Learner -centeredness &

Positive Academic Culture

Nema Habbas Almutairi; PhDUniversity of Dammam

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Questions

• What are the fundamentals of student-centered learning?

• What are the challenges?

• How to manage these challenges?

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‘Many institutions or educators

claim to be putting student-

centred learning into practice,

but in reality they are not’.

(Lea et al, 2003: 322)

Definition

Learner-centeredness means placing

the learning characteristics of all

learners at the center of our teaching

practices.

It is a transition from teaching the

entire group to meeting the diverse

learning needs of each learner.

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The development of competent

self-directed, life-long learners

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What do we mean by Learner

Characteristics?

#1 Learning Styles

#2

Learning ability

# 3

Learning Preferences

# 4Personality Type

# 5

Learning Strategies

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Philosophical Active and reflective

Psychological

Cognitive and Metacognitive factorsMotivational and Affective factorsDevelopmental and Social factorsIndividual Differences factors

Cultural Environmental factors- home & community collaboration

Pragmatic Self directed lifelong learning

Foundations forLearner-Centered Approaches

Principles for Good

Practice in Education

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• Encourages Contact Between Students

and Faculty.

• Encourages Cooperation among

Learners.

• Encourages Active Learning.

• Gives Prompt Feedback.

• Emphasizes Time on Task.

• communicates High Expectations.

• Respects Diversity.

Learner- centeredApproach

Powerful Forces

Activity

Expectations

Cooperation

Interaction

Diversity

Responsibility

Choice 8

What are the Challenges?

Physical aspects

Qualification of teachers

Relevance of teaching

material

Quality of instructional methods

Role of learner

Quality of assessment

Alignment

Physical Aspects

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• Exposure to authentic experiences

• Class size• Use of demonstrations and

models multi-sensory input

Qualification of Teachers

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•Attract highly qualified language teachers

•Provide in-service training programs for teachers in learner-centred approaches

• Look for innovations in teaching methods.• Discover how your students are currently

learning. • Make adequate pre-planning for learner-

centered approach activities. • Have a positive attitude to role changes

(mixed-ability teaching).• Work individually with students who are

poor performers . • Give students positive reinforcement.• Help students set challenging goals for

their own learning.• Rapport and CARE.

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Quality of Instructional Methods

• Talk about why you are teaching this way.• Have students to participate in activities that encourage

them to get to know each other.• Allow time for students to debrief their experience.• Ask how much and how well students learned from this

activity (CAT).• Write a one page paper describing how you teach.• Be willing to make changes .• Devise your own feedback mechanisms. • Choose your instructional peer collaborators carefully. • Be encouraging.

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Quality of Instructional Methods

• Encourage students to speak up when they do not understand.

• Use collaborative teaching and learning techniques.• Use diverse teaching activities and techniques. • Select and design activities related to the background of

students. • Provide rich & diverse learning experiences, from multiple

sources. • Encourage students to share their viewpoints on topics

discussed in class. • Pair students with lesser abilities with students with greater

abilities.

Relevance of Teaching

Material

Teaching material must be:

• Challenging (ZPD). • Interesting (motivation).• Relates to previous knowledge

(metacognitive).• Active (participation)• Fosters competence for self

learning (self-directed learning).

• Supports CMI. 14

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Quality of Assessments

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• Aligned with the teaching material and instructional method.

• Reduce anxiety and fear.

• Continuous assessment.

• Make room for creative expression, critical thinking and problem solving.

“...the ways in which students are assessed have a strong influence on the ways they approach their learning tasks (Zhang and Watkins (2011: 256) .

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• They must talk about what they are learning,

write about it, relate it to past experiences.

• Reflect on how they think and learn.

• Develop strategic thinking.

• Become goal & time oriented.

• widen and deepen their knowledge from

multiple sources.

• Work individually or in a group.

• Focus not on grades, but on putting for their

best effort.

Role of Learner

The goal of implementing a learner-centered

approach is life-long learning

The vision of the Ministry of Education at the end of year 2014

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"The graduation of male and female students with Islamic values and the appropriate knowledge and practice. These students will have acquired practical knowledge, skills, and attitudes; they will be able to react positively to and face modern changes; they will be able to apply advanced technologies with efficiency and flexibility and to deal with international competition in scientific and practical fields. Their positive participation in an efficient educational system will allow them to develop appropriate abilities and attitudes and to spread the positive spirit of work at school environments that encourage learning and social education. (Ministry of Education: The Executive Summary

of the Ministry of Education Ten-Year Plan, 2004-2014: 12).

can be achieved

If we can create

A Positive Academic Culture

Thank you

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