Student-centered learning environments, notice I did not say
classrooms, have been talked about for years.
The transition to such an environment, while not always easy, is an
important part of decoding the student attrition mystery. Student-centeredness
puts the emphasis on engaging students through the use of life experience,
cultural beliefs, and application through facilitation vs. content expertise
explained in lecture form and memorized by students.
There is a significant link between student engagement and student
retention. The need for more student-centered
institutions is greater than ever. According
to Crosling, Thomas & Heagney (2008), today’s student expects to be valued
for what they bring to the table and want to see value in what they are
learning, instead of being told what to know and to trust in its value beyond
the classroom grade. Coates (2005)
posits students need to feel legitimized and supported in the educational
process. By helping students connect existing knowledge, heritage and future
goals to classroom content, instructors increase student self-worth, confidence
and stamina. This connectedness is best
achieved through classroom discussion, projects, simulations and other
collaborative activities.
To be most effective, engagement needs to be both academic
and social. Student-centered environments are ripe for increased collaboration
between student affairs and academic affairs.
With increased numbers of students working and raising families,
concurrent with attaining a degree and decreased federal funding to support
their educational efforts, the higher learning culture needs to embrace the
idea of co-curricular activities that expand the learning environment beyond
the classroom and create a true learning-centered environment. Faculty need to
find ways to connect explicit curriculum with student affairs’ implicit
curriculum. This will not only encourage
deeper educational experiences, it will also help students leverage their
commonalities and build lasting connections and, thus, larger professional
networks upon graduation. Student-centered
learning environments help bridge gaps created by cultural diversity and allow
students to experience learning from perspectives outside their own personal
starting point.
Crosling, Glenda & Thomas, Liz & Heagney, Margaret
(Eds.). (2008). Improving
Student Retention in Higher
Education: The Role of Teaching and Learning.
London,
England and New York, NY: Routledge
This is an exciting idea, but if I start with the assumption that it's an effective practice, I have trouble seeing a successful outline of application in a public education environment with rooms full of students (i.e. >10-20 at a time). Could this be adapted to classrooms of 50 or more students? How does one ensure a minimum level of commonly learned nuggets for the students upon which they will build future learning?
ReplyDeleteLarge lecture type classrooms actually decrease the likelihood of "commonly learned nuggets" because you are teaching to the middle. By teaching to the middle, those with advanced knowledge are not challenged and those with beginner knowledge are overwhelmed. It is possible to have student centered classrooms with larger audiences, but it takes planning and work. If engagement is our ultimate goal, we need to start there and work backwards. Technology can assist with creating student centered environments. The use of assigned podcasts, either created by the teacher or reusable content from another source can be used similar to assigned readings to prepare students for the upcoming class discussion putting the classroom emphasis on exploring and applying new knowledge rather than being introduced to it. In addition to large classroom discussions, teachers can organize online discussions using, Twitter, Facebook, the school's LMS, Blogs, etc to engage students with other students, professionals in the field of study and even the general population. The appropriate inter-professional audience will vary depending on subject matter. Group work also helps stimulate conversation and application better than talking at students. Projects that require groups to look at subjects from varied viewpoints and then present and discuss with the entire class allow a broader understanding. Critical thinking seems to be a lost art and I believe that is in part because we have told students what to know for a long time. Size matters, but it doesn't have to prevent us from implementing proven strategies of success.
ReplyDeleteVery exciting to think about this. I've always thought the goal of learning is to gather enough of those knowledge nuggets (in a particular subject of study) expressly to begin the critical thinking beyond the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking a class outside my background starting in a few weeks, I'll look for the kind of opportunities you've discussed here.