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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Your Class Might be Learner-Centric If . . . (a work in progress)

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 I woke up this morning thinking about learner-centric learning environments. Hmmm, is that dedication or distraction if you dream about 21st century learning? 

Anyway, I had the opening phrase "Your class might be learner-centric if . . . " on my lips when I awoke. I am interested in making a conscious effort to make my courses learner-centric.

Many of my activities and my teaching philosophy tends to be learner-centric, but I want to finding a set of guidelines that I could use in refining my courses. 

So I began my search for such a list and composited the list below. This is a work in progress, so please provide me with feedback or your ideas about the list.

Please note that I have stated that your class MIGHT be learner-centric if it has these characteristics. A learner-centered learning environment is more than a few characteristics.  It is an overall learning experience that can be created when these characteristics are present.

Add your ideas to the comment section down below.

Your class might be learner-centric if: (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy . . . )

  • ·      Your students talk more then you do in class.
  • ·      Your students are working harder than you.
  • ·      Your students are explicitly learning the required thinking skills for mastering material in the discipline.
  • ·      Your students are reflecting, analyzing and critiquing what they are learning and how they are learning it.
  • ·      Your students have some choice about which assignments they complete.
  • ·      Your students help create the assessment criteria/rubrics.
  • ·      Your students are collaborating as learning communities.
  • ·      You share the learning commitment with your students.
  • ·      You and your students see learning individually and collectively as the goal of education.
  • ·      Your students demonstrate their knowledge in unique ways.
  • ·      Your students are actively engaged in individual and group learning activities.

What do you have to add?