Teaching and Learning: The student-centred learning approach

In the blog last week, we explored a brief overview of our new topic of teaching methods and learning styles. This week we shall examine the model of student-centred learning situating the promotion of this style primarily within the context of the English-speaking cluster of nations.

The central aims of student-centred learning

Within the English-speaking nations (ESNs), a preference for student-centred learning (SCL) has become an almost unchallengeable pedagogical orientation. Then, while SCL incorporates a wide range of teaching methods and learning styles, proponents enthusiastically share several primary learning aims. These, in broad terms, are as follows:

• The promotion of active rather than passive learning

• The emphasis on what is regarded as deep rather than surface learning

• The priority to greater student responsibility and accountability

• The development of increased learner autonomy

• The awareness of variations in effective teaching methods and learning styles

• The establishment of mutual respect between educators and learners

• The transference of focus from outcomes and grades to the learning process

• The movement away from what to learn to how to learn

• The encouragement of critical reading in contrast to passive comprehension

• The focus on more self-managed and life-long learning strategies

• The relationship between education and citizenship

SCL and the cultural expectations of the ESNs

First, one fundamental reason why SCL has flourished is that the underlying philosophy, learning objectives, and methods dovetail comfortably with the deeply rooted cultural dimensions of the ESNs. More specifically, these values include expressive individualism, small power distance relationships, and weak levels of uncertainty when encountering change. We shall explore in detail the relationship between the development of educational expectations and contrasting cultural value orientations in a future blog in this series.

Then, another way in which SCL reflects the cultural expectations of the ESNs is in the key priorities that seek to promote active rather than passive learning. In other words, students are not suffered to sit passively observing the flow of information or just take occasional notes, while contributing little else to the learning experience.

In contrast, the objective is to develop the confidence to ask questions, interject where relevant, while requesting explanations for the arguments, theories, models, and positions under review. Indeed, lessons often commence with the educator asking students questions while refusing to move on until sufficient responses have been attempted.

Moreover, to continue this theme of active participation, another primary aim of the SCL is to gradually enable students to take increased responsibility for their education leading to the development of both self-directed and autonomous learning abilities. This progression will also require the facilitation of increased competence, confidence, self-reliance. Here, the ultimate objective is to nurture the motivation and skills required for successful life-long learning, not something that ends abruptly at the gates of some educational institution.

Finally, the proponents of the SCL philosophy continue to be at the forefront of the debate regarding the underlying primary purpose of education. In this context, they tend to place much higher emphasis on the importance of intrinsic values such as personal and social growth as citizens in contrast to the narrow instrumental career-based perspective.

To conclude, in the blog next week we will shift our focus to an evaluation of the key features that differentiate teacher-centred learning from SCL.

---

Questions

1. Might SCL be more appropriate to the exploration of some academic subjects rather than to others?

   
   

2. Why do some students find SCL intrusive and rather superficial especially in relation to discussions?

   
   

3. What are the primary areas of contrast between the teacher- and student-centred learning styles?

---

We shall explore Question 3 in the next blog.