RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Dr Denise V. Dear is senior tutor in
biosciences at Harlow College. Denise
is a Fellow of SET.
Yes, but how did they work out
how to change that light bulb?
Student-centred learning (SCL) or instruction-mode teaching – which is better? It’s hard
to answer this until we have more evidence about SCL’s effectiveness in further education
By Dr Denise V. Dear
Finding a mission statement among
educational institutions that doesn’t
include ‘student-centred learning’ (SCL)
is like finding beans without toast – it
just doesn’t happen!
For decades now, teachers have
been encouraged to take on the role
of student-activity enablers rather than
‘dictators of facts’. (Ejiwale 2012).
Evidence that supports SCL leading
to successful learning outcomes
within further education and training
is scarce. However, it is important to
obtain such evidence.
First, because providers need to
make sure that they are off ering the
best provision for their students and,
second, because science students
studying skills-based vocational
science courses need to be capable
of troubleshooting in an increasingly
apprenticeship-friendly workplace.
SCL is based on the premise
that students do best by actively
constructing their own learning.
Student-centred classrooms can put
the student in control of their learning
process to the extent that they decide
what they will learn, how they will learn
and how they will assess that.
However, has it ever crossed your
mind that SCL may not be realising
its expected potential? Have you ever
wondered, as your students do their
Socrative-based activities, to what
extent they might be capable
of showing their learning in an
alternative scenario?
I have, and that’s why I became
interested in looking at the evidence
and carrying out my own research in
this area.
Part of the argument against SCL
can be summarised in the following
statement: “SCL is the teaching of
thinking skills without the content to
support it” (Garelick, 2014).
LACK OF RESEARCH
Starting in the 1980s, SCL has largely
replaced direct instruction in the
US. However, Rogers (1983) argues
there is a lack of research into this
approach, which asks “students to
apply something they don’t know to
something they don’t know how
to do”.
Indeed former students have said
that “SCL might be fun but we didn’t
learn anything” (Symons 2012).
Alternatively, the fact that instruction-
mode (i-mode) teaching requires focus,
attention and good behaviour from the
student, rather than chit-chat, may be
another factor to consider.
In fact, it could be said that the
diff erence between SCL and i-mode
teaching is not so vast.
In i-mode teaching, the student still
carries out SCL by extracting what
they find stimulating and accessible
from the material presented, just
as they would if researching on
the web.
In the sciences, it would seem that
SCL fails to take into account the
fact that, if learning is a profound
personalisation of association and
meaning, then in situations which are
clouded by associations of too social
a nature, focus on key concepts may
easily be lost.
For example, how many students
really follow why they are doing what
they are doing in science practicals?
How many are completely thrown off
course by the social aspect of the
situation instead?
What say ye, reader – do you
have examples of SCL which
really worked well or, on reflection,
would you say that in reality you
reverted to the i-mode to get the
message across?
Please get in touch so that together
we can begin to analyse the evidence
to greater eff ect.
After all, understanding how the
students worked out how to change
that light bulb might prove to be
most fruitful.
Members can contact Denise
with their experiences at
ddear@harlow-college.ac.uk
REFERENCES
• Ejiwale, J.A. (2012) Facilitating Teaching and
Learning Across STEM Fields. Journal of STEM
Education: Innovations & Research, Vol. 13 Issue 3,
p87-94.
• Garelick,B (2014) Developing the habits of mind
for algebraic thinking,
goo.gl/EVTL88 [Accessed 30/04/17]
22 ISSUE 28 • SUMMER 2017 INTUITION
• Rogers, C.R. (1983) Freedom to learn for the 80’s.
C.E.Merrill Publishers, Columbus, Ohio.
• Symons, X. (2012) Student-centred learning might
be fun, but we didn’t learn anything, The Australian,
July 16 2012.
This article is based on Denise’s
paper, ‘Do student-centred learning
activities improve learning outcomes
on a BTEC Applied Science
course in FE?’ goo.gl/h3RCQg