LESSON 2: PARADIGM SHIFT: FROM TEACHER CENTERED TO LEARNER-

CENTERED TEACHING

Teacher-Centered Definition.
 The teacher functions in the familiar role of classroom lecturer, presenting
information to the students, who are expected to passively receive the knowledge
being presented.
 Sometimes called the "Sage on the Stage" style
 In this setting, students are sometimes described as "empty vessels."

Learner-Centered Definition.
 The teacher is still the classroom authority figure but functions more as a coach
or facilitator as students embrace a more active and collaborative role in their
own learning.
 Sometimes called the "Guide on the Side" style
Paradigm shift: From teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching
1. Philosophical perspectives
a. Teacher-centered philosophies
b. Learner-centered philosophies
Philosophical Perspectives
Philosophy means “love of wisdom”. It is made of two Greek words, Philo, meaning
love, and Sophos, meaning wisdom. Philosophy helps teachers to reflect on key issues
and concepts in education, usually through such questions as What is being educated?
What is the good life? What is Knowledge? What is the nature of learning? And what is
teaching?

Philosophies are under the teacher-centered philosophies and the learner-centered

Teacher-Centered Philosophies Learner-Centered Philosophies

Teacher-centered philosophies
 Emphasize that the best way to ensure student learning is to ensure teaching
uniformity.
Essentialism
 Essentialism tries to instill all students with the most essential or basic academic
knowledge and skills (or the fundamental r’s – reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic) and
character development.
 The foundation of essentialist curriculum is based on traditional disciplines such
as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature.
 In the essentialist system, students are required to master a set body of
information and basic techniques for their grade level before they are promoted
to the next higher grade.
 The tools include lecturing, memorization, repetition, practice, and assessment.
 Essentialists argue that classrooms should be teacher-oriented. The teacher
should serve as an intellectual and moral role model for the students. The
teachers or administrators decide what is most important for the students to learn
with little regard for the student interests.

Perennialism
 Perennialism values knowledge that transcends time.
 Perennialists believe that the focus of education should be the ideas that have
lasted over centuries. They believe the ideas are as relevant and meaningful
today as when they were written. They recommend that students learn from
reading and analyzing the works by history's finest thinkers and writers.
 Perennialist classrooms are also centered on teachers in order to accomplish
these goals. The teachers are not concerned about the students' interests or
experiences.
 The perennialist curriculum is universal and is based on their view that all human
beings possess the same essential nature. Perennialists think it is important that
individuals think deeply, analytically, flexibly, and imaginatively. They emphasize
that students should not be taught information that may soon be outdated or
found to be incorrect.
 Tools are great books.
  An example for this philosophy would be a class about religion or history. The
instructor would use religious books and historical documents.
Learner-Centered Philosophies.
A learner-centered environment facilitates a more collaborative way for students to
learn. The teacher models instructions and acts as a facilitator, providing feedback and
answering questions when needed. It’s the student that chooses how they want to learn,
why they want to learn that way, and with whom. Students answer each other’s’
questions and give each other feedback, using the instructor as a resource when
needed.

Progressivism
Progressivism is a student-centered philosophy that believes that ideas should be
tested by experimentation and that learning comes from finding answers to questions.
This philosophy values the scientific method of teaching, allows individuals to have their
own beliefs, and promotes the interaction of students as valuable to the learning
process.

Humanism
Humanism is a student-centered philosophy that focuses on enhancing one’s innate
goodness, rejects the idea of group-oriented education, and upholds the idea of
enhancing individual development. This philosophy also believes that students should
be actively involved with their education on all levels, and students should be able to
make choices about what they will be learning.

Constructivism
Constructivism is a student-centered philosophy that emphasizes hands-on learning
and students actively participating in lessons. Constructivists believe that students
should be able to discover lessons on their own through the hands-on activity because it
is the most effective way of learning and is considered true learning. The learners are
taught how to learn. They are taught learning processes and skills such as searching,
critiquing, and evaluating information, relating these pieces of information, reflecting on
the same, making meaning out of them, drawing insights, posing questions,
researching, and constructing new knowledge out of these bits of information learned.