Teachers Create Positive Learning
Learner and Knowledge Centered Classroom Environments
Teachers can design exciting learning environments that cater to the individual needs and backgrounds of students while meeting specific educational goals and objectives.
Changes in Educational Goals
The expectations of schools today are much more demanding than ever before. In the early 1900’s, mass education was likened to mass production in factories, where information distribution and efficiency in classroom structure created an assembly line atmosphere in schools. Today, students are expected to not only absorb factual information, but to understand the interrelationship of these facts and the greater meaning behind them. Students also must develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills so they can adapt and contribute to a changing society. How can teachers help?
Alter Instruction to Meet Specific Objectives
Teachers cannot use a one size fits all approach. Modern learning theory suggests that different learning goals call for different instructional approaches. This requires teachers to be flexible while developing their instructional repertoire and to try new things to meet students' needs. Although learning theory does not offer a simple solution for designing effective learning environments, it does raise “questions that suggest the value of rethinking what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is assessed” (Bransford 131). According to How People Learn, two perspectives that influence the design of learning environments are the degree to which they are learner centered and knowledge centered. Each of these perspectives is interconnected and mutually supportive.
Learner-Centered Classroom Environments
Learner-centered environments are created by teachers who realize students construct their own meanings and, therefore, take into consideration students’ backgrounds. Teachers can use their backgrounds as a springboard to promote further learning. This includes:
- students’ knowledge
- skills
- attitudes
- beliefs
- cultural and language practices
Make the most of students' experiences by building upon them to benefit the learning of the entire class. One strategy teachers can use to understand what information students bring with them into the classroom is to ask them to make predictions and provide reasons for these predictions. This strategy provides a jumping off point for teachers to introduce new information which will be meaningful to students as it is grounded in what they already know.
Knowledge-Centered Environments
Teachers create knowledge-centered environments by emphasizing the importance of acquiring knowledge and helping students learn in ways that lead to understanding information, not just collecting and memorizing segmented facts. Students should thoroughly comprehend limited subject matter rather than gain a superficial knowledge of every aspect of a particular subject.
How People Learn supports teaching for depth rather than breadth. Since learners construct new knowledge based on what they already know, teachers should consider students’ preconceptions. They can focus on the kinds of information that help students gain an understanding of the “big picture” and develop metacognitive skills to make sense of new material by asking questions. Knowledge and skills need to come together for students by establishing connections between them to create meaningful, unified wholes. It is important for teachers to balance opportunities for exploration and practice so that students develop comprehension as well as fluency.
The Importance of Alignment
Learning goals, specifically, need to be aligned with what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is assessed. By aligning both environments, teachers prevent one environment from conflicting or undermining the other. Instead, they can foster a feeling of interdependence that helps students develop a deeper understanding of each while recognizing the larger whole is more than just the sum of its parts.
Bransford, John and Ann L. Brown. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. National Research Council: 2000.
