Running head: STUDENT- CENTER LEARNING 1

Student- Centered Learning

Samantha Miller

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2016

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Student- Centered Learning

Introduction

It is important for students to feel as if they have control of their learning. Classrooms

today are so evolved from the standard rows of desks and the teacher providing lectures all day

long. Every student has a different learning style and are on all different levels, so it is important

not to leave a student behind or in the dark. Student- centered learning is a great way to begin

differentiation so that each student is learning and being challenged on their own personal level.

Giving the students a choice of centers for a certain subject such as reading or math is allowing

them to grow and make those choices. The emphasis of all student-centered curricula is on the

students freedom to learn, activities, and creative self-expression that engages the student in the

learning process (Webb,Metha,Jordan p.359). This style of learning allows students to use

those decision-making skills that will follow them throughout their entire life.

Rationale for Selected Artifacts

The first article I have chosen to represent student- centered learning are two lesson

plans; one Bible and the other reading. The first is a lesson plan from reading covering Virginia

Standard 4.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts, narrative

nonfiction texts, and poetry. A second artifact to go with this is a video artifact of the small group

lesson on genres of literature. Another lesson plan I would like to show is from Bible which

covers Virginia Standard 4.1 The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety

of settings. a.) contributes to group discussions across content areas. f) Communicate new ideas

to others. g) Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with diverse teams. A third artifact to show

student-centered learning are videos of the groups presenting their Bible commentary on the
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memory verse 2 Timothy 2:15. This week in Bible we have been discussing different Bible study

tools such as, timeline, maps, concordance, bible dictionary, bible commentary, and bible

handbook. In the lesson, we went in to detail about context and how sometimes we only hear bits

and pieces of conversations and we can take the text out of context. When reading scriptures or

bible verses we sometimes need to re-read or look up words to deepen the meaning of a verse or

scripture. I presented the class with a video of a bible commentary of a class singing the memory

verse 2 Timothy 2:15. Even though the commentaries are written, there are many other ways to

get the message across, such as singing, acting, dancing, or playing a game. I let the students

pick their groups of 4 and gave them time to create their own commentary of 2 Timothy 2:15 to

present to the class. This way students can choose who to work with and its not always the

teacher placing students in groups or pairs. As teachers, we can stand up in front of the class or

walk around and lecture every day. This would be fine for students who are auditable learners.

For students who need that connection in other ways get the opportunity to be in control of their

educations by their choices they make.

Since students are picking their partnerships, as fourth graders they know who they work

well with and can get the work completed. God says, For this very reason, make every effort to

add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to

self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection;

and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (New International Version). Students are reminded

every day to make good choices and especially at Atlantic Shores Christian School follow the

motto JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself). This verse ties into good decision making skills in good

faith, judgement, and self-control. As the student teacher, I have the authority to break up

partnerships for behavior or for not getting work completed. They would lose the opportunity for
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the rest of the nine weeks to work with that partner, the student will then need to find a new

partnership. Ms. Apker has only had to do this a few times and the students know that this rule

applies to all.

Differentiating lessons and small groups go together, it is the chance to teach in a variety

of way for one lesson. As the teacher, you can really focus on the visual learners who need

pictures, color, and symbolism. Every student is different when it comes to learning, decision

making, their thought process, and even how they focus. Some students need to stand up to focus

or shake their leg or feet. Students differ on readiness to learn, prior subject matter

understanding, motivation, thinking ability, metacognitive understanding, interest in the subject,

self-regulation ability, cultural background, and learning style ( Levin. Nolan. p140).

Reflection

At Atlantic Shores, there is a lot of direct instruction, but I really enjoy how Ms. Apker

has broken up a few subjects into times where there are center rotations on a few days of the

week. This time allows students to work in partners also time where I can pull 2-3 students at a

time to work in small groups. This allows me to work on areas that need to be reinforced, or

where I can challenge the students who have masters the skills. This is great time for

differentiation and to individualize for each student or groups of students.

With the lessons, I prepared and presented to the class overall went well. The students are

still adjusting to my style of teaching, although its comparable my cooperating teacher it is still

different. The reading lesson with the centers and the small groups being pulled really lets me

reiterate the topic of genres on literature and get an understanding of who is getting it or needs

more practice. By just lecturing every day I cannot get a grasp of who is really understanding the
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material being taught. Of course, I do the thumbs up if we understand or thumbs down if I need

to go back over something. Honestly, we all know the students are going to put their thumbs up,

students are not going to openly admit they need help in an area of weakness in front of their

friends. Even though the first day was a PowerPoint lesson, it was still interactive and engaging

to their personal life to help make those connections. Before diving right into the genre lesson, I

asked the class what they though genre means. I related it back to the genres of music, they

provided examples like, rap, classical, pop, and gospel. As I was writing the list on the board, I

asked what would be a subgenre of gospel? They stated southern. I tied it back to literature and

when on with the lesson. The students really seemed to make that connection to the music that

there are similar categories or genres of books and writings. The students have already

established the centers with instruction, the rotation transitions, and small group. This lesson of

small groups was a worksheet practicing figuring out the genre and subgenres. On the worksheet,

we only do a few and the students will complete one on their own and we discuss that answer

and reasoning. Each small group will be doing a different activity to meet their needs, such as the

genre flash cards and matching game to fully understand each genre and the subgenre that falls

under it. Example: Fiction-historical fiction, Drama- comedy.

The bible commentary lesson was a fun experience. To let the students, pick their groups

and the activity and method of completing the assignment was a hit. It wasnt to teacher directed,

and it was fun to watch the class engage in the lesson more. After discussing the bible study tools

and showing a video of a bible commentary it was the students turn to be imaginative. I gave

examples of ways to commentate the bible verse 2 Timothy 2:15 such as, singing, acting,

dancing, playing a game. Some acted on the examples and other created other ways such as

creating a movie scene.

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In conclusion, student- centered learning is a very important style to incorporate into

lessons and units. The role of the teacher is to engage students in an active dialogue, translate

information into the students current sphere of understanding, and motivate students to think

about what they are learning (Webb,Metha,Jordan p.360). It gives the students to break out of

the normal routine and be in control of their learning process and how they go about completing

the assignment. Another example of student-centered learning that relates to science and math

are STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) projects. I cant wait to introduce this

into upcoming lessons and units. As I continue through the student teaching experience and gain

insight to becoming a teacher I plan on trying to keep student- centered learning a part of a

weekly routine.
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References

Levin, J. (2014). Principles of Classroom Management: A Professional Decision-making Model.

Boston: Pearson.

The Holy Bible (NIV ed.). (1986). New York: American Bible Society.

Webb, L. D., & Metha, A. (2017). Foundations of American Education. Boston: Pearson.