The Learner Centred Classroom

Toshiyuki Shimizu, JTE, Shizuoka High School

Stuart Fletcher, ALT, Shizuoka High School

Skills Development Conference

November 2015

It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom. Without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail

Albert Einstein

Aims and Objectives

• The aim of this presentation is to encoruage discussion about learner centred instruction

By the end of the this presentation you should be able to:• Define learner centred instruction• Compare learner centred teaching to teacher led instruct

ion• Assess the roles of various actors within the Japanese e

ducation system• Evaluate the possibility of using learner centred teaching

in your classrooms.

I believe...

Placed around this room are fourteen statements about teaching. Your first task is to read each one and then decide which one your MOST AGREE with. After this we will have

a discussion about some of the statements.

'The Banking Method'

Paulo Freire (1921 - 1997)

Freire was a Brazilian educator famous for writing a book called 'The pedegogy of the opressed'In this book Frire said that traditional methods of teaching were similar to banking. He said students are treated as objects that need to be filled and that the job of the teacher is to deposit knowledge. He said that in this system students have nothing more than surface knowledge of topics and are unable to think ciritically or creatively.

Three Key Thinkers

Jean Piaget(1896 - 1980)

Lev Vygotsky(1896 - 1934)

John Dewey(1859 - 1952)

ConstructivismConstructivists criticise traditional teaching methodology for its lack of interactivity. Constrctivists believe that learning is an active process and that learners connect new learning to old knowledge. Constructivists seek to understand topics by asking high order questions such as how and why.

Kolb's experiential learning cycle is an example of constructivist learning. Kolb believes that learning follows a cycle.We have experiences, we reflect on them, we aquire new knowledge and skills and then begin to think of new ways to tackle the task.

Simply put, learner centred instruction is...

The Culture of the Japanese Classroom

Students, teachers, assessment and environment

Questions...

1. What is the role of teacher / students / assessments in Japanese schools OR What is the learning environment of Japanese schools

2. What are the good points and bad points of this system

3. Would you define the role of the teacher / students / assessments as learner centred? OR Is the learning environment learner centred?

Feedback

Please select one member of your group to feedback your thoughts and opinions to the rest of the class.

Is learner centred teaching possible in our classes?

Your next task is to answer the question above.On the post-it note you should write the reason for your answer. Please be as detailed as possible. After a few minutes of writing I will ask various members of the group to come and explain their opinions.

Final thoughts

The center test stands as the biggest obstacle to any changes in teaching methodology in Japan. The very nature of the test and the potential of failure forces many teachers to teach in

a certain way.

The weekly team teaching classes offer a chance to do something different. The role of the ALT is to encourage cultural understanding and one cultural difference we can teach is that of teaching styles. If you have bee influenced by today's discussion please consider using your team t

eaching classes as a testing ground for new methods.