The Classroom - Where's the Focus?

One phrase that gets thrown around a lot on school websites and in educational circles is student-centered.  What is a student-centered classroom?  What is student-centered teaching?

I think most parents assume that every classroom and lesson is student-centered, but sadly they’re not.  Often teachers and administrations make decisions that are based on the teachers’ needs or the institution’s needs, rather than the students’.

By student, I don’t necessarily mean each individual student, although teachers should be able to make some room for individual needs.  The term refers to the collective needs of the students — to be able to move, to collaborate, to socialize, to practice and repeat, to engage — to act and learn in ways that we know to be developmentally appropriate.

In a student-centered classroom you will see students learning at their own rates, making choices about their work and assignments, moving and talking in productive ways, and deeply engaged — you may not even notice where the teacher is when you first walk in the classroom.

In a teacher-centered classroom, you will see students doing the same activity in ways that are quick and efficient for the teacher to grade (worksheets, cutting out projects on the lines), often even the desks and room set-up will all point to the teacher or teacher’s desk.

In teacher-centered classroom, the students are completely dependent on the teacher for their information, and therefore are less engaged and active in their own learning.  Sometimes this is the teacher’s choice, sometimes it’s the school’s or the district’s, but until we’re all focused on the students’ needs all the time, the educational system will be letting them down.

Want to get a glimpse into a student-centered classroom? Come visit The Fulton School where our students are at the center of all we do.