Student Centred Learning
As education continues to evolve, so too does our understanding of what it means to teach and learn in the twenty-first century. Over the years, learning theory has shifted from viewing the learner as a passive recipient to being an active participant in constructing knowledge and meaning. Within this shift came a transition from teacher dominated classrooms to more student centred classrooms. The introductory video below examines how learning theories such as Constructivism have guided my understanding of the design and implementation of student-centred classrooms.
Length - 7:05 min.
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Artifact Description:
In Principles of Learning, participants were asked to “look ahead” and write a paper based on new knowledge and personal experiences describing what teaching and learning in the future may look like. My paper focused on the transition towards student centred learning environments. As stated in the concluding paragraph of my vision paper, the changes I describe are not revolutionary ideas, but rather based on the evolution that is occurring in our education system and supported by academic research and educational policy. |
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Reflection:
My vision paper was one of the first artifacts that I created in the program, but it is interesting to see how my initial vision for education in the future aligns with constructivism and related student centred pedagogies. Within my paper I discussed three fundamental shifts that would guide K-12 education in the future: 1) student ownership of learning; 2) integrated use of technology; and 3) holistic assessment that not only focuses on what students are learning, but how they are learning. Initially, these ideas were based solely on my own personal experiences and beliefs. In his feedback, Dr. Hunter suggested that I work on supporting my statements with evidence from peer reviewed literature. In subsequent courses I did just that and continually reviewed the literature to see how my beliefs aligned with empirical evidence. I found that many of my ideas presented in my vision paper had been described in the literature. According to An and Reigeluth (2012), a learner centred approach is both motivating to students and facilitates learning. In general, student centred learning environments share the following characteristics:
My vision paper presents a very optimistic view where, in the near future, educators are able to effectively incorporate each of the above mentioned characteristics into their classrooms. Since writing this paper I have come to realize that in order to bring about true change we must each reflect on our own beliefs and practices. The vision paper brought my beliefs and assumptions about education to the forefront, providing an opportunity to critically analyze how my actions support or impede the creation of student centred learning environments. The one area that I need to work on is personalizing material at all stages of the learning process. While I often differentiate the learning content and process, when it comes to assessment I often rely on a one size fits all model. I want to continue to work on developing assessment tools that promote self-reflection and provide students with choice over how they demonstrate their learning.
My vision paper was one of the first artifacts that I created in the program, but it is interesting to see how my initial vision for education in the future aligns with constructivism and related student centred pedagogies. Within my paper I discussed three fundamental shifts that would guide K-12 education in the future: 1) student ownership of learning; 2) integrated use of technology; and 3) holistic assessment that not only focuses on what students are learning, but how they are learning. Initially, these ideas were based solely on my own personal experiences and beliefs. In his feedback, Dr. Hunter suggested that I work on supporting my statements with evidence from peer reviewed literature. In subsequent courses I did just that and continually reviewed the literature to see how my beliefs aligned with empirical evidence. I found that many of my ideas presented in my vision paper had been described in the literature. According to An and Reigeluth (2012), a learner centred approach is both motivating to students and facilitates learning. In general, student centred learning environments share the following characteristics:
- Personalized and customized learning - students work at their own pace on personally relevant topics and tasks
- Social and emotional support - students are encouraged by the teacher and their peers and feel a sense of belonging
- Self-regulation - students are provided with opportunities to demonstrate responsibility and take ownership over their learning
- Collaborative and authentic learning experiences - students work with others to investigate and solve real world problems
- Assessment for learning - assessment is used to promote growth and reflection not just to assign grades
- Technology integration - technology is used to support learning and skill development
My vision paper presents a very optimistic view where, in the near future, educators are able to effectively incorporate each of the above mentioned characteristics into their classrooms. Since writing this paper I have come to realize that in order to bring about true change we must each reflect on our own beliefs and practices. The vision paper brought my beliefs and assumptions about education to the forefront, providing an opportunity to critically analyze how my actions support or impede the creation of student centred learning environments. The one area that I need to work on is personalizing material at all stages of the learning process. While I often differentiate the learning content and process, when it comes to assessment I often rely on a one size fits all model. I want to continue to work on developing assessment tools that promote self-reflection and provide students with choice over how they demonstrate their learning.
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Artifact Description:
Several courses in the Master of Education program required students to participate in online discussions and make contributions to a class website. In Principles of Learning, students contribute to a course wiki by working independently and collaboratively to add new information about learning theory, theorists and other topics related to learning and education. The artifact included here links to the Principles of Learning Wiki in which I was a participant. The majority of my contributions can be located in the Social Justice and Inclusion section of the wiki. |
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Reflection:
I decided to include the Principles of Learning wiki in this section of my portfolio because I feel it demonstrates how technology can be used to create student centred learning environments.
In contributing to the wiki, I was able to focus on an area of personal interest, social justice in education. In Social and Cultural Context in Education I became extremely interested in how the background of the learner influences learning and how students experience our current education system. As stated in my wikiography, “understanding the social experiences and diversity (e.g. race, religion, social class) of individual students is critical if educators are to plan lessons, provide instruction and create tasks that meet the needs of all learners (Northedge, 2003). Furthermore, in recent years, issues related to diversity, tolerance and equity and inclusion have become increasingly more important to educators as new policies and curriculum have been implemented (Ministry of Education, Ontario, 2009).” Being able to choose which section of the wiki I wanted to focus on addresses the first criteria for creating student centred learning environments proposed by An and Reigeluth (2012) whereby learning should be personalized and customized to meet the needs and interests of the learner.
In addition, we were encouraged to collaborate with others in the course as we developed a particular section of the wiki. I worked closely with Anna Maria Ferraro Orfeo and Janet Broder when contributing to the wiki. Through collaboration we were able to develop a sense of belonging by participating in regular discussions and providing one another with feedback. The collaborative nature of the wiki helped to create communities of practice where knowledge was created and exchanged through the interaction of the participants (Wheeler, Yeomans, & Wheeier, 2008).
Furthermore, contributing to the wiki encouraged the development of self-regulated learning as students were expected to take ownership over their learning. At first I was hesitant to contribute for fear that the information I added to the wiki would not be viewed as being useful by my classmates. However, over time my confidence grew and I found myself eager to share my learning with my peers.
As I move forward in my teaching career I want to continue to investigate how I can integrate this form of collaborative learning into my own classroom. My greatest concern is ensuring that the material written by my own intermediate students is accurate and credible. Despite this potential barrier, the use of wikis and other online discussion platforms offer the potential to engage students in the learning process while developing 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication and critical thinking (Lee, 2012).
I decided to include the Principles of Learning wiki in this section of my portfolio because I feel it demonstrates how technology can be used to create student centred learning environments.
In contributing to the wiki, I was able to focus on an area of personal interest, social justice in education. In Social and Cultural Context in Education I became extremely interested in how the background of the learner influences learning and how students experience our current education system. As stated in my wikiography, “understanding the social experiences and diversity (e.g. race, religion, social class) of individual students is critical if educators are to plan lessons, provide instruction and create tasks that meet the needs of all learners (Northedge, 2003). Furthermore, in recent years, issues related to diversity, tolerance and equity and inclusion have become increasingly more important to educators as new policies and curriculum have been implemented (Ministry of Education, Ontario, 2009).” Being able to choose which section of the wiki I wanted to focus on addresses the first criteria for creating student centred learning environments proposed by An and Reigeluth (2012) whereby learning should be personalized and customized to meet the needs and interests of the learner.
In addition, we were encouraged to collaborate with others in the course as we developed a particular section of the wiki. I worked closely with Anna Maria Ferraro Orfeo and Janet Broder when contributing to the wiki. Through collaboration we were able to develop a sense of belonging by participating in regular discussions and providing one another with feedback. The collaborative nature of the wiki helped to create communities of practice where knowledge was created and exchanged through the interaction of the participants (Wheeler, Yeomans, & Wheeier, 2008).
Furthermore, contributing to the wiki encouraged the development of self-regulated learning as students were expected to take ownership over their learning. At first I was hesitant to contribute for fear that the information I added to the wiki would not be viewed as being useful by my classmates. However, over time my confidence grew and I found myself eager to share my learning with my peers.
As I move forward in my teaching career I want to continue to investigate how I can integrate this form of collaborative learning into my own classroom. My greatest concern is ensuring that the material written by my own intermediate students is accurate and credible. Despite this potential barrier, the use of wikis and other online discussion platforms offer the potential to engage students in the learning process while developing 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication and critical thinking (Lee, 2012).