Chapter 1 - Follow the Research
Learning Objectives
- After reading and discussing chapter 1, students will identify at least two elements of research and how they impact teaching and learning.
- After reading and discussing chapter 1, students will reflect on their own curriculum and conjecture how lessons could be enhanced based upon learning research.
Chapter Summary
Welcome to the first session on learner-centered teaching! "Learner-centered teaching," or LCT, is creating an environment that is centered on the learner and the learning. This means the student is the one doing the work; the student is the one actively engaged; the student is creating, crafting, building, and learning how to learn. We'll start out by looking at seven different elements of what the research says about learning. We will also consider why, as professional educators, we owe it to listen to the research (Doyle, 2011).
#1 - Research shows that when learning occurs there is a change in the neuron networks in the brain. These changes will only be permanent if the learner uses and practices the new information.
#2 - Meaningful learning stirs up the "reward pathways" in the brain, which in turn motivates the learner to repeat the behavior.
#3 - Daydreaming can be good! It is often the brains way of thinking things through, often for future issues.
#4 - Multitasking is a misnomer. Research indicates that the brain can only focus on one item at a time. However, being able to prioritize tasks is an increasingly needed skill.
#5 - When someone experiences mental or brain fatigue, it takes much more effort to learn (this type of fatigue may come across in a student as irritability). Research shows that if new learning is followed by periods of rest, the brain will still remain active and the new learning has a greater chance of staying intact.
#6 - Movement can enhance learning. Research in this area indicates that when students are allowed to stand or walk around while studying may be more engaged in the learning process.
After many years of brain research on how people learn, it has been shown that people learn best, and retain what they learn, if they are "doing" as opposed to just sitting and listening or watching someone else do the work. For learning to occur, students must be alert and actively engaged in the process at hand. As educators, we must use this information to find more opportunities to help our students learn (Doyle, 2011).
Personal Connection
My first real experience with "learner-centered" teaching was when I taught a course in Multimedia. The students were high school seniors, and they were told from day one that it was their task to document the year's events with video as well as create a senior website. Every day the kids were up and moving about -- it was quite a buzz of activity. People that didn't know what we were doing probably thought the kids were "horsing around" but they worked more than any class I ever had. The STUDENTS did the work -- I just helped out with the technical stuff. They wrote scripts, taped, produced, edited, interviewed, and so forth. The students learned so much more than creating videos and designing websites. By giving the reins to the students, they had to learn organizational skills, teamwork, interview techniques, and time management skills, just to name a few. I will never forget this experience and will never be a "traditional" teacher again after experiencing the volumes of learning that took place when students did the work.
Suggestions for Implementation
Start by looking at current lesson plans and see where there are opportunities to provide more use and practice of concepts learned. When I taught students about different video shot types, we first looked at examples with my video camera connected to the projector so everyone could see the example. Next, students found videos and images of each shot type on the web. Last, they took cameras and created little video snippets of each shot type.
Look at the current classroom layout. Are there ways that there can be different spaces so students can move about? This may seem difficult in a traditional classroom, but I have seen classrooms with bean bag chairs in a corner, carpet remnants on the floor, and even a nicely decorated bathtub.
During times of testing (semester exams and such) find ways to give students a break by allowing them some physical activity. Allowing students opportunities to go get a drink of water, restroom breaks, or a quick trip to the media center to return a book might be enough activity to stir up brain activity again.
Look at the current classroom layout. Are there ways that there can be different spaces so students can move about? This may seem difficult in a traditional classroom, but I have seen classrooms with bean bag chairs in a corner, carpet remnants on the floor, and even a nicely decorated bathtub.
During times of testing (semester exams and such) find ways to give students a break by allowing them some physical activity. Allowing students opportunities to go get a drink of water, restroom breaks, or a quick trip to the media center to return a book might be enough activity to stir up brain activity again.
RESOURCE:
Doyle, T. (2011). Learner-centered teaching: Putting the research of learning into practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.