Student-centered Classroom Teaching Situation

Teaching is essentially a kind of communication and cooperation activity. Teachers and students exchange information and realize mutual development in this process. In the specific teaching process, the student’s subject status is “guided” by the teacher, and the construction of the student’s subject status is inseparable from the classroom. All cognitions are obtained by both parties in the process of teacher-student interaction. Mayer (2004) considered that educators should discovery effective instructional methods to active students’ learning process, not solo discuss to active methods of teaching.

According to Maslow’s fifth level of the need for self-realization, we need to realize personal needs, ambitions, and personal ability in order to reach the realm of self-realization and achieve emotional satisfaction. Self-realization is the highest desire in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Therefore, under Student-centered situated learning, learners can get an opportunity for perspective taking and reflective thinking, which may create higher levels of cognitive, social, and moral development, as well as self-esteem. In constructivism, according to learners’ previous cognitive structure, they pay attention to select perceive external information and then construct the meaning of current things. Through the effective learning process, learners should obtain the abilities to solve real problems from the reality, to achieve their goals, and to satisfy their own special needs.

I think learning should be in a real situation. The more realistic the situation of the learner is, the more realistic the problem needs to be solved, the higher the learner’s enthusiasm for learning have, the stronger the initiative and the greater the freedom learners have, the more vivid and effective the learning process it is. Therefore, situated learning or student-centered learning is more effective, motivated and adaptable for our modern life.

Reference

Mayer, R. E. (2004). Should there be a three-strikes rule against pure discovery learning? The Case for guided methods of instruction. American Psychologist, 59(1), 14-19.

Available: http://apps.fischlerschool.nova.edu/toolbox/instructionalproducts/8001/EDD8001/SUM12/2004-Mayer.pdf

Piaget, J. (1964). Development and Learning. In R. E. Ripple and V. N. Rockcastle (Eds.), Piaget Rediscovered (pp. 7-20).
Available:  http://developmentalcognitivescience.org/lab/7845_files/35piaget64.pdf