Lesson Design Using a Learner-Centered Approach

The learner-centered approach isn't a matter of asking your learners, "What do you need so we can give it to you?" It is a balance of meeting the learners needs and also providing important information in a format that is focused on them, energized by them and made personal by them. The teacher of a learner-centered approach says, "This is what they need to do to learn this concept."
The teacher of a teacher centered approach asks, "What do I need to do to teach this information?"

In a learner-centered approach you begin your course design by conducting a learning needs resources assessment. Find out the pulse of you class. What energizes them, what their concerns, are what they believe will help them and what they will be bringing to the group.
The author quotes Dr. Jane Vella, for additional guidance on this process. In Learning to Listen Learning to Teach, Dr. Vella says, "ask, study and observe."

Ask
1. What previous experience have you had with the subject?
2. What do you believe you are good at?
3. What would be most helpful for you to learn to improve you skills in the subject
Study
-Who or what could you study to assess your learners' needs and resources?
- Examples might be, Research related to the field, recent evaluations
Observe
-Who or what can you observe so you know who they are?

Why make all this effort you may ask? According to Dr. Joyce Norris, It is your job to connect with you learners in a way that will engage them in learning. The learning design you offer should reflect what you asked, studied and observed so that it is relevant to your learners.

Reinforce the Learning

When learning is not reinforced it can be quickly lost! When you teach a subject you are giving students access to the subject's language.
Question 1: How do you reinforce the language of what you are teaching?

Some ideas suggested by the author include:

1. Closing to review information. This is the principle of recovery, people remember what comes at the end of a presentation.
2. Create a checklist of what you covered, ask students to mark what was clear and what they would like further clarification on. When the learners complete the checklist the learners share their results with a partner. The partner's help each other clarify the learning and also help each other learn.
3. Bridge forward: This concept helps learners take ideas into the future, by asking them how they can use this information in their work, daily life, ect.
4. You reinforce learning throughout your design when you engage learners in auditory, visual and kinesthetic ways. Information received throughout each modality is stored in a different part of the brain.

Open Questions: The Engines of Dialogue and The Power of Partnerships

• Closed questions are responded to with yes or no answers. Did you have any questions?
• Recall questions test memory. What is the capital of Colorado? Name two leadership theories discussed in chapter two.
• Phrases or open ended questions set thoughts in motion. They can not be answered with yes or no or a name or date. They demand the learners thoughts. Which leadership theory discussed in chapter two would be most successful with today's learners?

Effective teaching isn't about right or wrong answers. If the information is important teach it to your learners. Then ask them open questions about it.
Once you ask the question be sure to allow time for a response. One second is not enough time. Count to five and you will begin to get more answers to your questions.

Question 1: What types of open ended questions do you use in your teaching?

The power of partnerships addresses the value of placing people in partnerships. The learners benefit in 3 ways. The learners get to know each other, they can test their ideas with one person rather than the entire class. They usually create growing energy in the room.

Suggested Partnership Ideas
1. Quotes: Provide each group with a quote and ask them to talk about the quote. The quote should be related to the subject you are teaching. An example of a quote for an educators workshop is "Education is the the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
2. Partner Interview: Develop two or three questions for participants to ask a partner. The questions should be related to the topic you are teaching.
3. Sentence Completing: Ask the learners to complete a few simple sentences, then ask the learners to share their results with a partner. These questions should be related to the topic you are teaching
4. Partner Circle and Share: In groups of 8 or more form two circles, an inner and outer circle. Have the participants face each other. Give them an open question related to the class material being covered and have them respond with each other. You can play music while this is going on and when you stop the music it is time to change partners.

Questions 2. Can you think of situations in your teaching where the partnership ideas would be valuable to include?

Variety is the Spice of Teaching

We remember:
10% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% when a demo is added to telling
70% through a group activity
90 % by doing the real thing and talking about it
As more visual components are added learning goes up. As experience is added recall soars.
The traditional education practice of telling suits fewer than one fourth of us.
The 3 learning modalities include visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

Sixty percent of learners have a strong preference for learning by seeing. Twenty five percent of us have a strong kinesthetic preference. We like to get our hand on it and do it. Fifteen percent of us prefer learning by listening
.
Question one: What is your strongest learning modality hearing, seeing it or doing it?

"Your role as a teacher is to find as many ways as possible for your learners to show you how smart they are."
Joyce A. Norris, ED.D From Teaching to Telling

Question two: What is your primary method of instruction?
Question three: Does your primary teaching method suit your learners needs?

Next a rub to add spice to your food.
Jalapeno Rub
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3/4 to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon jalapeno powder

1. Combine above ingredients together.
2. Rub onto meat, chicken or fish 1 hour before grilling.
Enjoy the flavors.
I have used this rub on pork tenderloin, skirt steak, chicken and salmon.
It is great served with a mango salsa