Student Centered vs. Teacher Centered

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Student Centered vs. Teacher Centered

• How are they similar?
• How are they different?

By Erin McGregor
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Benefiting the Students

• Studies have shown that students put-forth
  greater effort when working in groups that are
  student centered, rather than teacher centered.
• Studies have shown that student centered groups
  scored on the average higher, than the teacher
  centered groups.
• Students will be able to learn new ways to solve
  the problem from their peers.
• Students will aid other students through
  processes and strategies.
• Students will feel more comfortable, take
  chances, and express themselves more freely in
  groups.
• Gives the students ownership of their ideas and
  justify answers to their group members.
• Students create their own understanding of a
  concept.

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Differences
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• Teacher Centered
• Focuses on procedure
• Ex. 4 5 9
• Abstract is shown, and process is memorized.

• Student Centered
• The focus in on the childs thinking
• Ex. Manipulatives are given to the students to
  aid in solving the problem.
• Concrete, abstract, and pictorial.
• Ex. Using blocks if needed.

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• Student Centered
• The teacher is the facilitator and guide, and
  the students are the decision makers
• Ex. -Student created
• -Choices!

• Teacher Centered
• The teacher is the instructor and the decision
  maker
• Ex. -Right and Wrong

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• Teacher Centered
• Pedagogy
• Based on Standards
• -Curriculum centered

• Student Centered
• Pedagogy
• - Based on Constructivism
• prior knowledge

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• Teacher Centered
• Relies more on the textbook and lecture
• Ex. Go to page 24 and do the problems.

• Student Centered
• Highlights real life examples

Use problems that tie into the students lives
that they can relate to and find
interesting. Ex. Children that live in Japan
will find the area of a rice field vs. the area
of a parking lot.
.
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• Teacher Centered
• Rote knowledge

• Student Centered
• Experiential knowledge

For example Using manipulatives and other
problem solving methods and experimental ways of
solving problems. The implementation of the
students prior knowledge. Ex. Please solve
the problem however you would like.
Learning a procedure without truly understanding
the material. For example memorizing the steps of
right to left subtraction without knowing the
meaning of place value. Ex. You add the ones
place first because I said so.
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• Teacher Centered
• Isolated teaching and learning
• Passive Learning
• Ex. Students who know answers raise their hands,
  other are easily overlooked.

• Student Centered
• Collaboration
• Active Learning
• Ex. Children learn to take risks.

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• Teacher Centered
• Learning takes place in the classroom
• Ex. I had 5,000,000 and lost 1,203,200 of it.
  How much do I have left?

• Student Centered
• Learning extends beyond the classroom
• -Students are able to relate problems and
  strategies to their lives.
• Ex. Use fake money within the classroom which
  earns them rewards saving money greater
  reward.

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Similarities
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• The objective is to teach the child to understand
  the concept!
• The teacher corrects the child when he or she is
  incorrect.
• The teacher is present to overlook the childs
  work, and help guide the child in the right
  direction.

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References

• Marino, Jay. Quality in Education. 2006.
  Retrieved on February 1, 2007 from
  http//www4.asq.org/blogs/edu/2006/06/student_cent
  ered_vs_teacher_ce.html
• Pearson Education. Inc. Teacher Vision.
  2000-2007. Retrieved on February 1, 2007 from
  http//www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/
  curriculum-planning/4786.html
• Van De Walle, John A. Pearson Education. Inc.
  Elementary and Middle School Mathematics
  Teaching Developmentally. 2007. Chapter 3,
  Pages 22-34.