LESSON I

INTRODUCTION TO LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

DESCRIPTION
This lesson of the module introduces the pre-service teacher on the teaching and learning process in the advent of learner-centeredness. This Lesson lays down the key
concepts of facilitating learner-centered teaching in the 21st century classrooms.
GUIDE
1. Answer the pre-test.
2. Analyze the pictures in the ACTIVITY; write some observations.
3. Answer the questions in the ANALYSIS part.
4. Read and understand the ABSTRACTION.
5. Design an infographic that will synthesize the different concepts about learner-centered teaching,
6. Write a reflection narrative.
7. Answer the post-test.
LESSON LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the Lesson, students are expected to synthesize the different concepts about learner-centered teaching.
PURPOSE
The following are the purposes of this lesson:
1. Introduce the pre-service teachers to learner-centered teaching;
2. Instill the significance of learner diversity in the teaching-learning-process; and
3. Clarify misconceptions about learner-centered teaching versus traditional teaching method;
 KEY TERMS

Learner-centered teaching. A learner-centered approach to education prioritizes the individual student’s needs, interests, and abilities. The core principles of this approach include
putting the learner at the center of the learning process, emphasizing active learning, and fostering a collaborative and supportive learning environment (L&D samelane.com, 2023).
Learner. A learner is an individual who is willing to learn and understand new things. Learning is a process of understanding and acquiring knowledge of new things and concepts
(@wp teachmint.com, date of access:2023).
Teacher. A teacher is a teaching professional who is meant to help the students to gain knowledge, competence, and virtue ((@wp teachmint.com, date of access:2023).
Facilitator. Facilitators concentrate on the learning process. They are there to encourage collaboration and self-learning. Facilitators stimulate discussions, ask questions to get the
group thinking, and encourage peer-to-peer communication (EU Business School, 2022).

ACTIVITY

Direction: Analyze the pictures below and answer the following questions in the ANALYSIS part.
A. B.
 ANALYSIS

After observing the pictures above, answer the following questions:

1. What are the similarities and differences between pictures A and B?
2. Which among these pictures is teacher-centered? Which is student-centered? Why?
3. Which of these pictures manifest in today's classroom? Why?

ABSTRACTION

Throughout the history of education, the word “teaching” had evolved in its definition, methodology, and purpose. The traditional approach to teaching deals in the context
where the learners are trained to become passive receivers of knowledge and skills. The trend in this contemporary time, the science and art of teaching focuses on the learners’
context, where they become active and engaged in presenting their knowledge and skills.
The most renowned and accepted definition of learner-centeredness is according to McCombs and Whisler (1997). They defined learner-centeredness as the perspective
that combines a focus on individual learners—their heredity, experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, talents, interests, capacities, and needs - with a focus on the best available
knowledge about learning and how it occurs and about teaching practices that promote the highest levels of motivation, learning, and achievement for all learners. This dual focus
then informs the drives of educational decision making. The definition explicates the importance of the learner as the key element in the success of the teaching-learning process. It
requires the teacher to adopt teaching methodologies that acknowledge the learner's heredity (biological component), experiences (social component), perspectives (beliefs),
backgrounds (social upbringing), interest (motivation), capacities (developmentally appropriate), and needs (survival skills and knowledge). It demands the school to establish
educational policies that center on inclusive practices, a positive school climate, and a safe and secure learning environment.
Q: What do you think of the current educational set up? Is it reflective of learner-centered instruction?
As opposed to traditional teaching involving lectures punctuated by an objective test, the learning process from learner-centered teaching stance is the facilitation of student
construction of knowledge based on their direct experiences. Learner-centered teaching means subjecting every teaching activity (method, assignment, or assessment) to the test of
a single question: “Given the context of my students, course, and classroom, will this teaching action optimize my students’ opportunity to learn?” (Doyle, 2008).
Learner-centered teaching involves optimizing learning opportunities for learners. A great teacher knows how to maximize opportunities for students to learn. There are
aspects of learner-centered practices for achieving optimizations: (1) Engage students in authentic learning, which requires the teacher to provide experiential and firsthand
experiences as a learning activity; (2) Involve students in their choice and control about learning; sharing the responsibility for learning with them makes them accountable for their
learning; (3) Instill life-long learning skills for the students; teachers must be trained to teach survival skills and learning—how-to-learn skills and strategies needed to deal with the
complex and challenging problems of the society where they will become productive individuals; (4) Promote the relevance of learner-centered teaching - before starting your lesson,
provide first the rationale behind acquiring new skills and knowledge that will enable the learners to decide whether it is worthwhile for them to engage in learning. Prioritize
knowledge and skills that are important to know instead of enumerating good to know topics.
According to Weimer (2013), there are five characteristics of learner-centered teaching:
1. Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning. In this approach, the teacher lets students perform learning tasks that are
developmentally appropriate, objective-oriented, relevant to the topic, and maximize learning opportunities.
2. Leaner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction. Teachers as an expert in their field of discipline must teach the learners how to solve problems, evaluate
arguments, think critically, apply information, and integrate knowledge for learners to think like an expert and have the mastery of the lesson content.
3. Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it. Learners should be conscious of what and how they
are learning. Teachers guide their learners to become active, responsible, and reflective learners, especially in selecting appropriate learning strategies and study skills best
fit for the situation.
4. Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over the learning processes. Contrary to the traditional teacher-centered approach where
classroom decision making is the teacher’s sole responsibility, in a learner-centered classroom, decision-making is inclusive involving teachers, students, and parents.
Learners are consulted in the crafting of classroom rules and routines and planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the learning experience.
5. Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration. A learner-centered classroom is seen as a community of learners. It recognizes the importance of social regard for
learning and cooperation as an attribute for everyone to learn something new. Nowadays, teachers are not just the sole source of information; instead, everyone has
 something to share with others based on their experiences, making learning a collective sense. Teachers need to work to develop structures that promote shared
commitments to learning.
The biggest challenge faced by pre-service teachers is to adopt and implement a learner-centered approach to teaching successfully - to switch their learning paradigm. Although
the movement towards the full realization of learner-centered teaching in the national curriculum is extensive, there are still some backlash and resistance against it. Both learners
and teachers have their rationale against this movement. Weimer (2013) has the following list that represents learners’ resistance towards a learner-centered approach to teaching:
1. Learner-centered approaches require more work. A learner-centered teacher will demand time, effort, and resources from the students in performing learning tasks. To the
learners, this might feel exhaustive and challenging, but as long as the learning tasks have direct relevance and raise learners’ interest, it would drastically lessen the burden.
2. Learner-centered approaches are threatening. For some learners who have developed the ways of teacher-centered classroom practices, introducing a learner-centered
approach is quite daunting because it is a brand new experience, and the fear of failure in this unfamiliar environment can cause anxiety. It requires time and a great deal for
our learners to develop a new set of learning habits, especially those who were patterned in the teacher-centered instruction.
3. Learner-centered approaches involve losses. The decision-making and responsibility for learning is both a shared power of the learners and teachers. There can be a sense
of loss when the learners realize a sudden shift of learning accountability from the teacher to them.
4. Some students are not ready for specific learner-centered approaches. Some learners are not ready yet for a learner-driven learning experience. Some learners need
assistance and guidance from their teachers and parents to be intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially ready in a classroom where they are the main character.
Some teachers and administrators had felt anxious towards the adaptation of a learner-centered teaching approach:
1. The coverage of the lesson content. Shifting from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach requires the teacher to redefine the lesson content. In a
teacher-centered approach, the teacher can cover all the content that fits into the course, while in a learner-centered approach, the teacher identifies the essential content
and use it to acquire new skills and knowledge. Due to limited time, teachers must decide if they will focus on covering the entire lesson content and disregard time for
learning tasks or select the most important topics and provide relevant learning tasks.
2. Only advance and mature students will benefit from a learner-centered approach. It is a misconception for teachers to have such a contrary assumption about the capacity of
our students. In fact, in learner-centered teaching, all students, despite their class, gender, beliefs, race, religion, social upbringing, language, and educational starting point,
benefit from this approach, since they are the priority and their needs are taken to consideration in facilitating learning.
3. The threat when shifting the responsibility for learning to the learners. For some teachers, it is a formidable act of transferring and sharing powers to the learners in the act of
teaching. Especially for experienced teachers, it is hard for them to let go of complete control of the classroom and share power with the learners.
Dimensions of Learner-centered Teaching
 1. Balance of Power
The learner's motivation, confidence, and enthusiasm for learning are adversely affected when teachers control the process through and by which they learn. In a learner-
centered classroom, there is shared, collective decision-making between the learners and their teacher. Before you start the school year with your learners, allow them to express
their expectations, talents, interests, and goals in attending your class. This will give them the feeling of being necessary for the class.
Weimer (2013) suggests that Learners should be involved in activities and assignment decisions, class policy decisions, class content decisions, and evaluation activities. The
benefits of power-sharing had been proven effective. Learners are engaged, involved, motivated, and more connected with the class, which results in more learning. Through this,
teachers become active, interested, and connected with their students, making the student-against-teacher rigid wall to break down. It also levels up the classroom environment by
having a sense of ownership and comfort where anxiety, guilt, and fear has no place.
Question: How much power is enough? How much freedom can our learners handle? When do teachers compromise their professional responsibilities?
2. The Function of Content
Commonly, teachers have a strong content orientation that, until now, is being part of their principles in selecting lesson content. Teachers need to abolish the more-is-better
assumption in covering a lesson. A teacher must select subject matter that is essential and practical for the students in a society that undertake an influx of changes. Teachers must
be able to understand that in a learner-centered environment, content and learning are thought of as mutually reinforcing instead of having a dichotomous relationship. The content-
learning relationship features that content must be used to develop a knowledge base; it should be used to develop learning skills, and it must be used to create learner awareness.
The race to cover content has equally negative consequences for the students. It eventually reinforces learning strategies that focus on rote memorization, simple recall, and
forgetting. Having a strong allegiance to content prevents teachers from using methods and activities that strengthen learning outcomes and develop learning skills.
Teachers must be guided with the following questions in selecting the content of the subject matter: How much content is enough? How do we change attitudes
about the role of content? What about students at different skill levels, how do I adapt generic learning activities to fit the content I teach?

3. The Role of the Teacher

In learner-centered teaching, the role of the teacher shifts from being a sage on the stage (the sole source of information) to being a guide on the side (facilitator of learning).
Teachers are positioned alongside the learner to keep the attention, interest, focus, and spotlight aimed at and on the learning process. According to Weimer (2013), teachers must
perform less by instructing the learning tasks to the learners; teachers must avoid explaining concepts to the learners instead let the learners discover, explore, and experience;
teachers must rigorously plan and design their instruction that centers on the learner’s success; they must act as a model for their learners in terms of mastery of the content
knowledge and skills by demonstrating approaches in accomplishing the learning tasks; teachers must use a collaborative approach for learning to value the importance of social
learning; teachers must develop a positive classroom climate for learning, and teachers must provide an avenue for feedbacking to students’ outputs and performances. Intervention
is also important, especially during class presentations, but teachers should be reminded of when and how to intervene to avoid humiliation of students in front of the class.
4. The responsibility for Learning

In learner-centered teaching, the responsibility for learning is bestowed upon the learners. In getting the learners to accept the responsibility for learning, the classroom climate
must be conducive for learning and build autonomy and responsibility for the students. A classroom climate is conducive for learning where students perceive the classroom as a
setting where they belong. When the students are in an environment that they prefer, they achieve more. We also need a classroom climate that encourages learner’s autonomy,
responsibility, and confidence. To become responsible in learning also means becoming a self-regulated learner. Self-regulated learners handle a learning task with diligence,
creativity, confidence, and resourcefulness. They are aware of their limitations; proactively seek answers, and flexible when faced with obstacles.
Teachers must convince the learners that the act of learning is their sole responsibility and their teachers are there to guide them. They must also know when their responsibility
ends and where that of the students begin. Although we cannot force them to accept the responsibility, we can help them develop their confidence and interest when we plan and
implement classroom policies and practices that enable them to understand their responsibility which eventually will empower them..
5. The Purpose and processes of Evaluation
In today’s milieu, our policies and practices, coupled with a broader societal interest, place a disproportionate emphasis on evaluation for grading. The culture of cheating, beliefs
about ability, and grade grubbing are results of being grade oriented—these results to a severe consequence that compromise learning outcomes. Also, our policies and practices
exclude students from the evaluation process. This leads to the denial of student’s opportunities to learn essential self and peer assessment strategies.
Evaluation refers to teachers providing value-judgment from the work of the learners. The term inclines fear and frustration from our learners for their scores in the evaluation
determines their grades. Daunting assumptions had also lurked the term. However, the purpose of evaluation in learner-centered teaching is that evaluation activities should be used
in a way that enhances learner's already inherent potentials to promote learning, and evaluation processes should be opened to students in ways that give them opportunities to
develop self- and peer-assessment skills.

APPLICATION
Direction: Using a software (Canva or Photoshop), craft an infographic that discusses the roles of the teacher in learner-centered teaching. Be guided by the rubric below for the
content of your infographic. Submit your infographic in a JPEG or PDF format.

Criteria Percentage
Creativity 40%
The infographic shows the art of creativity and maximizes the use of elements.
Content 40%
The infographic contains important concepts about learner-centered teaching.
Mechanics 20%
The content shows strong writing skills and proper use of grammar.
Total 100%

REFLECTION
In 100-150 words, write a reflection paper on Learner-Centered Teaching. Be guided by the Rubric:

Criteria Expert (5) Accomplished (4) Capable (3) Beginner (2)

Depth of • Demonstrates an in-depth • Demonstrates a general • Demonstrates a minimal • Demonstrates a lack of reflection
Reflection reflection on, and reflection on, and reflection on, and on, or personalization ideas
personalization of, the ideas personalization of, the ideas personalization of, the ideas presented in the current lesson.
presented in the current presented in the current lesson. presented in the current
• Viewpoints and interpretations
lesson. • Viewpoints and interpretations lesson.
are missing, inappropriate,
• Viewpoints and are supported. and/or unsupported.
 • Viewpoints and interpretations
interpretations are insightful • Appropriate examples are are unsupported or supported • Examples, when applicable, are
and well supported. provided, as applicable. with flawed arguments. not provided.
• Clear, detailed examples are • Examples, when applicable,
provided, as applicable. are not provided or are
irrelevant to the task.
Quality of Writing • Written in an extraordinary • Written in an interesting style • Had little style or voice. • Had style or voice.
style and voice. and voice. • Gives some new information • Gives no new information and
• Very informative and well- • Somewhat informative and but is poorly organized. very poorly organized.
organized. organized.
Grammar, Usage, Virtually no spelling, With few spelling and With a number of spelling, With many spelling, punctuation,
and Mechanics punctuation, or grammatical punctuation errors and minor punctuation, or grammatical and grammatical errors that
errors. grammatical errors. errors. interfere with meaning.

Remarks: ________________________________________ Raw Score _____ X100/15 = Rating ______ Rated by: _______________

REFERENCES
Doyle, Terry (2008). Helping Students Learn in a Learner-centered Environment: A Guide to Facilitating Learning in Higher Education. Stylus Publishing. Sterling, Virginia
McComba, B. & Miller, L. (2007). Learner-centered Classroom Practices and Assessments: Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement. Corwin Press. Thousand
Oaks. CA
Weimer.M. (2008). Learner-centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice (2nd Edition). John Wiley & Sons Inc. San Francisco. CA