Strategies for learner-centred courses

Geraldine O'Neill and Tim McMahon (2005) urge us in their article: Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers? to think of teacher-centred learning and learner-centred learning as being at opposite ends of a continuum. Depending on your context, you may situate your students' learning somewhere along this continuum. There may also be times when a learning activity simply has to be more teacher-centred with a low level of student choice. The challenge, however, is for you to explore ways of increasing the degree of student-centredness in your context.

These authors also explain that in order to implement student-centred learning, one has to acknowledge that there are implications for:

• curriculum design
• teaching and learning methods

assessment practices.

Activity

After reading through the relevant sections of the article, make a note of any implications for: (a) the design of your curriculum; (b) your teaching and learning methods; and (c) your current assessment practices. What type of strategies would you like to try?

Reference

O'Neill, G., & McMahon, T. (2005) Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers? In O’Neill, G., Moore, S., McMullin, B. (Eds). Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and Teaching. Dublin:AISHE. Retrieved from http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/oneill-mcmahon-Tues_19th_Oct_SCL.html