student-centered learning: professional … · experiencing a substantial “paradigm shift from...

Running Head: STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MARIE DENNANY LARA THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY

September 24, 2015

STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

For the 21st Century


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For the 21st Century

Introduction

A wide variety of arenas from higher education to the latest emerging technology companies are

experiencing a substantial “paradigm shift from teacher-centered instruction to learner-centered

instruction,” both within the classroom and in professional development scenarios. (Mansson,

2013) The student, teacher, and the employee have all reported higher assessment results, more

satisfactory learning experiences and clearer understandings of the subject matter being taught

utilizing this approach. The proposition can be held that if we value the talents, opinions and

experiences of all of our employees and incorporate what they say, see and know are areas that

they need professional development in, we can better foresee a successful outcome in the

process. In the following report I will define student-centered learning, and provide a synopsis of

the most prominent research in order to understand the theoretical foundations that support this

methodology. I will summarize some advantages and disadvantages associated with student-

centered learning, and make recommendations on how to best implement a student-centered

learning professional development program in our workplace.

What is Student-Centered Learning?

Student-centered learning maybe best defined as a methodology that has altered the focus of

instruction from the stereo-typical boring lecture from the front of the room to an exciting

collaborative session based on an experimental project the entire staff voted on. The actual

definition can be that student-centered learning is an instructional approach that places the

learner (student) in the center of the learning process. This model has been a recommended

technique for a number of years, and has produced some of the highest ranking assessments, or

best results overall. In this latest format, an influential report from the National Research Council

advanced the approach further by researching and documenting their results that proved the

student-centered learning method facilitated the transfer of learning most successfully.


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(Learning, 2000) The Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education researched

the principles of learning, the science behind teaching practices, and various designs of learning

environments. After synthesizing their prolific research reports, they discovered that the most

successful learning environments are organized around four foci: knowledge-centered, learner-

centered, assessment-centered and community-centered.” (Froyd & Simpson, 2008) The

Commission states that when “We use the term “learner-centered” to refer to environments that

pay careful attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs that learners bring to the

educational setting.” (Learning, 2000, p. 133) In order to best facilitate learning in the

workplace, I believe this definition may work best.

Theoretical Foundations of Student-Centered Learning

Theorist Jean Piaget is most frequently credited with the basic ideas and research behind the

fundamentals of student-centered learning. Collectively, many have attributed John Dewey, Lev

Vygotsky, as well as Seymour Papert in various instructional methods situated within a student-

centered classroom or pedagogy as a whole. Many more will point to the “Constructivism”

theory as the basis of student-centered designs since Piaget had argued that in order to

successfully transfer knowledge to a human being, the process must be internalized by the

learner. Most specifically Piaget stated that “individuals construct new knowledge from their

experiences through a process of accommodation and assimilation.” (Applefield, Huber, &

Moallem, 2001) In this vein, “accommodation is the principle mechanism that explains why

failure leads to learning, in that we act on the expectation that the world operates in one way and

it violates our expectations, we often fail, but by accommodating this new experience and

reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure,…”

(contributors, 2015) The second element, assimilation occurs when children incorporate new

information into their existing schemas. This theory was posited based on observations in the

way and manner in which children and adults learn and repeated testing of these various

methods. Similar observations were made by other psychologists and researchers utilizing

similar concepts such as “discovery learning”, or “situated learning.” “Piaget’s theory is a strong

constructivist view. Early in the application of technology to children’s learning, Seymour

Papert (1980), who studied with Piaget for five years, created the Logo programming language


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for computers that was based on Piaget’s constructivist view.” Papert’s ideas have frequently

been associated or applied to learning methodologies that utilize technology as a basic

component. He was quite successful in teaching students the Logo programming language and

his work is still being promoted, researched and tested at labs that bear his name. “Theoretically,

this work was based on the premise that more integrated understanding of both programming and

fractions could be achieved by helping children program instructional software to teach others

about what they were learning.” (Baytak & Land, 2011) Since we have become a data-driven

society, theoretical foundations that are based on research into learning with programming and

other high-tech resources seem ideally relevant. The programs and theory behind this research

has evolved into a cloud based coding editor called Scratch 2.0 run out of the MIT labs.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Student-Centered Learning

Clear advantages have been observed in a multitude of science classrooms from elementary to

higher education, and within technology companies around the globe. Many high schools,

colleges and universities began to implement a “hands-on” approach to teaching many of their

science classes, such as biology and chemistry, and observed remarkable results. They in turn,

expanded the lab format and invested in computer simulation programs for those classes that

could not safely be performed in the lab. (Slunt & Giancarlo, 2004) The successes of this type of

learning led to the development of various other computer simulated demonstrations, projects,

and story-telling in similar formats on a wide range of other subjects. Instructors saw ways to

demonstrate various subjects utilizing technology that they could not formally present in the

classroom. They also observed that if they facilitated, or guided the students in putting these

projects together they retained more knowledge, or information in the process.

Depending on the shape or format the curriculum is based on, some popular styles that are

difficult to assess have been the PBL or project-based learning format which is typically done in

groups or teams. The reason for the wide-array of results from assessments is perceived to be

that it is sometimes difficult to determine if each and every member of a team or group

contributed equally to the results. This problem has been addressed in certain contexts, so the

recommendation has been to insure that the instructor facilitates the learning and interaction

between the students. (Hannafin & Hannafin, 2009) Therefore, in certain contexts, such as a


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business workplace or in teacher’s professional development situations, this perceived

disadvantaged is primarily irrelevant. Guidance, or support technology is recommended to

facilitate learning.

What Student-Centered Learning Means in My Workplace or Field

In order to start and implement a student-centered learning professional development program in

our workplace I would first create an inventory of what resources we have available; similar to

the steps one takes in order to implement a strategic technology plan. Next, I would assess the

rooms, sites or locations we have available in order to insure that we can develop a learning

environment that is conducive to the learning process. An important step would be to insure that

all employees have or will have access to this location, or internet connectivity and the

collaborative software or platform that we choose for this professional development program. It

will be of vital importance to get guidance from a SME or Subject Matter Expert in order to

insure that we are developing an effective training program with all the necessary elements. It

may be beneficial to look or research what other similar businesses are doing for their

professional development needs, and ascertaining if they are successful in the process they have

chosen.

Student-centered learning instructional/training sessions in our workplace should include

documented best practices such as evidence that the session is; learner-centered, or what the

employees stated or reported they needed assistance, guidance or instruction in. Knowledge-

centered, or employees need to be introduced to a subject or technique and alongside this they

need to be informed of the why, what, how there is value in learning this particular subject or

technique. Assessment-centered, or there must be relative feedback, or something to judge that

there was the successful transfer of knowledge. Lastly, the process should be community-

centered, in the sense that it is not given in an isolated format, but as a collaborative environment

where the employees can share ideas, answers, solutions, suggestions and opinions. (Learning,

2000)


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Summary

Historically we are well aware of the fact that most presentations and trainings that are supposed

to be for the professional development of the employees’ ends up as a lecture or demonstration

that is quickly forgotten, and in turn ineffective. In our data-driven society the purpose and

benefit of professional development has turned to proven methods, which are apparent in many

student-centered models of instruction. The design of these environments include essential key

elements which ascertain success. First they focus on what the employees already know,

beginning with foundational knowledge, and next the attention is directed to insure that the

employee is fully aware of all aspects of how this project, simulation or whatever context the

instruction is in can benefit and effect their future successes. The third foci is feedback from an

assessment or other demonstrative measure of the implicit transfer of knowledge. The most

successful practices of this methodology are done in a community-based environment.

The research of these designs, and the successful application of some derivative of this methods

have been time proven in the sense that the data has shown what has worked effectively, and in

which type of environment. Most technology driven establishments operate on the premise that

‘visualization, analysis, and understanding of patterns in data are becoming integral parts and

requirements of every field.” (Dasgupta & Resnick, 2014) Government and education has asked

that we examine and determine how to maintain and keep our information secure yet we need

access to this data and we need to instruct our employees in methods of understanding and

interpreting the data we hold and create, in a meaningful manner. Utilizing the initiatives I have

outlined in this report I believe we can successfully implement a modern professional

development environment for the 21st century in our workplace, and in turn create a more

successful business.


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Listed References

Applefield, J. M., Huber, R., & Moallem, M. (2001). Constructivism in Theory and Practice: Toward a Better Understanding. Chapel Hill: High School Journal.

Baytak, A., & Land, S. M. (2011). An investigation of the artifacts and process of constructing computers games about environmental science in a fifth grade classroom. Educational Technology Research and Development, 765-782.

contributors, W. (2015, September 24). Constructivism (philosophy of education) . Retrieved from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Constructivism_(philosophy_of_education)&oldid=682492194

Dasgupta, S., & Resnick, M. (2014). Engaging novices in programming, experimenting, and learning with data. ACM Inroads, 5, 72-75. doi:DOI: 10.1145/2684721.2684737

Froyd, J., & Simpson, N. (2008). Student-Centered Learning Addressing Faculty Questions about Student-Centered Learning. Course, Curriculum, Labor, and Improvement Conference, Washington, D.C., 1-11.

Hannafin, M. J., & Hannafin, K. M. (2009). Cognition and Student-Centered, Web-Based Learning: Issues and Implications for Research and Theory. Learning and Instruction in the Digital Age, 11-28.

Learning, C. o. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Mansson, D. H. (2013). Assessing student learning in intercultural communication: Implementation of three classroom assessment techniques. College Student Journal, 47, 343-351.

Slunt, K. M., & Giancarlo, L. C. (2004). Student-Centered Learning: A Comparison of Two Different methods of Instruction. Journal of Chemical Education, 985-988.

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