When you think about the future, what do you see? If you’re like us, it probably looks very different than today. That’s because change is hard to come by—and even harder regarding education. But some strategies and solutions can help make student-centered learning easier to implement in your school. In this post, we’ll look at some of the biggest challenges and barriers in implementing student centered learning (SCL) in your classroom and how to overcome them!
Define your objectives.
Defining your objectives is one of the most important steps in planning for student-centered learning. Without clearly defined goals, it can be difficult to determine if you are progressing toward your vision and improving student outcomes.
Defining objectives will help you answer questions such as:
- What do I want my students to learn?
- How will I know when they have learned it?
- What should the teacher do differently to support this new approach?
A well-defined objective should be specific enough to be measured objectively but not so specific that it limits creativity or flexibility within the classroom environment.
Understand the need of the learners in student centered learning
To implement a student-centered learning environment, you need to understand the needs of all stakeholders. This means understanding the learners, parents, staff, community, and school board members.
By understanding the needs of all stakeholders, you can work towards creating a learning environment that truly meets the needs of each group. For example, suppose parents are concerned about students’ academic performance and want to see improvements in their children’s grades. In that case, you should consider this when developing a curriculum for the year.
Identify the barriers and how to overcome them.
Identifying the barriers to implementing student-centered learning is the first step in overcoming them. Once you know what’s holding you back, it will be easier to determine which barriers are the most important and how best to overcome them. To help with this process, consider the following questions:
- What resources do I need?
- How can I get those resources?
- Who else will be involved in carrying out this action plan?
Build an action plan for change.
The first step in creating a change plan is to define the problem. You must know what you want to change and why it’s important. The second step is setting goals for yourself. These should be specific, measurable and attainable–but also ambitious enough that they’ll push your limits and force you out of your comfort zone!
Communicate with parents, students, and staff.
Communication is one of the most important aspects of student centered learning. The more effectively you communicate with parents, students, and staff, the better off everyone will be. Here are some tips on how to communicate effectively:
- Have regular meetings with parents so that they know what’s happening in class and why it matters for their child’s success. Share progress reports regularly or have an open house where students can meet their teachers and ask questions about the curriculum or assignments.
- Make sure students know how they can reach out if they have questions about anything related to schoolwork or homework assignments; this includes asking questions related to technology use policies (such as when it’s appropriate/not appropriate) as well as technical issues like accessing content online through school networks versus personal devices outside of school hours. Encourage student participation by soliciting feedback from them during these meetings too!
After reading this article, you may feel a little overwhelmed by everything you need to do. But don’t worry! Remember that change is hard and takes time, but once you’ve implemented your plan and seen some results, it will be worth all of your efforts. If you want help, you can always try creating your course with Wise, which offers a proper structure that makes it easier to implement and work with an SCL approach. Most importantly, you keep working towards your ideal student centered learning model, no matter what challenges come along the way; we believe in you!
