Not long ago, during a feedback meeting with a teacher I had observed, she expressed her concern with the fact that her lessons tended to be excessively teacher-centred. However, she was not aware of what steps she could take in order to change that situation, thus allowing learners to take a more active role within the classroom. Here are some of the conclusions we came up with in our chat.
1. Understand what learner-centredness is
Rather than giving you a long-winded explanation, I’ll count on the wise words of ELT guru Jack C. Richards, who briefly and effectively defines learner-centred teaching in this video:
A number of books have been published on the topic of learner-centred teaching, and a simple internet search can lead you to a multitude of websites that aim at providing practical as well as theoretical ideas to teachers. Browsing through them can help you better grasp the concept.
2.Understand learners’ needs
If we aim at designing lessons that focus less on the teachers’ own performance and more on the learners themselves, it is then crucial that we understand their needs and expectations. Here’s another interesting video in which 10 expectations of the 21stcentury learner are outlined. Bear such expectations in mind when you plan and evaluate your lessons.
2.Understand learners’ needs
If we aim at designing lessons that focus less on the teachers’ own performance and more on the learners themselves, it is then crucial that we understand their needs and expectations. Here’s another interesting video in which 10 expectations of the 21stcentury learner are outlined. Bear such expectations in mind when you plan and evaluate your lessons.
3. Teach the student, not the lesson
Even though this catchphrase is repeated by virtually every teacher in the world as a sort of mantra, I often see teachers unconsciously teaching despite learners rather than teaching thelearners.
Obviously, a lesson plan is an important tool for every teacher. Devising and sequencing activities and procedures give us a sense of security and purpose, as well as help us organise our own ideas and better understand and achieve our teaching aims. However, a lesson plan that becomes a procedural straightjacket does little in terms of effective teaching. And the same is true for one-size fits all activities.
It is therefore crucial that teachers be aware of the profile of each of their groups. Knowledge of aspects such as students’ favoured learning styles, personal preferences regarding topics, reasons for studying English, strengths and areas in need of improvement can help teachers devise tailor-made lessons that, besides keeping learners more motivated and engaged, will in all likelihood make the learning process more effective.
4. Let students do the talking
Unlike other subjects in which the transference of a vast amount of knowledge from teacher to student may be seen as necessary (although even this idea is debatable), learning to use a language for communication entails…well…using it.
In that sense, a language classroom in which the teacher does most of the talking is less likely to help learners achieve communicative competence. Pair work, small-group work, debates and collaborative tasks, among others, significantly increase student’s talking time (STT), providing learners with more opportunities to make actual use of the language. Reducing teacher talking time (TTT) can be achieved by, for example, relying on learners to help as well as give feedback to each other, simplifying instructions and eliciting more than explaining.
5. Favour guided discovery
Guided discovery, guided learning, inductive approach and inductive learning are different terms used to describe the same process. Rather than simply providing students with the grammar rules and asking them to apply it, the teacher leads students to create their own hypotheses and reach their own conclusions, a process which is more similar to the way in which we naturally learn our first language.
The rationale behind it is that learners who are cognitively engaged in the discovery task are more likely to remember what they learned afterwards. On top of that, being able to reach conclusions own their own may have positive effects on the students’ self-esteem and motivation levels, promoting higher sense of achievement and progress.
I strongly believe that consistent reflection upon our practices and constant search for new ways to do things are among the things that make great teachers. I hope the ideas above provide you with some food for thought to help you in your own journey.
See you next time!
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Rubens Heredia is an Academic Coordinator at Cultura Inglesa São Paulo, where he is responsible for early-in service and in-service teacher development initiatives, such as coaching and mentoring. Having transitioned from a BA in Law to becoming a DELTA holder and ICELT tutor, he has been working in EFL for 13 years.
