Blog 2 - Teacher- vs. Student-Centered Instructional Strategy

What is the difference between teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies? What is the appropriate role of each strategy in K-12 eLearning environments? 

Teacher-centered instructional strategies are presentation, demonstration, drill-and-practice, and tutorials. This means that the teacher makes more decisions about how and what the students learn from the content. The teacher is active; the student is passive. Student-centered instructional strategies are discussion, cooperative learning, games, simulations, and problem solving. The student makes the majority of the decisions on how and what they learn from the content. The student is actively involved and takes responsibility for their learning; the teacher facilitates student learning rather than driving it. The teacher plans, prepares, and assists the student; the teacher is not “lecturing” to the students. Both teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies have an educator and a learner. The teacher’s role is to plan and prepare (design) the instruction. 

Both teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies are important in the learning process. When designing an eLearning environment, the designer (it may be the educator delivering the session) should keep the student as the focal point. The educator can facilitate the learning and make sure that the student is on track and focused on the course. They also handle all the administrative tasks associated with learning (e.g., grading, attendance, monitor discussions and learning). An eLearning student must take responsibility for their learning. The shift from the teacher-center, the traditional method of teaching, to a student-centered instructional strategy may be a challenge for some educators today. Educators who have been teaching for many years may be accustomed to the teacher-centered approach; recent teacher programs may not be preparing today’s teachers for a student-centered approach.

B.F. Skinner’s behaviorist perspective states that teachers should provide positive reinforcement for learning by creating a positive classroom environment and that a student can learn the information in a student-centered way. Skinner developed self-instructional material that does not need a teacher’s direct instruction – a drill-and-practice approach. Students move through the materials at their own pace, thus allowing more advanced students to proceed without having to “wait” for the slower students to catch up. On the other side, the cognitivist perspective believed that the student forms their own knowledge and should play an active role in their learning. Teachers may a much larger role in the student’s learning through the creation of student questions and ensuring that the students are productive in group environments. Bandura and Vygotsky’s perspective, social-psychological, believed that the student does not learn in isolation. Students’ interactions with others and the environment influence the learning process. Imitation is a key component with this perspective; a teacher (or another student) models a step and the student is expected to replicate the step. This is a more teacher-centered approach.

So which instructional strategy is better? It depends on the instructional situation. The Teacher vs. Learner-Centered Instruction chart provides a snapshot of each strategy. If the situation is to have a discussion, simulation, and problem solving then a student-centered instructional strategy is best. Technology can aid in the media for the instructional situation. Complex information might be best delivered in a digital visual media, where a manipulative might be best for a different situation. Should the software or media tool be one for a teacher to use or for a student to interact with? Answering this question can help determine the best instructional strategy to use in that moment.