Student-Centered Learning

As an international teacher, I've come to understand the importance of approaching my classroom with the student's interests as a top priority. I recognized this when I stepped into my first PE class and my students were quickly de-motivated when I laid out my yearly plan and did not have a dance unit included.

They were looking forward to a dance unit and made me well aware of this. I was very hesitant about making changes to the units I spent time organizing but could sense the passion the students had and I wanted to keep them motivated to come to class.

Student-centered learning is when the teacher organizes learning experiences that are considerate of the culture, interests, and needs of the classroom.

As a class, we collaborated and put together the dance unit. The class was split up into groups and each group was required to pick a specific dance type and teach the class. It brought the class together while they were creating and presenting their lessons. The students and I, all learned new dance techniques and it ended up being one of the highlights of the semester for everyone involved.

Keeping the students at the core of my planning means keeping an engaging, motivating, and exciting classroom on a daily basis which is what the students want and deserve.

Dave


References

Jacobs, G. M., Renandya, W. A., & Power, M. (2016). Simple, Powerful Strategies for Student Centered Learning. Springer.