My passion is not for Google or technology… it is for student centered classrooms.
In our community, we believe that students should be active participants in their own learning journey. This means creating an environment where they are encouraged to explore, question, collaborate, and create. It means shifting the focus from teacher-led instruction to student-led inquiry.
Student Centered Characteristics
- Choice and Voice: Give students opportunities to choose topics they’re passionate about and allow them to express their understanding in ways that resonate with them. This could be through presentations, podcasts, videos, or even creative writing projects.
- Collaboration: Encourage students to work together to solve problems and complete projects. This not only builds essential teamwork skills but also fosters a sense of community within the classroom.
- Inquiry-Based Learning: Pose open-ended questions that spark curiosity and encourage students to seek out answers themselves. This could involve researching online, conducting experiments, or interviewing experts.
- Differentiation: Recognize that not all students learn at the same pace or in the same way. Provide a variety of resources and activities to cater to different learning styles and abilities.
The Role of Technology: A Tool, Not a Crutch
In our community, we see technology as a tool to enhance student-centered learning, not replace it. It’s not about having the latest gadgets or using flashy software. It’s about using technology strategically to empower students and facilitate their learning.
Here are some examples of how technology can be used effectively in student-centered classrooms:
- Research: Students can use online resources to gather information, evaluate sources, and form their own opinions.
- Creation: Students can use digital tools to create presentations, videos, podcasts, and other multimedia projects to showcase their learning.
- Collaboration: Students can use online platforms to collaborate with classmates on projects, share ideas, and provide feedback.
- Communication: Students can use technology to connect with experts, share their work with a wider audience, and receive feedback from a global community.
Remember, technology should never be the focus of your lesson. It should be seamlessly integrated into the learning process in ways that support student-centered goals.
The 5 E’s: Explore Before You Explain
To truly center students, we move away from the “I Do, We Do, You Do” model and embrace the 5 E’s Lesson Plan Model. The most critical shift here is ensuring students Engage and Explore ideas before the teacher provides the Explanation.
Engage: Start with a hook that piques curiosity. Avoid starting with definitions or lectures.
Explore: Give students materials, data, or problems to manipulate. Let them struggle productively and identify patterns on their own.
Explain: Only after students have explored do you step in. Better yet, have the students explain their findings to you first.
Extend: Challenge students to apply what they learned to a new or more complex situation.
Evaluate: Assess understanding through their creation and application, not just a test.
Moving Beyond Substitution (SAMR)
When integrating technology, we must avoid using it merely to replicate old practices. The SAMR Model reminds us to push beyond Substitution:
Avoid Substitution: If you are scanning a worksheet into a PDF for students to annotate on an iPad, you have simply substituted paper for a screen. This adds no pedagogical value.
Aim for Modification and Redefinition: Use technology to do things that were previously impossible. Instead of writing a report (Substitution), students could collaborate in real-time with peers in another country (Redefinition) or create an interactive map of historical events (Modification).
Assessment: Feedback Loops Over Grades
In a student-centered classroom, the goal is mastery, not point accumulation.
Feedback First: Provide comments and suggestions on student work while they are doing it, not just after they turn it in. Tools like Google Docs and Slides allow for real-time feedback loops.
Delay the Grade: When possible, give feedback without a grade. Research suggests that when students receive both a grade and feedback, they ignore the feedback. Force them to read your guidance to improve their work.
Iterate: Allow students to resubmit work. The “one-and-done” assignment structure prioritizes compliance over learning.
Specific Things to Avoid
To stay true to the student-centered philosophy, be wary of these common pitfalls:
🚫 Worksheets are Never the Answer: Whether on paper or digital (like dragging and dropping on a slide), worksheets are typically low-level “drill and kill” tasks that demand compliance rather than critical thinking. If the computer could grade it instantly, it’s probably not a deep learning task.
🚫 Gimmick Technology: Be skeptical of tools like Smart Boards, AR (Augmented Reality), and VR (Virtual Reality) if they are used solely for “wow” factor. If the students are just watching a 3D model rather than creating or interacting with data, it is a gimmick, not a tool.
🚫 The “Sage on the Stage”: Avoid standing at the front of the room delivering content for the majority of the period. If you are working harder than the students, the balance is off. Your role is to design the environment where they do the work.
🚫 Homework: Avoid sending work home that students might struggle with alone. This often penalizes students without support systems. Use class time for the heavy lifting where you can offer help.