Are You a Learner- or Curriculum-Centered Teacher?

Image via WikipediaYour personal philosophy of education drives your teaching style. Your perception of your role as a teacher and the role of the students, as well as your overall view of teaching and learning will determine your teaching techniques.

The current emphasis on standards has resulted in a movement toward curriculum-based classrooms. In this model the objective is to eliminate content gaps. The same content is presented to all students in the same time frame without regard to varying levels of student development.

In the curriculum-centered classroom, content is the focal point. Covering a specific body of knowledge in a given time takes precedence. Student achievement is judged in comparison to how well others do. There may not be a clearly defined standard of success.

In this model, a teacher primarily works alone to develop lessons and teach them, with little or no collegial collaboration. The teacher's classroom organization, teaching practices, and assessment methods are the traditional ones to which they were exposed as students.

The constructivist philosophy argues that individual human experience leads to a personalized construction of knowledge and meaning. Because each person has different experiences, they come to class with varying levels of skill and knowledge. An adherence to this belief will influence a teacher to be more learner-centered.

The learner-centered classroom is goal-based. Student achievement is assessed by whether pre-determined, developmentally-appropriate objectives are reached. The teacher's role is as a facilitator, helping each student by providing opportunities for meaningful experiences. The teacher provides just-in-time help as needed.

This teacher spends time researching new ideas and acquiring new skills and knowledge. Sharing and collaboration are key concepts in the teacher's practice. Evaluation is less formal and more ongoing.

Virtually all teachers fall somewhere between these two models incorporating concepts from both to varying degrees. Teachers must find what works for them, but still be open to change and eager to learn.

Resource:
TeacherVision, Learner-Centered vs. Curriculum-Centered Teachers: Which Type Are You?, Retrieved Jan 9, 2009

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Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning

"Much of teaching is about helping students master new knowledge and skills and then helping students not to forget what they have learned."

Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning—A Practice Guide from the National Center for Educational Research at the U.S. Department of Education provides a paradigm for accomplishing this objective.

Practice guides differ from most research reports in three important ways. First is that a practice guide includes a list of actionable distinct recommendations. Second is together those recommendations are intended to be a systematic approach to a many-sided problem. Third, each recommendation is definitively categorized by the level of supporting evidence (e.g., strong, moderate and low).

The recommendations in this practice guide show a consensus on some of the most important tangible and material principles to emerge from research on learning and memory.

The seven recommendations -

• Space learning over time
• Interleave worked example solutions with problem-solving exercises
• Combine graphics with verbal descriptions
• Connect and integrate abstract and concrete representations of concepts
• Use quizzing to promote learning
• Help students allocate study time efficiently
• Help students build explanations by asking and answering deep questions

Each recommendation is accompanied by specific suggestions for implementation as well as potential roadblocks to success and possible solutions.

View or download the full practice guide in PDF format

Sources:
Freitas, D., & Buckenmeyer, J. (Dec 1, 2008) Aligning Research with Classroom Practice: Internet, Student
Achievement and Cell Phones. Retrieved Dec 1, 2008, from http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196605568&page=1

Pashler, H.,Bain, P., et al (Sept 2007). Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning—A Practice Guide. Retrieved Dec 22, 2008, from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/20072004.pdf

CFF/MV Power Links

In this presentation you'll learn about the CFF/MV Power Links wiki and see a tutorial on creating a live link on your Power Links page.

Teachers, Overcome your technophobia!

A SlideShare presentation on using wikis in the classroom by Alex Blagona, Northgate HS, Ipswich, UK

Teachers, overcome your technophobia!

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: languageshow technology)

The Networked Student (Video)

The Networked Student depicts an actual project completed by Wendy Drexler's high school students. I hope that this short video will help you, your students, and their parents understand how networked learning is supposed to work in the 21st century.

I was pointed to this video by Dianne Krause from the Wissahickon School District.