Why student centred learning

Content Menu Please note that as of August , this website will no longer be updated. Resilience activity. Interactive Content. SCORM packages. Home NC How students learn. Print book. Print this chapter. How students learn How students learn. Ask us Tell us Find us Student-centered learning " This revolving door of frustrated teacher s costs schools billions each year.

When students gain more control over the learning process, teachers see an immediate improvement in student behavior. That means fewer classroom frustrations and more time spent teaching. Even better, teachers get to see students make connections to the material. Rather than drilling irrelevant pieces of data, teachers help students connect the things they learn to their daily lives. More engaged students means more fulfilled and less stressed educators.

Half of parents say they struggle to help their children with their homework. Many say they spend endless hours fighting with their kids over homework.

Some say that the homework battles make it impossible to spend pleasant time together as a family. All of these fights over schoolwork may not even confer any benefit. One recent study found students have three times more homework than is developmentally appropriate.

Another found that elementary schoolers receive no benefits from homework. When students have more control over their education, homework battles may become a thing of the past. For some students, homework may disappear entirely. For others, homework becomes something fun and relevant. Rather than filling out worksheets, a child might observe birds, make cookies, or learn about addition by shopping for toys.

This allows harried parents to spend more quality time with their children. It means fewer fights, less frustration, and a chance for parents to engage in their children's schoolwork in a way that feels meaningful. Instead of struggling to understand new approaches to math and reading, parents get to show their kids that learning can be fun, relevant, and even inspiring. It sounds great, right? Many teachers, however, worry about implementation.

But it quickly became clear that these old-fashioned methods of teaching are not effective at encouraging students to learn.

So, do students learn best when they direct their own education? Although this approach may seem to go against basic educational practices learning must be centered around the teacher, right?

Empowering students helps them transition from being passive learners to active ones. Suddenly, they become more invested in their education and willing to learn. A student-centered approach also fosters creativity and collaboration.

This method of learning acknowledges that students prefer different ways of learning and absorb information at different paces. Students following the International Baccalaureate IB programme benefit under a student-centred learning approach, as it allows them to deeply develop the characteristics of the IB learner profile.

A student-centred approach allows learners to explore knowledge across a wide range of disciplines, use creative and critical problem-solving skills, express themselves confidently, and learn how to work both independently and in collaboration with their peers.

Developing a student-centred classroom may seem daunting at first, but the most important thing is to provide learning experiences for the students where their voice can be heard, with a focus on their interests. Students should be encouraged to take a more active role in their education, while the teacher assumes a more passive role.

So, what are some things you can do to flip the tables?