Creating a Learner-centered Teacher Education Program

e cooperative learning activities, we presented students with an entire unit devoted to raising awareness of learning styles and strategies. Language learning strategies are the conscious steps or behaviors used by language learners to enhance the acquisition, storage, retention, recall, and use of new information (Rigney 1978; Oxford 1990). Using strategies enhances learner autonomy and self-direction. A specific learning style is a sensitive sensory channel. Style awareness determines learners?preferred channels, matches their styles with the instructors?teaching style, and encourages students to develop their weaker areas. To create a learner-centered environment, we raised students?awareness of learning strategies and styles in three steps.

First, to prepare students for the unit, we discussed learning strategies. The discussion related specific strategies to familiar learning situations, such as guessing the meaning of new words, a common compensation strategy in reading. We gave students examples of reading passages in which unknown words could be deciphered from the given context. Other strategies included memory strategies, in which students can group new words from a text in order to create a mental link.

Second, for students to better understand their own learning strategies and styles, we administered Oxford抯 (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and O払rien抯 (1990) Learning Channel Preference Checklist (LCPC). The SILL scores allow students to identify their language learning strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, students became aware of which strategies best suit their abilities. The LCPC scores help students determine their own learning preferences as well as the style the teacher uses when presenting lessons.

Third, we taught language learning strategies and styles using a formal presentation. We transferred onto overhead slides an outline of Oxford抯 (1990) classification of six types of learning strategies: memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social. There are only three types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and haptic. This neat categorization makes for an appealing lesson.

Applying strategies to learning is challenging in a theoretical sense, but the opportunities to apply strategies to course work and to associate them to specific lessons are almost endless. Any classroom activity applies a learning strategy and we attempted to draw students?attention to it. For example, students used to teacher-centered instruction often want to know the reason for doing group work and question its value. We explain that group work is a social strategy involving cooperation with others to achieve a common goal. Once students understand this, the learning environment is improved.

Applying learning styles in the classroom means student must be aware of their preferred sensory channel. For example, when the teacher uses a visual aid in lesson content, certain students who are not visually oriented may lose the thread, while others quickly see what they are learning. A kinesthetic, hands-on activity is useful for haptic learners, but it may boggle other learners. A verbal presentation tunes out some non-auditory learners completely. But the fact that students are made aware of different styles helps them to refocus their sensory channel.

Conclusion

This article has explained why and how we created a learner-centered classroom in our teacher education program. We believe that such an environment can be achieved in any classroom context. In fact, learner-centered classroom setup does not rely on preset formulas or magical recipes; rather, it requires involving students in the teaching process. We discovered that success meant slowly implementing new techniques and thereby adapting students so they would understand lesson goals and objectives, value communicative tasks and activities, generate topics and choose materials, work cooperatively, and identify their own learning strategies and styles. A successful learner-centered environment also requires frequent student feedback. What should be emphasized is that learner-centered methods should proceed in a moderate, adaptive pace. We should help students who are accustomed to a teacher-fronted classroom to accept a change in classroom organization so they may gain the benefits of being at the center of the learning process.

Note: We invite teachers and other students to read our students?compositions online: http://web.inonu.edu.tr/~mzaltan.

References

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《Creating a Learner-centered Teacher Education Program》