Research Paper

in
Facilitating Learner-
Centered Teaching

Submitted to: Dr. Carmelito Pang

Submitted by: Aira Lorraine F. Lilagan
 Facilitating Learner-centered Teaching is course follows a
lecture and discussion type in a flexible format. Students are
expected to demonstrate their learning by way of designing an
activity plan as an introductory activity in lesson planning.
Their understanding of the concepts and principles of learning
will also be displayed in the conduct of the activities imbedded
in the activity plan. This course is intended for the education
students, or any student who wants to be familiar with the
concept “learner or student-centered teaching” and the underlying
principles that come with it. As the course name suggests, this
will help the students learn how to facilitate not just for their
future students’ learning but for their own learning as well.

Being a learner-centered teacher means adopting a bottom-up

approach to classroom management, curriculum, and instruction.
Rather than beginning the school year with a set of fixed units
and activities, a truly learner-centered teacher starts by
getting to know his or her students, including their dreams,
hopes, and needs. Learner-centered teachers may occasionally
provide direct instruction, but for the most part, their role is
one of a facilitator. A teacher who acts as a facilitator
provides his or her students with opportunities, guidance, and
materials as they assume responsibility for other aspects of
their own learning.

One of the best ways to facilitate learner-centered

environments is by asking students questions. Whether you're a
preschool teacher introducing a unit about the seasons or a high
school English teacher who's assigning Catcher in the Rye,
finding out what your students are curious about will help you
choose and plan activities conducive to learning.
 For example, consider the use of K-W-L charts where you ask
students what they already know (K) about a topic, and what they
wonder (W) about. Chart their answers and display this
information prominently in the classroom. Refer back to the W
column when selecting activities and topics for discussion. At
the end of a unit of study, fill in what students learned (L) to
help them document their accomplishments and learning.

Another facilitation strategy is the use of a question

ticket. When your students enter or leave the classroom each day,
provide them with a post-it note on which they can write a
question about what the class is studying. Pre-literate students
can dictate or draw their questions. Collect the post-it notes
and affix them to a classroom display. Encourage students to
refer back to their questions and those of their classmates as
they move through a unit.

According to Fabrizio Tovaglerie, when it comes to learning

facilitation methodologies, teachers and educational leaders have
a deep and abiding responsibility to students. The teacher as a
facilitator is a concept that many be recent but has been needed
for a long time. Facilitating learning and assessment in practice
isn’t something that all teachers are innately equipped for. This
guide to learning how to facilitate learning in the classroom
should be invaluable in the pursuit of facilitating the learning
environment and learning process.

What is the Importance of Facilitating Learning?

The importance of facilitating learning cannot be
overstated. When educational leaders and teachers implement
facilitating learning, they are effectively helping to build a
capable workforce that can power society for generations to come.
On a more individual level, facilitating learning is important
because:

Lifelong learning is essential as jobs evolve. Studies show

that many of the jobs available as early as 2030 have not yet
even been invented. Through facilitating learning, educators
create agile learners who can quickly adapt to new challenges in
the workplace and develop a self-learning mindset that will serve
them well into the future.

What are the Advantages of Facilitating Learning?

Facilitating learning carries many advantages for both the
teacher and the students. For the teacher, facilitating learning
means a more engaged classroom, where the students demonstrate
that the teacher has made progress in the teaching objectives.
This is very rewarding to the career teacher. Further, the
teacher learns from facilitating learning; teachers learn how to
adapt their teaching strategies, how to discard coursework and
methods that are not working, learning to quickly adapt to the
various learning styles of students. For students, there are even
more advantages of facilitating learning:
Students learn how to think critically and question the
information and their environment making them less vulnerable to
fake online information. When teachers and educational leaders
facilitate learning, they create students who learn how to
rationally question things around them. This makes them into more
intelligent, critically-thinking adults who will go on to make
positive adjustments and changes wherever life leads them.
Learner-centered education creates opportunities for
students to teach each other, answer their peer’s questions, and
present the results of their works. Good employees that are
unable to engage with their audience to communicate strategies
will be in great disadvantage. Furthermore, great work leaders
can coach their teams, communicate a vision, and persuade key
stakeholders. If the students develop the skills of public
speaking from a young age, they will have acquired an important
asset for their professional lives.  

In contrast to individual learning where the trainer becomes

very involved and responsive to each participant's individual
needs, with facilitated learning the trainer supports and
facilitates the participants who develop and shape their own
learning goals and achievements.

Facilitated learning in its purist form is likely to occur

in a well-resourced environment with participants who are highly
motivated and pro-active. Most training environments are unlikely
to be able to offer the necessary conditions. However, elements
of facilitated learning can be combined effectively with other
styles of training to provide many of the benefits inherent in
the methodology.

The way teachers teach creates impact on the development of

child’s learning. In one way or another, the teaching approaches
and strategies of the teachers influence the students’ learning
skills and strategies. Thus, the teacher is encouraged to become
more learner-centered in his or her teaching. Making the students
master their learning skills and strategies should be implemented
in the classroom learning. With this, they can be taught how to
learn on their own. For instance, if teachers have organization
skills in the preparation and delivery of instruction, students
are more likely able to develop this skill. When teachers use
more of learner-centered teaching in class, the learning skills
and strategies of students develop or increase significantly
because teachers can provide more opportunities for the
enhancement of the learning skills and strategies of the
students. Hence, the learner-centered approach is just apt for
students to make them learn by doing. It is very important that
students are engaged and involved in their learning process so
that they can adapt the skills and strategies for them to become
responsible learners. It is important that students will develop
their learning skills and strategies because these are life-long
learning skills that they can use not only for higher learning
but in their future endeavors in life (Hinosolango, Dinagsao
2014)

Learner-centered teaching is a teaching approach that is

increasingly being encouraged in education. In Indonesia,
learner-centered teaching has been an obligation for
teachers to be implemented since the government decided to
try out the new designed curriculum, the 2013 curriculum.
However, it is not always effective since teachers are
lack of creativity, lack of responsibility and
knowledge(Darsih,2018)

In summary, learner-centered education helps the students

develop skills that will better equipped them for their
professional careers. Teachers can be trained in this approach,
so they can apply the principles and provide their students with
a better learning experience. This method does not require
technology or special resources that schools from communities in
need may not have; in fact, in relies on the most valuable asset
in the classroom: the students.

References:
Darsih, E. (2018). LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING: WHAT MAKES IT
EFFECTIVE. Retrieved from Indonesian EFL Journal:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322892837_LEARNER-
CENTERED_TEACHING_WHAT_MAKES_IT_EFFECTIVE
Gomez, F. W. (n.d.). Academia. Retrieved from Facilitating
Learner-Centered Teaching Companion:
https://www.academia.edu/40486281/Facilitating_Learner_Cente
red_Teaching_Companion
Learner-centered education: providing students with valuable
skills . (n.d.). Retrieved from One Young World :
https://www.oneyoungworld.com/blog/learner-centered-
education-providing-students-valuable-skills-0
Stearns, C. (2003). Facilitation Strategies for Learner-Centered
Teachers. Retrieved from study.com:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/facilitation-strategies-
for-learner-centered-teachers.html
Tovaglieri, F. (n.d.). Facilitating Learning: What Senior Leaders
in Education Should Know? Retrieved from EHL Insights:
https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/facilitating-learning-
education