Student-Centered Learning

Objectives and Characteristics

SCL is a constructivist approach to learning that encompasses a broad range of pedagogical approaches, learning activities and assessment strategies where the ‘delivery’ of content in didactic teaching sessions is replaced by exploratory and collaborative learning whereby students actively construct knowledge. Based on Jean Piaget’s observations that children construct knowledge through experiences and interaction, SCL provides environments and activities that enable students to seek solutions to complex problems rather than simply memorising information provided by a teacher. Importantly, knowledge in this framework is understood to be relational, contextual, and personal and is juxtaposed against the notion of knowledge as a set of objective facts that can be transmitted from one to another in a linear fashion. SCL is thus an active process of creating knowledge in ways and in contexts that are relevant and meaningful to learners.

The shift from ‘being taught’ to ‘learning’ repositions students from passive recipients to active participants. As such, choice and trust are critical [Page 1404]to the success of SCL. In order to actively construct relevant and contextualised knowledge, students must be able to exercise choice in determining learning goals that reflect their personal interests and professional ambitions; they must have flexibility in how, where, and when they learn; and they must be able to evidence their learning in assessment formats that best showcase it. A personalised or negotiated experience goes beyond simply ‘considering’ student needs in the design of the curriculum but invites students to co-create their learning experience. This could be as simple as encouraging students to design their own projects or working as a class group to determine discussion topics.

Students can, however, only have a real choice if teachers trust students to make decisions and create the conditions whereby students’ decisions can be enacted. This necessitates a shift in the role of the teacher so that rather than disseminating information of their choosing, teachers create and curate learning environments where students explore and apply ideas. In an SCL context, teachers serve as guides, mentors, or facilitators, who respond to questions, provide timely and constructive feedback, and encourage students to achieve their personalised goals. Importantly, teachers and students learn together in a collaborative and supportive process.

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