Increasing Your Instructional
Effectiveness through
Student-Centered Teaching
Mary Lee Jensen,
Head of Instructional Services
Kent State University
mjensen@kent.edu
LOEX 2005
I hope that by the end of this
session you will:

Feel more comfortable with the
vocabulary of learner-centered teaching

Understand the importance of putting
yourself in your students’ shoes when
you are teaching.
I hope that by the end of this session
you will:

Understand the impact that you have
on your students’ learning.

Leave with at least one new idea that
you can incorporate into your teaching.
Please place a sticker
on your bookmark every
time one of the
following statements
resembles something
you have said or
thought…….
Statement 1
In the classes I
teach, there is
rarely enough
time to cover
everything I think
my students
should know.
Statement 2
I have tried to
have students
work in groups,
but they seem
a bit
….resistant.
Statement 3
I am worried
about trying
something new
when I teach –
and having it not
work.
Statement 4
I want to
reduce the
number of
blank stares in
my classes.
Statement 5
I’m not
comfortable with
the uncertainty
that comes with
doing unscripted
instruction.
Statement 6
I teach large
classes of
students and am
not sure how to
incorporate
hands-on
activities
Statement 7
I want to be
more effective
in the
classroom.
Count up your stickers!
The move away from lectures…
The lecture works for students who
“learn auditorially, have high working
memory capacity, have all the
required prior knowledge, have good
note-taking skills, and are not
susceptible to information processing
overload.”
Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1991) in John C. Bean.
Engaging ideas: the professor’s guide to integrating
writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the
classroom. P. 89
Learner-centered teaching…

Acknowledges the needs of the learner

Moves from teacher as imparter of
knowledge toward teacher as facilitator

Recognizes different learning styles
Active learning …

Students learn by doing – they are
involved in more than just listening

Students are involved in higher order
thinking – analysis, synthesis, evaluation

Active learning in and of itself is not
learner-centered – objectives are
important
Problem-based learning…

Students are guided to learn on their own

There is no right answer – emphasis on
the process

Students identify tools they need to solve
a problem
Cooperative learning …

Collaborative learning sometimes used
interchangeably

Learning is facilitated through support of others

Facilitates the development of social skills

Works best when some direction is provided -establish roles

Is not the same as group projects…
Brain-based learning…

Uses information about the construct of the
brain to facilitate learning

Focuses on stimulating multiple neural
networks and multiple areas of the brain

Recognizes the role of prior knowledge

Seeks to make connections -- senses
Whole-Brain Learning
Mind mapping…..
Created by Tony Buzan
 Brain-friendly method for taking
notes
 Links verbal side (words) of the left
brain with creative side (color,
pictures) of the right brain
 Creates multiple pathways for
recall

Your turn to try mind mapping……
 PINK

Characteristics
of a good
learning
experience you
have had – your
perspective as a
student
 BLUE

Characteristics
of an instruction
session that you
think went
particularly well –
your perspective
as a teacher
Now partner with one other person
who has the same color sheet.




Share your mindmaps and decide on one
characteristic you both agree on.
Use the Sharpie pen that one of you has and
write the characteristic on one of the post-it
notes at the back of your folder. Add the
word student if you are pink and teacher if
you are blue.
Pass your slip to the end of the row.
The person at the end should put the slips on
the correct easel sheet on the wall.
Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner
1. Verbal-linguistic – loves to read, talk, listen,
and write
2. Logical-mathematical – loves to solve
problems.
3. Musical-rhythmic – loves to sing, hum, tap to
music
4. Visual-spatial – loves to imagine, manipulate
objects in space, create art
Multiple intelligences (continued)
5. Bodily-kinesthetic – loves to move and
express movement or action
6. Interpersonal – loves to communicate, listen,
persuade, negotiate
7.
Intrapersonal – loves to be alone, reflect, set
internal goals
Be aware that learners have different strengths – in
addition to learning styles….
Visual
Learning
Styles:
VAK
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Time to pass the toy…..
Form a
virtual
circle with
two rows
Green =
right
Red = left
Many articles in a database are available in
full-text though not always. Sometimes you
just get the citation. If you are using a
database like Academic Search Premier
and scan your search results you will see
the words HTML and PDF. Clicking on
HTML will give you the text version of the
article which is sometimes harder to cite.
The PDF version looks exactly like the
article would when it was originally
published,but you will need Adobe
Acrobat to view it.
Sometimes the article is not in full text
and you just get the citation. Sometimes
the article is in full-text, but it doesn’t say
that on the screen. In some databases
associated with OhioLINK you will see the
term Find a Copy. Click on this and you
will sometimes go to the link to full-text.
It might say full-text available in the EJC.
This is the Electronic Journal Center
which is another database that is linked
to this one.
Sometimes Find a Copy will link to another
full-text source and you might have to click on
one link and then another link and then the
PDF icon to get the article. Sometimes you
will click on Find a Copy and you won’t get a
link to the full-text. The screen will show you
the journal holdings. In our online catalog,
you will first see holdings for branch
campuses. You will want to look for the word
Main which is our campus.
You will see a list of the volumes we have
received for that journal. Sometimes there
are gaps where for some reason we
stopped getting the journal for a couple
years. Make sure you have the complete
citation so you can find the journal on the
second floor where the bound journals
are arranged alphabetically by the title of
the journal not the article.
Sometimes it looks like we don’t own the
journal, but we actually do. You will need to
do a title search in the online catalog to
confirm this. The record for the journal will
show you whether we own the journal or not.
If we don’t, you can try to get the article
through Interlibrary Loan. But that might
take a couple weeks…….
How did that feel?


The activity requires reconciliation of
different learning styles – auditory,
visual, kinesthetic
Frustration, confusion, fear, boredom
are barriers to learning – keep this in
mind when teaching
A few
observations
about learnercentered
teaching -- a
personal
perspective *
* (obligatory
disclaimer)
Read the class and respond to cues that
you might not be getting through.
Acknowledge that students bring
different levels of knowledge
to the class.
Provide a context for why the
information is important.
Pay attention to the importance
of the physical space.
Acknowledge what is going on
outside the classroom.
Show that you care!
70% of communication is nonverbal

7% = words (actual content)

23% = tone of voice

33% = facial expression

35% = body language

Exley and Dennick. “Giving a lecture from presenting to
teaching.” 2004, p. 91.
Reflect on your teaching.
You are already a great teacher –
because you are here and because
you care!
Please use your evaluation forms to
provide feedback!!!!


Write your name and email address and
institution on the index card in your
baggie and give it to me before you
leave. Share one new idea that you will
try in your class.
I’ll collect the ideas and distribute
them.
Thanks!