Our schools teach us that knowledge is power.
Students attend classes they are not fond of five days a week, 180 days a year. They complete assignments they don't receive and dream of growing up and making their own choices as adults. Unfortunately, many online courses follow this pattern as well to squeeze as much information into their heads as possible.
The advantages offered by student-centred learning are that it makes learning fun, engaging, and adapted to a student's needs and interests.
Children imbibe a lot of what they learn if they enjoy learning. You can imagine a toddler who is learning to talk. Do you think the kid would show eagerness to talk if the parents were constantly training them with flashcards or making it more natural by engaging them in a conversation about their favourite toys or food?
This pattern goes well beyond their toddler years and is also observed during school years. Student-centred learning brings fun into learning and makes it relevant enough even to make disinterested and exasperated students keep going.
This blog examines the advantages of student-centred learning from kindergarten to secondary education to high school.
Students-centred learning refers to an educational approach or philosophy that emphasises meeting the individual needs of each student.
Student-centred learning is based on the theory that students prosper when they can make direct connections between the teaching material, on the one hand, and things that hold their interests and real-life experiences, on the other hand. Students are continuously assessed including self-assessments to ensure they have mastered the required content.
A class is made up of a varied population of students, who are invariably at differing levels of ability. They will be able to learn their best in different ways and according to their interests. Traditional classrooms that are modelled on the 'teacher-centred' format sometimes receive a lot of criticism for being too inflexible to meet the students' needs.
In contrast, teachers in student-centred learning environments in the best Japanese international school focus more on coaching the students rather than lecturing.
Boredom or reluctance to perform a task brings fierce resistance to our mind, and it interferes with thinking, and memorization, causes frustration and encourages procrastination.
Students are exposed to engaging content with real-life value in the student-centred learning approach instead of traditional cramming techniques. Rather than teaching foreign languages through textbooks, encourage students to write notes to each other in that language.
Encourage students to come up with their own games rather than bombarding them with rules and regulations. When designing a course to be pursued by engineers, make it as little theory as possible with a maximum of real-life cases requiring creative solutions.
As a result, students will remain interested, challenged, and motivated to use their existing knowledge to solve new problems. Furthermore, they will be able to relate new information to familiar ones, which will improve retention.
Participation is the first step toward any learning program's success. Learners' key needs are addressed in a student-centred approach, offering a tailored and comfortable learning experience. If a particular group of students loves games and exercises, the courses should be made more interactive.
Similarly, if learners are more likely to use tablets or mobile devices to access course information, the courses should be structured to accommodate this demand. Learner-centred courses encourage better eLearning participation by paying close attention to the needs of the students.
Real-life examples abound in student-centred education, including games, quizzes, and challenges. For example, the course could include challenges and activities based on real-world situations that force students to come up with solutions.
This type of teaching helps students develop problem-solving skills, which will come in handy when they face similar issues at work.
Not every student has the same learning requirements. Some people want to comprehend the fundamentals of an idea, while others prefer to study a course in depth. Furthermore, some students may have a prior understanding of a topic, while others may be completely unfamiliar with it.
Traditional teaching methods treat all students the same and may fail to meet the needs of diverse types of pupils. With student-centred education, things are different. Teachers may offer supplementary content to help students' learning in such settings. Learning is more successful with supplementary content.
Learning becomes more enjoyable when games and stories are used in the classroom. Students have a lot of options with a learner-centred approach. For example, if a course requires research, students should be offered options for research topics.
Similarly, the student-centred model employs a variety of mediums, including educational films, practical assignments, and so on. Learning is no longer considered tedious and monotonous with these additions.
We learn best in a group as social creatures. But it seems only natural that we all work well together. In reality, though, history is littered with examples of selfish individuals destroying enterprises, governments, and countries.
Student-centred learning encourages cooperation and teamwork among students of all ages since it includes many group projects and assignments. Student-centred learning can also be used to help popular, and outsider students work out their differences.
There are numerous learning methods. Unfortunately, the majority of them are only interested in learning for the sake of learning. In the larger scheme of things, it makes no sense.
Student-centred learning gives students what they want, when they want it, and how.
It is built on adaptability, variety in terms of exercises, a wide range of content, collaboration, and the practical relevance of taught information and abilities. It requires a great deal of effort from both students and teachers, but the results are apparent.
If you are interested in knowing more about the student-centred teaching approach, please connect with an expert at GIIS.
How is Japanese Kindergarten curriculum unique?
How is Japanese Kindergarten curriculum unique?
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How do International Montessori Schools in Tokyo spark a child’s creativity?
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Ms. Ranido is the PYP coordinator and the GMP coordinator for GIIS East Coast Campus. She has over 20 years of teaching experience in different international and bilingual schools in Southeast Asia. She spent the last 11 years leading the implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) as a coordinator and teacher. She completed her Masters of Arts in Education from Sheffield Hallam University, UK in 2015. Ms. Ranido joined the Global Indian International School, EC Campus in July, 2019.