Learner-Centered Practice

I have used an 'icebreaker' to begin ESL classes for many years.  It is from an elementary text book and has two sentences that have to be edited or corrected.  The students correct the sentences on a piece of paper.  Their worked is looked at by the instructor and then a student is selected to go to the board to make corrections.  If the student does not have all of the corrections in place, the other students offer suggestions about what else needs to be changed.  Before moving on to a different activity, the corrections are confirmed.  They thoroughly enjoy this activity.  It gives them confidence and imparts knowledge.

1)  Learner-centered practice means that students are actively engaged in learning concepts through activities and materials that are applicable to their everyday lives and goals.  Rather than a teacher lecturing, the students are engaging with one another and experimenting and experiencing the material.

2)  I teach beginner ELLs, and  I want students to talk as much as possible.  We start every class with a simple conversation written on the board.  It usually relates to a theme we have been studying.  Part of the conversation requires students to fill in their own information.  For example: My name is _______.  They stand up and practice the conversation with at least five other students.  The lower -level students stick to the conversation, while the more advanced students expand on it.  As we work through class material, I encourage pair and group work as much as possible, while I monitor their work for accuracy.  Through these activities, our classroom atmosphere is friendly and a safe place to ask questions and make mistakes.

Erika Hayward

I teach an adult ESOL/AECCR Level 6/7. We read a current events magazines in class. In the past, I’ve read the article to the class, discussed vocabulary and explained the text line by line. I observed the energy and focus drain out of this activity rapidly. 

Here is how I have changed this activity into an engaging learner centered activity. It’s not a really unique idea but it was a big shift for me to “hand over the reins.” 

Preparation - in the beginning, we do ‘ice-breaker’ activities that require student to ask questions and record answers from their classmates. During that time, I observe which students are the natural leaders - those students that seem to be getting their task accomplished while happily assisting others to complete their task. Next, I carefully create student groups. Higher level students become group leaders while others become assistant leaders. Each group is evenly matched ability wise.

I changed the reading activity into a learner-centered activity by introducing the article, pointing out key vocabulary and discussing the beginning the article and the questions. Next I turn the task over to small groups (leaders preview text and questions beforehand). Students are given a set of questions and the group can read aloud to one another, look up vocabulary and answer questions together. I monitor the groups at a distance, assisting as needed. Students are engaged in reading comprehension and they can practice speaking informally to one another and all while working as a team. I ask each group to report their findings in a whole class ‘wrap up’.

I can’t tell you how much this has energized my classroom. It provides an appropriate challenge for the group leaders and I’m constantly amazed at the depth and quality of the group discussions. 

Marie asks:  

1. What does learner-centered practice mean to you?

2. Can you share one learner-centered practice with us here?

A key guiding principle for me has to do with asking myself, who should be doing this now?  Who needs to be writing at the board?  Who needs to be speaking?  Do I need to write something that a learner said in order to model how to begin encoding a language experience approach text?  Do I then hold out the marker to see who would like to write / encode the next sentence from another students and so on?

Turning questions back to the class is another element -- before answering a question myself, I'll ask the class that question, and/or encourage students to ask each other.  Modeling practice that moves the teacher out of the central role of expert and places responsibility for learning, asking, listening among all of us is one key piece. 

The grid/document here: http://literacyresourcesri.org/isserlisspeak.png is one  I'll also use to frame our learning about our goals, needs and strengths at the beginning of a unit/session/term.  Students brainstorm/call out places where they feel they can speak English well, need to do better and/or would like to be able to communicate at all.  Eventually, their information is entered into the grid; generally this exercise helps us determine what topic areas to begin to explore.  More often than not we land on health and employment as beginning topics.  Those explorations lead us, in iterative fashion, to next topics and so on. Grammar, reading/writing, listening/speaking are all integrated within the frame(s) of whatever topics we're working on at a given time.   Janet Isserlis