Chapter 9: Making Learner-Centered Teaching Work

Attending: Bill Yang, , Discussion leader
Barbara Nixon, Recorder
Margery (Marney) Collins
Abby Brooks-Fitzgerald
Virginia DeRoma [Happy Birthday!!]
Stacy Kluge
Melissa Weddell

Bill provided the group with a brief outline of the chapter.

Principles of successful instruction improvement

• Techniques vs. approach

Techniques: piece by piece, “trick” in detail

Approach: a system or a set of principles, plans

• Approach change systematically (not like Pin the Tail on the Donkey)
• Approach change incrementally
• Plan to tinker
• Set realistic expectations for success

Taking a Learner-Centered Approach

• Study the new approach
• Develop deeper and more accurate self-knowledge
• Alter attitude toward assessment

Sophisticated learners want specific, focused feedback

Self-regulating learners make data-based assessment an ongoing activity

Experienced learners ask the right questions

Sohisticated learners make selective choice about peer involvement

 Below are some additional comments made by members of our group:

Offering choices to students/learners creates angst.

Students feel uncomfortable making choices. Many seem to want us to tell them what to do.

It’s okay to do a few little things regarding learner-centered instruction; no need to try everything in one semester.

We should provide guidelines to our students for what we’re looking for in class discussions.

A goal for student discussion could be to have them move from simply stating personal opinions to sharing their informed opinions. (Virginia recommends McKeachie’s Teaching Tips.)

TA –> ATA: An old way of doing a class lecture was discussing Theory first, then Application. A newer, perhaps better way, is ATA. Share an application, discuss theory, then discuss more applications.

We could consider treating our classrooms like restaurants. Allow students to choose from a menu of options (assignments, exams, etc.) to create a healty diet (reach instructional goals of the class).

How important is attendance anyway? (Big discussion about this, with no real consensus.)

Faculty members need to walk the talk when it comes to classroom/conference decorum. Discussion about presenting at a conference to peers & how challenging it was.

Finally, I’d like to ask all members of our Reading Roundtable to share two or three things they’ve done or plan to do as a result of learning more about Learner-Centered Teaching. Please post your ideas as a Comment to this blog posting.

Attending: Margery (Marney) Collins, Discussion leader
Bill Yang, Recorder
Abby Brooks-Fitzgerald
Stacy Kluge
Barbara Nixon
Melissa Weddell

Absent: Virginia DeRoma

Margery started with why there is resistance, and it triggered lots of discussions from all group members. Then, Margery suggested to introduce change bit by bit. Abby told her own experience in this regard, Melissa shared her story about asking graduate students to present their work, and Barbara also mentioned her classes on the issue. Discussions followed.

Margery then listed a few resistance examples from the book as well as her own experience. Some good points from the book were noted and agreed upon by the group.

Margery continued to discuss the independent studies (p.153). Melissa talked about her feeling about questions by students.

Margery also talked about faculty resistance issue from the book as well as some of her experience.

The overall reader response of the group to Chapter 7 is that it is a good reminder and advice.

On chapter 8, Margery noted that “theory does not have to be right to be useful” and Barbara agreed.

Melissa told the group about her favorite cases from the book and Barbara gave her own story on the same topic.

Respectfully submitted,
Bill Yang
Associate Professor of Economics

Amazon.com describes Learner-Centered Teaching in this way:

In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation’s most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.

As spring semester progresses, faculty members from departments across campus will share their thoughts on and experiences with the concepts in this book.