The original and fundamental assumption behind this approach was that parents and teacher’s control children’s behaviour and this can have a very negative effect on child development. There is a long tradition in psychology that supports this type of classroom approach. A student centred approach intends to encourage independence and to allow children to choose their own behaviour.
in a student centered classroom the teacher:
allows the sharing of decision making and control of the class
allows personal and group initiatives
delegates the responsibility for behaviour to the learners
encourages active participation towards the fulfillment of mutual goals
understanding the nature of the problem is central to this approach:
identify the source of the problem
the teacher should be listening to what may be the underlying “problem/message” and not what appears to be the problem
encourage learners to speak openly
allow learners to change behaviour rather than reinforcing accusations
language development, thoughts, feelings, age, and reasoning ability, may restrict the teacher’s use of logical argument
this approach implies ‘active listening’:
silence is golden and poowerful
listening shows willingness to help and accept. It is a powerful tool
Methodology:
prompt learners to express themselves
and then actively listen
afterwards, respond
look for ‘door openers’
help to enlighten ’cause and effect’
Prerequisites of student centered teacher:
trusts the learners’ ability to solve their own problems
genuinely accept students’ feelings
is with the students – shows warmth, compassion, feeling
encourages openness of feelings, emotions – is not be afraid of emotions
promotes privacy and confidentiality – builds trust and respect – eliminates gossip
a student centered teacher
mirrors student by feedback: clarifies; promotes inquiry, discussion and questioning,
allows learners to explore their feelings
allows learners freedom to think for themselves and provides minimal evaluative feedback.
do not judge, tell, probe or use lecturing style techniques.
The intended outcomes of the student centred approach:
promotes willingness to listen
promotes a greater sense of self-worth
creates more meaningful relationships between people
the teacher displays a caring attitude
discipline problems decrease significantly as relationships develop
The goals of discipline:
Because learners have more opportunity to decide how to learn individually, there should be a tendency to have less behavioural management problems.
Boredom and failure, two of the main causes of behavioural problems, are virtually eliminated.
The teacher is cast as a facilitator of learning, not a dictator of information. One who is seen as a reference, a guide, a source, and a guide to the growth and development of the intellectual child.
Using this method, traditional punishment and extrinsic reward discipline is largely diminished. Three proponents of the student centred approach are: Thomas Gordon, Abraham Maslow, Steven Krashen and Carl Rogers.In the TEFL world look at Rinvolucri, Chris Sion, Wajnryb, Paul Davis and A. Underhill.
The original and fundamental assumption behind this approach was that parents and teacher’s control children’s behaviour and this can have a very negative effect on child development. There is a long tradition in psychology that supports this type of classroom approach. A student centred approach intends to encourage independence and to allow children to choose their own behaviour.
in a student centered classroom the teacher:
understanding the nature of the problem is central to this approach:
this approach implies ‘active listening’:
Methodology:
Prerequisites of student centered teacher:
a student centered teacher
The intended outcomes of the student centred approach:
The goals of discipline:
Using this method, traditional punishment and extrinsic reward discipline is largely diminished. Three proponents of the student centred approach are: Thomas Gordon, Abraham Maslow, Steven Krashen and Carl Rogers. In the TEFL world look at Rinvolucri, Chris Sion, Wajnryb, Paul Davis and A. Underhill.
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