Week5 - Student centered learning and inquiry based learning

Where dose it fit in ?
"Student-centered learning demands not only that teachers are expert in their fields but also – and more importantly – that they understand how people learn" ( Jordan & Spencer,1990)

• Directed Learning • Cognitive • Constructivist


Learning Theories – 3 major ideas

Teacher centered, directed approaches

Directed learning
(also referred to as instructivist of objectivist)

Learner centered, teacher as facilitator

Where dose it fit in?

Student Centered Learning

SCL happens when:
The teacher sees teaching/learning as a process not a product,(Aaronsohn,1996)




Needs and abilites of students
Topics are relevant to the students' lives, needs, and interests and when the students themselves are actively engaged in creating, understanding and connecting to knowledge(McCombs and Whistler 1997)

The teacher considers learning styles of students when planning and assessing learning experiences.

With SCL students are….

…more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated

… active participants in their learning

Learning are their own pace
Using their own strategies


Students are not just memorizing information, but are working with and using the information along with rest of class.

Students different thoughts and views are a necessary input every class. The students are given choices and are included in the decision-making processes of the classroom.

How to do it?
Lecturers must design activities that:
Let students take initiative.
Let students discover meaningful information for their own lives.
Engage students actively to support knowledge construction.



Inquiry Learning

1.WHAT IS INQUIRY LEARINING?
Seeking information by questioning

Starts with a problem or a question.
Can be teacher or student generated.

Can be a real problem which has not yet been solved

Students define what they know and what they want to find out.

2.WHAT DO STUDENTS DO?

• Look at questions and problem analytically.
• Students actively search for answers
• Reflect on what they find
• Integrate the information they find into their knowledge of the problem.
• Refine their questions

The process of inquiring begins with qathering information and data through applying the human senses – seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling.
(http://www.thirteen.org/edonlne/concept2class/inquiry/index_sub1.html)

3.SO HOW DOES IT DIFFER?
Traditional approach

• Traditional approaches are based on mastery of content
• Teachers deliver and students receive information
• Instruction tends to be teacher centered

Inquiry approach

• Inquiry learning focuses on " How" as well as "What" we know.
• Teacher' role shifts to facilitator and students' role to active, constructors of knowledge.
• Activities are more student centered

4.HOW DOES INQUIRY LEARNING SUPPORT THE LEARNER?

• Students have preconceived idea about how the world works
• This approach allows them to build on what they know and are interested in
• Encourages meta- cognitive thinking

Some models



Bibliography
Brown, M.E. (2000) . Learning in the 21" Centurary