Advantages and Problems of Student-Centered-Learning (SCL) for Teachers and Students

Advantages and Problems of Student-Centered-Learning (SCL) for Teachers and Students

The old teaching style was that students sit in the classroom and the teacher stand up in front of them and spend the whole time talking. The teacher was the transmitter of the knowledge to the students. So the teachers were the core of learning process and the classroom. This leads the learning process to be boring and the students do not get the full benefit from learning.

From my previous experience as a teacher and from being a student, I think that this old teaching style ends with that the students might feel bored very quickly and start texting their friends or sleep or even interrupt the teacher. Moreover, the students might not understand anything from the lesson.

In my opinion as a teacher, education and teaching in our schools these days is in process to be changed and developed for better outcomes. To develop the education me and the other teachers have to know that education will not occur if the students do not involved to this process. I believe that flipped classroom or student-centered-learning is the most important approach to develop and enhance the education and student learning quality.

Student-Centered-Learning Style

Old Teaching Style

            VS

What is Student-Centered-Learning?

The concept of student-centered-learning is the shift in power from the expert teacher to the student learner, driven by a need for a change in the traditional environment.

Last year I was teaching high school students, vocational education. This type of education in Bahrain girls’ schools is almost based on the idea of student-centered-learning. From my experience and practical feedback, I believe that student-centered-learning environment encourage students to become independent learning. Also the teacher can help them effectively to learn more. The teacher role will be more of coach and consultant. Teacher is able to advice the students, guide them and give them the correct guidelines.

I used to apply student-centered-learning technique in my classroom. There are many ways to apply this technique, below are some examples of how I applied this techniques in my classrooms:

1.       Collaborative learning, I divided the students into small groups and give them problem to discuss it and find the solution this called (problem solving). For example, think how to use the dream weaver software to create an interaction webpage. In fact, this way encourage students to think, be creative and show innovation.



2.      Student-to-student teaching: for example, I used to let the high ability student to teach the low or medium ability student. The students’ works in pairs to exchange knowledge and help each others. Another way I used to apply is I give the students some activities and they have to work in pairs to solve the activities, so they exchange ideas and develop their thinking level.



3.       I give the students a case study and divide them either to groups or in pairs and they have to work together.

4.       In vocational education we have to teach the subject matter by applying the project-based-learning. I divide the students into groups at the beginning of the semester. During the semester they have to work on their project idea and apply the skills that they learned to produce their project products at the end of the semester.

From implementing and applying SCL technique at my classrooms I come up with that it is an effective way of learning and it has a lot of advantages. In fact, student and teacher get benefit from applying this technique. From the student side, I think that SCL technique prepare the student to be able to accept new responsibilities and prepare him for the future responsibilities and situations. Moreover, the students devise a plan and they will be creative to demonstrate understanding. The students be actively engaged and involved and they will be the most important element in the education and learning process.

In addition, I believe that the learning is meaningful when topics are relevant to students’ live and interests or needs. When I applied SCL technique I focus on how they learn, what the experience and how they engage with their learning. Also students engaged in constructing their own knowledge and they learned how to learn.

Briefly, students will be responsible to construct their knowledge, be a participant in the learning process. Share and exchange their experience and improve their communication skills.

I think that low and medium ability students benefit from observing strategies of high ability students. On the other hand, the high ability students learn new strategies by teaching other students in the group. It’s also enhanced student communication and collaborative skills.

My role as a teacher became facilitator, help students to access information, organizer and increase students self-esteem. In addition, teacher has to foster students’ critical thinking and advise them to the right way. The teacher became more of coach and consultant and this can be considered as advantage for the teacher.

In my opinion, SCL technique has limited problems or disadvantages for both teacher and students. For example,

From Student side:

1.       Sometimes some students needs more help from the teacher not only observing and consulting.

2.       Some students are shy or afraid from working with other students.

From Teacher side:

1.       May be not all courses or subjects can apply SCL technique.

2.       Some classrooms environment cannot help the teacher to apply SCL technique.

3.       Some classrooms do not have enough resources to achieve SCL goals.

4.       Teacher needs to put more effort to let the students be creative and talented.

5.       Group work may cause some noise in the classroom and the teacher has to control this issue.

To solve these problems the students have to know that they are part of the learning process and foster their self-esteem be more confidant and ask the teacher for more help or advice. The teacher has to manage and plan her classroom very well and utilize the classroom resources. Also teacher has to be developed professionally to deal with any problem occurred at the classroom.

Finally, I believe that applying SCL technique is a very useful way for both students and teachers. From my previous experience in applying this technique in teaching I come up with important thoughts and beliefs which can be briefed at the following points:

1.       The students are the focus of the learning process.

2.       Teacher considered the views and needs of students.

3.       Students feel engaged and involved in the learning process.



How teachers use the computer as Tool, Tutee and Tutor?

How Teachers Use The Computer as Tool, Tutee and Tutor?

Nowadays, we are using the computers everywhere and we can’t ignore the huge benefit we get it from computer especially in education domain and schools. I think that when the teachers use the new technologies and integrate the use of computers in their lessons they can enhance and foster the student’s educational and learning level. Also teachers can add a magic touch of fun and let the students enjoy the lessons when they know how to utilize computer resources and tools.

I used to get benefit from the use of computer and new technology to the maximum as a teacher in preparing my lessons, passing and transmitting knowledge and information to my students and give them the opportunity to create and show their innovational side. That can help them to discover their talents and provide them a higher level of thinking. 





If I start talking about how teachers can use the computer as a helpful tool, I think that the computer provides a useful communication approach for teachers. Teachers can communicate with each others also they can communicate with their students via email. In addition, teachers can use the computer tools such as (Microsoft Word, Excel Sheet, and Power Point) for keeping students records (data and grades), manipulate information and can produce individual letters to student’s parents. Also we can use it to create charts and students lists. Moreover, from my side I used the computer to make personalized certificates of achievement and this gives a positive push for my students.



I can make a good power point presentation not only by using many words and many pictures to explain my lessons to the students, it is includes all kinds of media like music, videos, pictures and animations. This can add some fun to my lessons and my students will interest to involve and engage to the lesson.

We can use the computer as a tutee. For example we can use any programming language (coding language) to develop and produce software to manage the students’ attendance issue. This software will make this process easier for the teachers.

Another example, last year me and my colleagues created simple software using visual basic language to help us in entering student’s grades and do the required calculations. This software was easy to use and very helpful for us because it reduces the calculation errors and saved our time and effort, indeed, it makes this process easier and faster than the previous year.

In my opinion, sometimes we might face some problems in using the computer as a tutee, because we have to learn some new programming languages to develop certain needed software. Learning new programming language could take long time so it will slow down our work completion. I think this is the main difficulty that might face us.

From my point view, I believe that using the computer as a tutor is the most powerful approach of benefiting from the computer. Me as a teacher and based on my previous experience in teaching high school students, I get a huge benefit from using the computer as a tutor. I prepared some tutorials for my students to help them in studying and getting the right information. In addition, I used online educational games to help the students and increase their skills. Those games were related to the subject that I teach and the students take a huge benefit from using the online games. On the other hand, students enjoyed the lessons and the feel so excited and interested.

When I teach the first level students I used the online typing practices tutorials to help the students in being familiar in using the keyboard and prepare them for the second level. I used to make some typing competitions between the students; this helps them in learning and enjoying the lessons at the same time.

Sometimes I made online tests for the students and it was a helpful way. It does not need printing exams papers and wasting my time in distributing and collecting papers from students. Also the test correction occurred immediately so it saved my time and effort.

By using the computer technology either as (tool, tutee or tutor) the teacher’s role as passing information will be reduced and the teacher became more of a coach or coordinator.

I think that teachers have to know how to use the computer to access what they need and also for communication. Moreover, teachers need to know how to utilize computer resources in their classrooms to foster the learning process. Teachers should understand how to use the computer in a way to maximize the potential learning of their students.

About Myself

          

                                                                         
Dear All,

My name is Rawan Yousif. I graduate from the high school specialized in science section. Then I studied computer engineering in University of Bahrain and graduate at 2009.

I worked in Ministry of Culture and Information as a help desk in the IT department then I joined Tylos Industries as an IT assistant coordinator. After that I worked in Zain Telecommunication Company. I like traveling and visiting new place also I like discovering new things and meeting new people.
I began my career as a teacher about two years ago. I was a teacher in AlMarifa secondary school in the vocational education, teaching IT and Multimedia courses. I have a good knowledge in the IT major and I hope that I can transmit this knowledge in a good and interesting way to my students to get the maximum benefit from it and this is one of my goals. In addition, I hope that what I will teach for my students they can use it and apply it in their life.

I started improving my teaching skills, teaching techniques and knowledge from my other colleagues by sharing with them their experience and attending a lot of training courses and workshops. I have the motivation to develop myself and the ability to learn new things and I hope that I can apply what I learned in the real life because I believe that one day I can make some positive changes. Moreover, I hope that I can left good effect on my students either on their knowledge, values, behavior or beliefs. I want to share what I had learned with other teachers to let them benefit from this good experience and pass the good ideas   to them.