FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Prof. Parkay shakes hands with President Emeritus after accepting a souvenir.

Rector Dr. Bancha Saenghiran giving introductory talk before the lecture.

Seminar on "Student-Centered Learning: "What Is It?" and "How Do I Become a Student-Centered Teacher?""

On 21st February 2003, Faculty of Education, Assumption University in coordination with the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs organized the workshop entitled "Student-Centered Learning: "What Is It" and "How Do I Become a Student-Centered Teacher?"" in the Seminar Room, De Montfort Hall, Hua Mak Campus.

The workshop was conducted by Dr. Forest W. Parkay, Visiting Professor of AU, Professor in Educational Leadership and Higher Education, Washington State University, USA.

This workshop aimed to introduce the five stages of the student-centered learning process, which included need identification, preparatory work, organization of learning activities, evaluation and application. The participants also had a good chance to learn about K-W-L technique for facilitating student-centered classroom instruc tion and 3 basic assumptions upon which child-centered teaching was predicated.

Attending the workshop were almost 50 participants comprising lecturers and graduate students of ABAC. This event drew a great deal of attention from all participants because it provided a precious opportunity to learn how to develop an approach to student-centered teaching that was congruent with the aims of the National Education Act, 1999 and leam about the Key Design Principles for developing student-centered classrooms.

We furnish below important comments and excerpts on student-centered education provided by Dr. Parkay which as you know is the hottest topic in and around the schools and universities in the Kingdom. Learning Reform

"Learning reform is at the heart of education reform. Learning reform is essentially a shift from focusing on subject matter to human beings or learners. In other words, a learner-centered approach becomes imperative."
  • Professor of Medicine, Dr. Prawase Wasi
    Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Learning Reform
    May 6, 2000

A New Concept

"A number of teachers, administrators, and parents are still not clear about, or misinterpret, the concept of a learner-centered approach, resulting in confusion at present."
  • Rung Kaewdang, Ph.D.
    Secretary - General
    National Education Commission
    May 6, 2000

The Knowledge Construction Process

"Students construct knowledge by organizing and making meaning of their experience.
  • This construction takes place in the context of their evolving assumptions about knowledge itself and students'role in creating it.

Constructivism

"Constructivism focuses on processes of learning. According to constructivism, students use cognitive processes to construct understanding of the material to be learned-in contrast to the view that they receive information transmitted by the teacher. Constructivist approaches support student-centered curriculum and instruction. The student is the key to learning."
  • Forrest W. Parkey & Beverly Stanford, Becoming a Teacher, 5th edition.
    Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001, p. 96.

Constructivism

"Teachers who base classroom activities on constructivism know that learning is an active, meaning-making process, that learners are not passive recipients of information. In fact, students are continually involved in making sense out of activities around them. Thus the teacher must understand students' understanding and realize that students' learning is influenced by prior knowledge, experience, attitudes, and social interaction."
  • Forrest W. Parkey & Beverly Stanford, Becoming a Teacher, 5th edition.
    Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001, pp. 96-97.

The Present Situation: Observa tion 1

"The teaching-learning method does not give due recognition to the process whereby learners are given opportunities for training in analytical thinking, self-expression, and acquiring knowledge themselves. As a result, learners are deprived of an inquisitive mind and an avidity to seek answers; emphasis is on teachign through textbooks rather than guyiding learners."
  • Learning Reform: A Learner- Centered Approach National Education Commission, 2000.

The Present Situation : Observation 2

'Teachers still hold sway in the classroom. They are under the conviction that they are the most knowledgeable, most correct, and most powerful in the teaching-learning process. Educational institutions are consequently not 'places for learning' where students learn to learn, but, on the contrary, 'places for teaching.'"
  • Learning Re form: A Learner- Centered Approach National Education Commission (NEC), 2000

The Present Situation : Observation 3

"The teaching-learning process is still a routine and repetitious method of transferring knowledge. More time is devoted to rote learning than to practice, training how to think, and character building. Learners are therefore used to following examples, obedience, and sitting still."
  • Learning Reform: A Learner- Centered Approach National Education Commission (NEC), 2000

Three Assumption That Underlie Student-Centered Teaching

  1. To the degree possible, the content of the curriculum ought to be derived from the students' interests rather than from the academic disciplines alone.
  2. Effective teaching takes into account the whole student and his/ her interests and needs in relation to cognitive, affective, and psychomotor areas.
  3. Learning is essentially active rather than passive.

Standards for Teachers

"The learning process will be facilitated if learners arc given opportunities to think for themselves, do and create, with teachers providing an ambiance conductive to learning making instructional media available and joining their students in crystallizing subject matter."
  • National Education Commission (NEC), 2000

Standards for Professional Teachers

"Candidates learn to contextualize teaching and to draw upon representations from the students' own experiences and knowledge. They know how to challenge students toward cognitive complexity and engage all students, including students with exceptionalities, through instructional conversation."
  • National; Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

Five Stages of the Student-Centered Learning Process

  1. Need identification
    • Identification of learners' needs/interests
    • Identification of knowledge already acquired
  2. Preparatory work
    • Teachers make preparations regarding learning content and other elements conductive to learning
    • Making plans for teaching and learning
  3. Organization of learning activities, e.g.,
    • Induction to lessons
    • Organizing learning activities
    • Analysis and discussion on outcomes/bodies of knowledge gained from learning activities
    • Analysis of and discussion on the learning process
  4. Evaluation
  5. Conclusion and subsequent application
    • National Education Commission (NEC), 2000

Service Learning

Service learning provides students with opportunities to deliver service to their communities while engaging in reflection and study on the meaning of those experiences. Service learning brings young people into contact with the elderly, the sick, the poor, and the homeless, as well as acquaints them with neighborhood and governmental issues.

Learning Styles

"Learning styles are the approaches to learning that work best for students. Learning styles are consistent patterns of behavior by which a person approaches educational experiences. Some students more quickly learn things they hear; others learn faster when they see material in writing. Some need a lot of structure; others learn best when they can be independent and follow their interests. Some learn best in formed settings; others learn best in informal, relaxed environments. Some need almost total silence to concentrate; others learn well in noisy, active environments. Some are intuitive learners; some prefer to learn by following logical, sequential steps."'
  • Forrest W. Parkay & Beverly Stanford, Becoming a Teacher, 5th edition.
    Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001,p.305.

The Eight Intelligences

  • Linguistic Intelligence
  • Musical Intelligence
  • Logical-mathematical Intelligence
  • Spatial Intelligence
  • Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence
  • Interpersonal Intelligence
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence
  • Naturalist Intelligence

Investigating Together

  • Teacher provides an inves tigation topic
  • Students investigate.
  • Teacher asks "What did you find out?"
  • Students share individual or group discoveries.
  • Teacher draws ideas out, helps students expand them, connects to existing knowledge.
  • Teacher/students synthesize discoveries.

Cooperative Learning Guidelines

  • Group students carefully - heterogeneous groups are most beneficial.
  • Keep groups to around 3-4 students in size.
  • Do not overuse this method-regular use is productive, but don't use groups for every activity. Some independent practice is vital.
  • Insure that tasks assigned to groups are well thought out and enable all students to be successful if effort is expended.

Reported by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kitima P. 

	

	




	
	


	
			
	

	

	
	

	
	

	

		







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