If I am forced to make a definitive choice I believe that the learner-centered instruction is superior to the teacher-centered approach. Recent research has revealed the manner in which secondary students learn. These findings include the following,
- Students learn when the subject area is meaningful to them and their peer group;
- Students learn when they are allowed to use all their senses;
- Students learn with the use of current technology;
- Students learn when they are in an orderly and safe environment.
Learner-centered instruction incorporates learning strategies that promote self discovery and higher level of thinking. Cooperative learning, guided discovery, and independent study are three examples of effective learner-centered instruction. All these methods require a great deal of upfront work for the teacher. These methods concentrate on introducing examples of a phenomenon or an idea and having the student(s) find the connections. The students are more cognitively connected to this type of interaction with the teacher. The teacher uses questioning, rather than expository methods, to entice thought processes in her students. Students have been found to retain more information when using these types of instruction.
I believe that teacher-centered instruction, specifically the direct learning method, does have merit as well. I believe that a well constructed lesson will be necessary to introduce new concepts to students without any previous knowledge of the content area.
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