Student Centered Learning: What You Need to Know

A student living in a city will have different learning patterns compared to a student living in the countryside. Similarly, students from different cultures have different outlooks, requirements, and practices when it comes to the learning process. The same can be said for students who just moved into a new city/country/education system compared to a student accustomed to a city/country/education system. In a classroom full of students from distinct backgrounds, with specific needs, aspirations, and learning patterns, a learning experience pivoted on the educators’ comfort is highly ineffective.

Learning experiences have to be student centered to be effective to everyone involved. They put students at ease and make them feel comfortable to be engaged in their classes. When students engage in classes, teachers will know better what changes they have to incorporate in delivering knowledge to their students.

This article details the characteristics, importance, benefits, and execution of student centered learning. Let’s get going!

Understanding Student Centered Learning and Why it is Important

Students learning together with the teacher. Image source: teachhub.com

Comprehensively speaking, student-centered learning is exactly what the name would suggest. Learning experiences are centered on the preferences and needs of the students. When looked at in detail, it will be revealed that there is no single solution to accomplish student-centered learning. Student-centered learning arises from the consistent practice of modifying instructional strategies, assignment patterns or even redesigning the dynamics of a classroom by grouping students into small groups. This can increase the effectiveness of the learning process. Each student is a unique being with preferences, desired learning outcomes, and specific needs. Student-centered learning employs efficient techniques to identify these needs so as to modify the learning experience to align with student-specific needs.

Let us try to find the answer to why student-centered learning is important. Student-centered learning is imperative because it caters to the requirements of students who might be neglected in a traditional classroom setting. All students have areas where they could excel, provided they are given opportunities to voice their doubts or misconceptions. Student-centric learning aims at bringing students to the forefront of the learning process where they should be. Student-centered learning has the following benefits:

• Personalized learning: When the teaching-learning process is student-centered, the entire process becomes personalized. Techniques such as adaptive learning use Artificial Intelligence to constantly monitor each student and how they adapt to the flow of knowledge. The data thus collected is analyzed to create student profiles and identify their requirements and competency in real-time. The AI then brings real-time changes to the learning experience and delivers a unique learning experience to each student, based on their profile. Advanced learners are given the option to learn advanced concepts, while students who need additional time are given extra time and attention. Such tools also reduce the interaction gap between teachers and students. This helps teachers save the time otherwise used in identifying the needs of each student and give personalized attention to students who require it. 
• Confidence Boost: Students in traditional classrooms seldom have the confidence to voice their doubts or concerns in their classroom. This lack of confidence results in a situation wherein the learning process is rendered incomplete and inefficient. Student-centric learning either puts students in comfortable settings or employs tools that students can use to voice their questions or needs to their teacher or subject experts. When they can express their needs and get adequate help, students feel confident to present their ideas and apply the knowledge they have to create novel solutions to real-world problems.
• Better soft skills: Traditional education only focused on honing subject-related skills. Student-centered learning also focuses on helping students improve soft skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving skills, and decision-making skills. These skills are improved when students are prompted to work in teams and openly discuss concepts and their knowledge to develop solutions to real-world problems. These skills help significantly in their careers. 
• Flexibility: Student-centered learning offers greater flexibility than traditional learning. Learning models such as E-learning allow students to learn when they are comfortable. As for adaptive learning, students are given the option to choose to understand concepts that would be most beneficial to them. Flexibility is an important factor that improves student engagement.

How to implement student-centered learning?

Teacher teaching students using student-centered learning approach. Image source: facultyfocus.com

Student-centered learning cannot be effectively implemented without planning all stages from ideation and implementation. Student-centered learning is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury or an innovative way of teaching. Educators and learning experience designers have to plan the entire process and consider the following steps to implement student centered learning:

• Building a community: Building a community in their classroom is one of the first steps an educator can take to implement student centered learning. In this context, community refers to a setup in which the students form groups and discuss topics among themselves, and teachers take up the role of facilitators. As facilitators, they intervene only when needed. This sort of interaction helps students begin to feel a sense of community. A community in which they exchange ideas, knowledge, doubts and co-creates knowledge with their equals. Among equals, they feel valued and comfortable. This sense of community is an essential prerequisite to building a student centered classroom.
• Developing trust and communication: Fair and open communication between students is a vital requirement for student centered learning. For effective communication, trust is paramount. Trust cannot be built in a day. It requires teachers to be fair, understanding, and well trained to present themselves in a manner that does not intimidate students. Over time students and teachers should be able to trust each other. Teachers should give equal and fair chances to all their students to voice their questions and ideas. Teachers could also open a forum at the beginning of each academic year and discuss expectations and build bonds with each other. This exercise can be revisited as a review method to update everyone on the progress made and make required modifications.
• Identify ways to integrate technology: Engagement is at the core of student centered learning. Student-teacher interaction through traditional means is complicated. Student-teacher interactions are crucial for students to communicate their needs and for teachers to understand them and identify changes to be incorporated. Students might have apprehensions no matter how patient and understanding their teachers are. This is one area where technology could be integrated. Emails, chats, or even AI analyze student performance in real-time and share relevant data with their teachers. Another way in which technology can be integrated is by encouraging students to use software and web-based tools to enhance their learning. 3D designing is a field that is becoming popular in education as many institutions are getting into 3D printing as well as teaching their students art.  Students can use a 3D design software like SelfCAD to create models that they can interact with and understand concepts better. It also helps them think creatively and out of the box.

SelfCAD features user-friendly and intuitive tools along with interactive tutorials that make learning 3D modeling easier. With SelfCAD, students can easily turn their ideas to life.  Learning 3D modeling will help the students to be engaged and it will also teach them problem solving skills and learning by making mistakes.

There is a free version that one can use to get started with the program. Subscribed users can unlock advanced features by purchasing the SelfCAD Pro license for $14.99 or $149.99 per month if billed annually. Users could also subscribe to the SelfCAD Perpetual License for a single payment of $599.00.

• Allow students to contribute to the decision-making process: Students have a right to be a part of the decision-making process related to their education. As a part of such discussions, students will understand why they have to learn certain topics. Understanding this will help them relate to the subjects they ought to learn. This will significantly motivate them.
• Allow students to lead: Providing students with the opportunity to lead certain aspects of the learning process or the entire process helps students develop leadership skills that are paramount in professional circles and endeavors. Taking up the teacher’s role requires students to better understand concepts before presenting them to their peers. Such opportunities help students to understand concepts in depth.
• Involving Students in their performance evaluation: Involving students in their performance evaluation and helping them understand what they need to improve is a step in the direction of implementing student centered learning. Traditional evaluation methods give little insight into their mistakes or shortcomings. They are only told they have made a mistake. Involving students in the evaluation process gives them an insight into their mistakes and understanding what they need to do to enhance their learning.
• Implement project-based learning: Replacing Homeworks with project-based learning is an effective way of implementing student centered learning. Allowing students to apply their knowledge on projects with real-world implications is a surefire way of learning concepts in depth. Learning through application makes the learning process independent. Students discuss among themselves and clear their misconceptions while teachers only act as facilitators who empower the students with the right tools and skills. Project-based learning also helps students develop soft skills such as communication, leadership, decision making, and problem-solving.

If you are an educator, don’t wait any longer to implement student centered learning in your classroom. Visit the SelfCAD website and access all the right tools that will help your students take the learning process into their hands.

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