Urazbekova
A.I.
Zhumatayeva
B.K.
Eurasian
National university named after L.N.Gumilyov
Astana,
Kazakhstan
Student-centered approach is the
main basis of contemporary education system.
Student-centered approach lies at the core of any effective classroom.
Any teaching method, any instructional material, and any activity must be
evaluated on its use of student centered principles if we want these methods,
materials, and activities to teach students effectively. The core principle of
our workshop, then, is that every technique we advocate will lead to a more
effective student centered environment. We promote authentic instruction,
cooperative learning, active learning, and cognitive apprenticeship not only
for their instructional benefits, but also for their ability to put students at
the center of their own learning for their ability to give students effective
control.
In student-centered approach, we center our
planning, our teaching, and our assessment around the needs and abilities of
our students [1.,p
30]. The main idea behind the practice is that learning
is most meaningful when 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. Students will have a higher
motivation to learn when they feel they have a real stake in their own
learning. Instead of the teacher being the sole, infallible source of
information, then, the teacher shares
control of the classroom and students are allowed to explore,
experiment, and discover on their own. The students are not just memorizing
information, but they are allowed to work with and use the information alone or
with peers. Their diverse thoughts and perspectives are a necessary input to
every class. The students are given choices and are included in the
decision-making processes of the classroom. The focus in these classrooms is on
options, rather than uniformity. Essentially, "learners are treated as
co-creators in the learning process, as individuals with ideas and issues that
deserve attention and consideration [2.,p 255].
Student-centered approach helps us design effective
instruction for every member of the classroom, no matter what his or her diverse
learning needs. By its nature, student-centered approach is adaptable to meet
the needs of every student. In order to design any lesson, the teacher must
first think of the students, rather than the content, and so we are assured
that the students’ needs are being considered.
Student-centered approach has been proven effective in its ability to teach
students the material they need to know. There are site numerous studies that
followed students who were taught in the student-centered approach that found
that not only does student motivation increase, but actual learning and
performance do as well. Students taught in a student-centered classroom retain
more material for longer periods of time. In order to learn, the brain cannot
simply receive information; it must also process the information so that it can
be stored and recalled. The active nature of the student-centered approach
helps students actually work with information, and therefore learn it and store
it.
For foreign language students, especially, the
student-centered method has special benefits. When students use the language,
they retain it more than if they would simply hear it. They get practice in
actively producing meaningful conversation and they take a more direct route to
fluency than they would take, for example, if they filled out worksheets with
sentences created by the teacher.
The creativity inherent in student-centered activities
adds an element of surprise to each class, and foreign language students tend
to bore less often. As a result, even through foreign language learning can be
frustrating and intimidating the students stay engaged and willing to learn.
Even beyond learning what they need to know, students
benefit from a less academic side effect of student centered teaching they
learn how to feel good about themselves. As they take on new responsibilities
and succeed with these responsibilities, they come to gain confidence in themselves as competent problem-solvers. Even more,
research shows that students have higher achievement when they have confidence
in themselves and when they attribute success
to their own abilities and not to luck or help. In a student-centered approach,
it is the students themselves who are
responsible for the success of a lesson and therefore they tend to feel
more responsible for the success of their own learning.
In order to
allow students to gain this power in the class, teachers cannot simply lecture
and let students take a passive role. They must design activities that let
students take initiative and that let students discover meaningful information
for their own lives. They must also get to know the kids on an individual basis
so that they can better respond to the individual needs and interests of the
students. In general, teachers need to focus on the student’s needs, abilities,
and interests they need to "look at how kids learn, rather than at what
there is to teach.
The tagged of
choosing this theme of our article is my teaching experience in
"Miras" International school. I was aptitude for perceiving a lot of
different methods of teaching, and after speculating on all these approaches I
understand that all of them were closely connected with student-centered
approach.
I had my
teaching practice in the 7th grade. My tutor was a teacher from Canada, Joanne
Ellison. She is a high-leveled professional of her job. I received a prodigious
amount of useful information during observing her English lessons. After one
week of conveying some beneficial information for me, we started to work together.
The main method of lessons was student-centered approach. All our lessons were
started by asking the students what they want to learn about in that unit. If
they wanted to learn about soccer, for example, we would create a foreign
language unit based on the various aspects of soccer. We took their suggestions
about the different vocabulary they think they would need to know, and we also
let them do a lot of work in planning how they want to learn in the unit (if
they want to be responsible for presenting information). Within the unit, we
also were sure to incorporate all of the material that we must cover according
to state and district standards. The kids were been learnt the material they
need to know in a way that is relevant to their own interests. Even more, they
were motivated to learn because they had a stake in designing and planning
their own learning.
In
conclusion I would like to note, that studies have shown that although many
more methods classes for beginning teachers are teaching about the student
centered process, many new teachers still tend to use traditional techniques
despite the more progressive views they may have adapted in school. They are
overwhelmed by the rigor of the job, and they tend to feel vulnerable, so they
retreat to the more familiar form of a lecture. If teachers come to learn not
only the philosophical theory, but also learn explicitly how to implement the
theory in practice, however, the method becomes more comfortable, natural, and
nearly second nature.
References:
1. Tien, L. T., Roth, V., & Kampmeier, J. A. (2001).
Implementation of a peer-led team learning instructional approach in an
undergraduate organic chemistry course. Journal of Research in Science
Teaching, 30p.
2. National Research Council. (1999). How people learn:
Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press,
255p
3. http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/step/ep301/Fall2000/Tochonites/active.html