Student-centred Learning

Student-centred Learning

Student-centered learning (also called child-centered learning) is an approach to education focusing on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators. It seeks to empower and enable students to take autonomy for their own learning, thus relying less and less on the teacher (Wright). Students are required to set their own learning goals and determine resources in order to actively produce their own knowledge and not rely on the teacher as a dictator of knowledge (Pederson). This approach has many implications for curriculum design, course content, and interactivity of courses.

Student-centred learning is putting students’ needs first, in contrast to teacher-centered learning. Student-centred learning is focused on each student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles, placing the teacher as a facilitator of learning. This classroom teaching method acknowledges student voice as central to the learning experience for every learner, and differs from many other learning methodologies. Student-centered approaches require the teacher to relinquish their role as the source of information, and rather encourage students to develop the skills to become active, responsible participants in their own learning. The teacher views the student as an intellectual contributor to the world’s knowledge who is able to work in partnership with a teacher to construct knowledge. (Jones)