assessments can provide valuable feedback to students and help them achieve their full potential.

评估对学习过程至关重要，为学生提供有关他们对课程材料理解的反馈。然而，传统的评估，如多项选择测试，往往无法对学生的知识和技能提供有意义的见解。在本文中，我们将探讨如何使评估更有意义，并为学生提供更有价值的反馈。

使评估更有意义的一种方法是使用开放式问题。这些问题要求学生批判性地思考并应用他们的现实生活知识。这种类型的评估可以更全面地评估学生的理解，并可以更深入地了解他们的优势和劣势。

改进评估的另一种方法是纳入形成性评估。形成性评估旨在在学习过程中提供反馈，让学生进行调整并提高他们的理解力。这种类型的评估可以像快速测验一样简单，也可以像小组项目一样复杂。

将技术纳入评估也可以使其更有意义。例如，可以设计在线评估以提供即时反馈和个性化的改进建议。此外，视频和音频记录等数字工具还可以评估学生的演讲技巧和其他非认知能力。

评估还应与课程的学习目标和目的保持一致。这种一致性确保评估与所教材料相关，并提供有关学生进度的有意义的反馈。此外，当评估与课程目标保持一致时，学生更有可能看到他们学习的价值并参与评估过程。

采用不同的评估方法也可以使评估更有意义。例如，结合作品集评估，学生随着时间的推移汇编他们的工作集，可以提供更全面的学习和成就视图。这种评估还可以让学生对自己的工作感到自豪，并对自己的进步有更深的欣赏。

最后，应将评估作为增长和发展的机会。评估反馈应帮助学生确定需要改进的领域，并制定策略以实现他们的学习目标。评估也应被视为学生展示他们对课程材料的掌握和展示他们成就的机会。使评估有意义对于学习过程的成功至关重要。通过结合开放式问题、形成性评估、技术、与课程目标的一致性、多样化的评估方法和成长心态，评估可以为学生提供有价值的反馈并帮助他们充分发挥潜力。

       Assessment is  to explored how people learn .There are two  main types of assessment :

       1.Formative assessment : Use formative assessments to provide learners information, guidance, and feedback during the learning experience. Additionally, data from formative assessments allow educators and designers opportunities to adjust content during the learning experience. Formative assessment techniques allow learners opportunities for valuable performance feedback during the development process as they learn new knowledge, skills, and abilities covered during the learning experience. Some examples of formative assessment techniques include observations & feedback, discussions, exit slips, practice exams and practice presentations.

       2. Summative assessment : Summative assessments generally take place after covering larger amounts of content or multiple learning experiences. Results are used to provide grades or levels of accomplishment or achievement

        As O'Connor says, the “order of operations” in teaching should be: first, student relationships and wellness; second, learning; and third, assessment. When we approach assessment practices, we should not lose sight of our priorities.

Formative Assessment

  Educators and designers use formative assessments to provide learners information, guidance, and feedback during the learning experience. Additionally, data from formative assessments allow educators and designers opportunities to adjust content during the learning experience. Formative assessment techniques allow learners opportunities for valuable performance feedback during the development process as they learn new knowledge, skills, and abilities covered during the learning experience. In formal learning settings you might consider the situation where an educator asks questions of learners. Based on responses, the educator can adjust the learning experience. Some examples of formative assessment techniques include observations & feedback, discussions, exit slips, practice exams and practice presentations.  

 Click here to read a short article on formative assessment.