Список сокращений

L1 – Language 1, native language

L2 – Language 2, foreign language

Ss – students

TT – teacher talking time

EFL – English as a foreign language

ESL – English as a second language

ESP – English for specific purposes

Unit I How to become a better learner?

Vocabulary

facilitator of learning

“hands-on” activities

to enhance motivation

autonomous learner

to design curriculum

learning style

learning strategy

self-directed learning

successful learning

to implement

self-assessment

interaction

problem-solving activity

feedback

to elicit, elicitation

Student-centred learning

Student-centred learning (or student-centered learning; also called child-centred learning) is an approach to education focusing on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators. This approach has many implications for the design of curriculum, course content, and interactivity of courses. Student-centred learning, that is, putting students first, is in contrast to teacher-centred learning. Student-centred learning is focused on the student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles with the teacher as a facilitator of learning. This classroom teaching method acknowledges student voice as central to the learning experience for every learner. Teacher-centred learning has the teacher at its centre in an active role and students in a passive, receptive role. Student-centred learning requires students to be active, responsible participants in their own learning.

Traditionally, teachers direct the learning process and students assume a receptive role in their education. With the advent of progressive education in the 19th century, and the influence of psychologists, some educators have largely replaced traditional curriculum approaches with "hands-on" activities and "group work", which the child determines on his own what he wants to do in class.

Student-centered learning allows students to actively participate in discovery learning processes from an autonomous viewpoint. Students consume the entire class time constructing a new understanding of the material being learned without being passive, but rather proactive. A variety of hands-on activities are administered in order to promote successful learning. Unique, yet distinctive learning styles are encouraged in a student-centred classroom. With the use of valuable learning skills, students are capable of achieving life-long learning goals, which can further enhance student motivation in the classroom. Because learning can be seen as a form of personal growth, students are encouraged to utilize self-regulation practices in order to reflect on his or her work. For that reason, learning can also be constructive in the sense that the student is in full control of his or her learning. Over the past few decades, a paradigm shift in curriculum has occurred where the teacher acts as a facilitator in a student-centred classroom.

Such emphasis on learning has enabled students to take a self-directed alternative to learning. In the teacher-centred classroom, teachers are the primary source for knowledge. Therefore, the focus of learning is to gain information as it is proctored to the student. On the other hand, student-centred classrooms are now the norm where active learning is strongly encouraged. Students researching material pertinent to the success of their academiс and knowledge production is seen as a standard. In order for a teacher to veer towards a student-centred classroom, he or she must become aware of the diverse backgrounds of his or her learners, their learning styles. The following provides a few examples of why student-centred learning should be integrated into the curriculum:

• Strengthens student motivation

• Promotes peer communication

• Reduces disruptive behaviour

• Builds student-teacher relationships

• Promotes discovery/active learning

• Responsibility for one’s own learning

With the openness of a student-centred learning environment, knowledge production is vital when providing students the opportunity to explore their own learning styles. In that respect, successful learning also occurs when learners are fully engaged in the active learning process. A further distinction from a teacher-centred classroom to that of a student-centred classroom is when the teacher acts as a facilitator. In essence, the teacher’s goal in the learning process is to guide students into making new interpretations of the learning material.

To implement a student-centred learning environment, attention must be given to the following aspects of learning:

• What the child is curious about learning

• Teaching strategies to accommodate individual needs: intellectual, emotional

• Student's social needs: collaboration, communication, peer approval

Because the focus is on individual students rather than whole class structures, teachers often offer choices and adaptations within lessons. This is a role teachers must be comfortable with if they are to implement a student-centred learning environment. To be considered a student-centred learning environment it will be open, dynamic, trusting, respectful, and promote children's subjective as well as objective learning styles. Students may collaborate in hands-on problems and draw their own conclusions. This experiential learning involves the whole child - their emotions, thoughts, social skills, and intuition. The result is a person who is self confident and a critical thinker.

One of the most critical differences between student-centred learning and teacher-centred learning is in assessment. In student-centred learning, students participate in the evaluation of their learning. This means that students are involved in deciding how to demonstrate their learning. Developing assessment that support learning and motivation is essential to the success of student-centred approaches. One of the main reasons teachers resist student-centred learning is the view of assessment as problematic in practice. Since teacher-assigned grades are so tightly woven into the fabric of schools, expected by students, parents and administrators alike, allowing students to participate in assessment is somewhat contentious.

(Wikipedia)

Task 1

What are your associations as far as an English lesson is concerned? Work out ideas in groups. Be prepared to fill in the table.

Metaphor/association	Student’s roles	Teacher’s role	Key assumptions about teaching
Rose garden
Circus
Orchestra
Ant-hill
Jungle
Staging a play
* your own ideas

Mind! – There is no proper picture, all metaphors highlight different aspects of teaching!

Task 2

Which of these do you agree/disagree? Explain your answers.

• The teacher’s most important task is to be a dispenser of knowledge

• Teachers should always know the right answers and provide with them

• Students learn more effectively when they take responsibility for their learning

• Encouraging students to correct each other’s work only serves to fossilize those mistakes in their long-term memory

• It is the teacher who should decide on the materials and the tasks to be done by the learners

• Teachers should not disclose personal information and feelings to their students

Task 3

The recommendation for a shift of emphasis in responsibility from teacher to student is common in contemporary pedagogy. In a summary of the characteristics of effective learners, de la Harpe, Kulski and Radloff (1999) noted good learners:

• Have clear learning goals

• Have a wide repertoire of learning strategies and know when to use them

• Use available resources effectively

• Know about their strengths and weaknesses

• Understand the learning process

• Deal appropriately with their feelings

• Take responsibility for their own learning

• Plan, monitor, evaluate and adapt their learning process

In groups, make up a list of recommendations to answer the following questions:

• What should teachers do to develop learner autonomy? (Share information with pupils about your planning, objectives etc. …)

• What do students need to become more responsible and autonomous learners? (Reflect on their learning style and strategies…)

Task 4

What are learning strategies? Reflect on your own learning strategies. Work in pairs and do one of the following tasks:

• Write a list of effective learning strategies to improve reading skills

• Write a list of effective learning strategies to improve listening skills

Task 5

Look at the activities (Supplements 1, 2, 3) and say whether they are learner-centred or not. Explain your opinions.

Task 6

Study the following opinions and comment on them. What would be your advice?

I'd like to know how to make my approach more learner-centred, with less teacher talking time. Can anyone give some practical examples to help me do this?

This question is from Jenny Chavez, Bolivia

Steve, Spain

As far as I'm concerned it's about allowing students to take more control of their studies overall. For example, during a course it might mean they decide what their goals are and even self-assess themselves. In each individual lesson you can also carry out learner centred tasks. That might mean something as simple as giving them time to remember what was studied in the lesson(s) before. They remember together in groups rather than the teacher reminding them.

Jeff, Italy

Put very simply, a lesson is more learner-centred when the students are working in pairs or small groups. Why don't you start by checking how much time you're actually spending doing whole class activities, and compare that to how much time the students spend working in pairs or small groups. I think on average you should be looking to spend about 80% of your time doing the latter.

Alvin, UK

Well, I'm not actually a teacher yet, but I'm a teacher in training and I had an experience on being a substitute teacher. For what I can imagine, I think group activities are very effective when we want the learning to be more learner-centered. However, there are no nos in this kind of activity. Since they are in groups, they might depend on one person to do the work, probably the smartest one in the group. One solution for this isgroup the students, each having different strengths. Each group should have equal distribution of different intelligences like math, language, etc. With that way, no one would do all the work since each of them can participate in their own special ways.

Also, pairing them up will make so much of a difference. They will not only develop camaraderie, but they will also learn to trust, and learn the lesson together. You can also see their progress as you look around the room.

Loc, Vietnam

I want to mention this matter in terms of language teaching. In making our teaching hours more learner-centered, I think, teacher's instructions play an important role, in addition to class management techniques such as pair work or group work organization. Teachers should remember to prepare a simple yet clear selection of guiding sentences so that our students can follow the activities comfortably.

Ana Maria, Buenos Aires, Argentina

As regards your question, the most important fact is that a teacher should bear in mind learner centerness at every lesson stage, that's to say from the warm up activity to dealing with the grammar or lexical item of the lesson.

So, most crucial of all, in my opinion, is your Teaching Plan. If you have effectively reflected on the lesson, the time you will allot to the different stages and the participation of students, by simply coding each stage as TT for teacher talking time and ST for student's talking time, your lesson will be a complete success and would have a good balance of both. Also remember, that above all in order not to fall in the TT trap ( teacher talking time trap), is to remember that the only moment you will Talk is to give instructions, or to ask questions in order to make students reflect in pairs or to ask for feedback or sharing after their pair work or group work. Furthermore, as mentioned before, every stage of the lesson should be student centered even when you present new vocabulary or explain a grammar item worked out throughout the lesson. This is simple, you just have to remind students what they have listened at or read about, and the structures will simply arouse from them magically. Then you just shot them down on the board and make up the rule with them with their feedback and knowledge. The same technique can be applied for presenting vocabulary or for elicitation of ideas and words about a certain topic. To sum up, most important of all is to think clearly and plan your strategy of action before stepping in the classroom, because if you don't have a clear action plan, then the TT (the teacher talking time) will dominate it, and you will just feel a great disappointment at the end of your day.

Reflection

Reflect on your own learning style – are you an active and responsible learner? What could you improve to achieve better results in learning?