Activities can be created based on the hats for groups or individuals. The students can choose different options depending on their ability. In this way a creative, yet dyslexia child, for example, can also be appreciated for their strengths. Grouping children and allowing them to choose from a range of activities and collaborate working towards their strengths and then teaching and supporting each other to learn and develop their weaker areas.

Think-pair-share is a technique that allows students to think independently, work together, and share their ideas. It’s broken into three steps:

Personalized learning is designed to meet each individual student’s needs. It is a fairly new technique that often takes place in flexible learning environments and incorporates technology in planning and implementation (Cavanagh, 2014). Tasks are often presented in “playlists,” and students are involved in their own assessment and lesson planning (Vargo, 2017). Technology can be used in researching, presenting, and keeping track of progress on the playlists of tasks, all while giving students agency to tailor their learning to their needs. Teachers use technology to monitor students' progress and alter learning plans as needed. The personalized learning approach also gives teachers more time and opportunity to address individual needs in person. While students are working on their lessons in class, teachers can circulate and give one-on-one attention to those who need it most.

 

There’s more to assessment than test scores. By assessing students’ passions, learning styles, success skills, and levels of rigor, teachers can create a student-centered classroom.
Assessment is key to creating a more student-centered classroom. Before proceeding, though, I want to clarify what I mean by assessment. I don't mean testing, nor do I mean grading. Unfortunately this term (as well as other terms like data-driven instruction) has been hijacked to mean more testing and knowing students only in terms of their test scores. We know this is unacceptable and does not meet the needs of all students.

Yes, data such as test scores can give us a window into better serving our students, but it's not the whole window. If we truly want to know our students, we must view them as a stained-glass window with test data as only one of many pieces. Assessment can allow us to know the whole child as we create a more student-centered classroom.

Collaborative learning. Retrieved Feb 8, 2023 from: https://tltc.umd.edu/instructors/resources/collaborative-learning

1. Write: Each student writes one (or two or 3) sentences about a given topic (or this could be an answer to a question) on a piece of paper.

2. Share: The paper is passed around to one group member at a time. Each group member responds in writing.

3. Summarize: When the original is returned, the student reads the comments from the group and shares what the collective sense of what was said in the group.

Brainpopeducation, Retrieved Feb 8, 2023 from  https://educators.brainpop.com/teaching-tip/roundtable-learning-strategy/

 

In most of the classes the students differ in following characteristics:
Readiness - Teacher can provide task or assignment of different difficulty level based on the proficiency level of the students. A series of worksheets and option to choose them can be offered to students. 
Interest - Learning process will fostered if students find it interesting. Therefore giving an option to master the skills leaned in the class is a good way make learning interesting. For example: running related lab work in science class, running projects in history and social studies class, learning about culture by music, art, visiting heritage places.
Learning Profile - Creating and offering flexible learning environment help in student learning process. Teaching using different audio- visual tools, offering alternating learning approaches like online resources. simulation work are some of the examples that can be adopted by teachers Differentiating instruction and teaching, each student will be more involved in learning and this helps in create a student centered classroom. 
http://teachnowaug15c2.pbworks.com/w/page/100864651/Student-centered%20approaches%20or%20techniques%20to%20address%20differentiation

Movement is a powerful teaching tool, and when we as teachers thoughtfully incorporate physical elements into instruction, we elevate the learning experience Inviting students to participate physically can feel like inviting classroom chaos, and it’s critical to recognize and respect that when teachers ask students to participate physically, we’re asking them to complete far more complex, demanding work than just sitting and listening. So how do you teach teachers to take this next step in building their practice? The answer lies in ensuring professional development engages teachers the way we expect them to engage their students — physically as well as intellectually
How Does Physical Movement Support Student-Centered Learning?
1- Kinesthetic Learning:
 In student-centered learning, students take an active role in their education. One aspect of this is learning how they like to learn, and how they learn best. Kinesthetic learners "demonstrate an aptitude for movement-based activities...tend to enjoy outdoor activities, [and] demonstrate a desire to figure out problems without instructions" (Chen, 2019). So, in student-centered learning, students can have the choice on how they learn, which can include physical movement.
2- Flexible Seating:
 In student centered learning, the traditional desk and chair set-up becomes an option, and not a mandatory environment. Flexible seating is commonly used in this learning approach. Flexible seating allows "students to sit wherever they want around the room in various types of seats from exercise balls to milk crates, to bean bag chairs " (Falcon, 2018). Flexible seating is a student-centered approach because it allows students a choice. With this seating arrangement, students are able to move and fidget, giving them added movement throughout the day. 
Techniques & Activities:

Below, you will find some activities and approaches that incorporate physical movement in student-centered learning.

-Movement During a Student Response: Instead of raising hands students use a different movement 

-Movement During Independent Work: Instead of expecting students to stay seated at their desk, allow them to move.

Example Activity: Incorporating Math and PE: Have students to a X amount of jumping jacks. Next, students measure their heart rate and then create graphs to display their results (Strauss, 2015).

-Movement During Group/Class Discussions: Instead of having students sit at their desks, allow students to get into groups and mingle. (Bielefeld, 2017)

· Establish a reading proficiency standard.

· Engage students in class reading for fundamentals, and always encourage students to ask questions and participate.

· Implement usage of a reading based learning app like Yiqizuoye into schoolwork for individualized tracking of reading development.

2. Personalization:

· Apply the flipped classroom model by having students complete reading assignments outside of class prior to classroom discussion of the content.

· Implement breakout stations in class where students choose to read subject material of their particular interests.

· Set aside approximately 20% of class time for “Genius Hour,” where students present stories of their own choosing to the class.

3. Anytime and Anywhere:

· Build an in-class library consisting of books donated by students and students can read these books on their own time. Place the student’s name onto each book so that they may have it returned at the end of the academic term.

· Facilitate student access to literary resources outside of class. Coordinate this with the parents of the students.

· Focus intersession break reading on the “Genius Hour” concept where students read books of their own choosing and present to the teacher and class through a social media channel or other tailored means when necessary.

4. Ownership:

· Conduct student surveys regularly, as gauged by the instructor, to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions on topics that relate to classroom learning.

· Introduce the concept of digital citizenship to students, and introduce reading material that supports good digital citizenship. This will guide students to become effective communicators on matters and opinions.

· Build trust with students and parents and very carefully protect that trust. With trust, people are most willing to share candid opinions.

See below posts for relevant resources.

Arranging seating that allows students to interact face-to-face, such as circular rows of seats, can promote cooperation and communication among students. 

-       Decoration of the classroom

We should create a warm, friendly classroom community where any student is comfortable and willing to speak their mind. We can decorate our classrooms with student artwork, and student artifacts to give students a sense of belonging.

-       Class Protocol

Teachers and students work together to set the class rules about what is expected in the classroom.

-       Create a peace corner

Collaboration and communication are essential in the classroom, but sometimes students also need solitude to recharge and reflect.

-       Set up events where students are free to talk about their thoughts

The classroom environment should make students feel comfortable and students are encouraged to express themselves without worries. Teachers can select a topic, set up a class meeting, and encourage every student to speak their feelings.

-       Technology

Technology can play a big role in both learning and assessment. First of all using technology in the classroom, such as videos, and pictures, which can help students understand better visually. Students can also use technology for self-study, and they can learn at their own pace and can repeat the learning at any time. Technology also increases the variety of student assignments, such as doing presentations and making videos. In terms of assessment, technology is available in the form of online tests (Quizizz: https://quizizz.com) and online questionnaires (QuestionPro: https://www.questionpro.com), which provide teachers with easy access to feedback.

 

Person. (2022, July 21). How to set up a learner-centered classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-set-learner-centered-classroom/ 

rnryan12. (2014, May 5). Setting the stage for Success. EDU 673: Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://rachelleryan12.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/setting-the-stage-for-success/ 

Saxena, S. (2013, November 6). Using technology to create student-centered learning environment. EdTechReview. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/using-technology-for-student-centered-learning-environment/ 

 

 

The physical position of students is important to consider. Whilst we should allow students some freedom for their own seating arrangements, it’s important to consider:

 

·       Do students have access to others in their desk space? 

·       How are desks arranged?

·       Do they multiple opportunities each week to share with fellow classmates and to share with a variety of classmates? 

 

R.Alber (2015) asks these questions. Cooperative learning and sharing ideas are key factors of SCL and must be implemented. 

 

A collaborative classroom also helps students grow their social skills. S.Rajgarhia (2019) notes how  collaborating students gain “an appreciation for the diversity that exists in our schools and communities. They are also learning to have respect for what may sometimes be very differing points of view.” Understanding diversity in our world is another key factor of SCL and a peer system can grow student ideas compared to a peerless classroom. 

 

The availability of the teacher to students to help or engage with discussion is important. Also is the teacher being aware of how much actual “air time” they have in each class with direct instruction (R.Abler, 2015). Too much instruction could lead to teacher-centered learning, which is not conducive to SCL.  

 

Creating multiple learning stations to satisfy multiple learning styles. Giving students multiple options in how they can differentiate a task towards their own preferences enables SCL, i.e. writing an essay, computer research, designing a poster. 

 

References:

 

R.Alber, 2015, ‘How student centered is your classroom?’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/18, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-student-centered-your-classroom-rebecca-alber

 

S.Rajgarhia, 2019, ‘7 ways to create a student centered classroom, Hindustan Times, accessed 22/02/18, https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/7-ways-to-create-a-student-centered-classroom/story-tdXg0obXV5ixsaSx7ZeubN.html

 

Cambridge Dictionary – Conducive, accessed 22/02/18, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/conducive

 

Creating an open discussion forum – either for a group or solo student – to confirm or reaffirm what students are learning and why is important to educators. Meetings to discuss learning goals help all parties understand their ideas and views on reaching targets. Openness about favorite parts of subjects or learning points and real world application contributes to a good, collective class environment. M.Sundaram (2021) muses “A positive, open environment is crucial in helping your students to be comfortable enough to share their thoughts and concerns.” An example would be to find out how students are feeling towards a subject across the school year – what changes? Why do they have a different opinion? Why do they have a positive or negative reaction to starting a subject? 

 

Bulletin boards can fill spaces on empty classroom walls and display students’ classwork that they are proud of. It can unlock students’ want to express themselves without the shame of doing it in front of others (M.Sundaram (2021)). Students can post their work in a place which encourages expression and also enable opportunities to work together. 

 

Community agreements is a good way to establish collaboration early on between the students, the teacher and the classroom. “Deciding on group norms, or agreements, right from the get-go will give each student a voice and provide accountability for all” states R.Alber (2017). E.g. a poster of the shared agreements can be displayed and called attention to when a student or a group need a reminder. Alber notes that accountability is an important factor in group working agreements. E.g. for a child to be successful in a collaboration task, they must be successful in fulfilling the roleplay arranged by the teacher. 

 

References:

 

V.Pota, ‘Future of the classroom – emerging trends in K-12 education: Global edition’, Google for Education, accessed 22/02/20, https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/future_of_the_classroom_emerging_trends_in_k12_education.pdf?utm_source=web&utm_campaign=FY19-Q2-global-demandgen-website-other-futureoftheclassroom 

 

M.Sundaram (2021), ‘7 ways to create a collaborative classroom’, Pulse accessed on Linkedin, accessed on 22/02/20, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ways-create-collaborative-classroom-manoj-sundaram/

 

R.Alber (2017), ‘Deeper learning: a collaborative classroom is key’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber

 

A.Miller (2005) summarizes four factors which can be used as assessment for SCL:

 

·       Assessing student passions and learning styles

·       Assessing 21^st century/success skills

·       Assessing for instruction

·       Formative assessment of content and skills

 

Miller states how “students have come with powerful experiences that have driven their lives” into the classroom. We can find out through conversations and student’s portfolios about their favourite things, hobbies and memories. Through this variety, we can differentiate in class, focus our students’ strengths and identify new ways to learn for them to enhance their student-centered learning. 

 

Assessing students for modern skills, such as collaboration and global empathy, can provide experiences and instructions that foster and grow 21^st century and success skills in students. Teacher assessment tools such as rubrics can guide students to know success skills look, sound and feel like and supporting themselves in finding their needs individually. 

 

Instead of analyzing test data in the sense of grading, we can repurpose them to low-stakes formative assessments to assess students’ content knowledge and skills. We can learn which skills and concepts individual students have mastered and what needs to be retaught or refreshed. S.Page (2017) notes “students also seeing this assessment data can see their own strengths and weaknesses” and focus where they can function in a collaborative learning experience with other students. Similarly, B.Green (2021) tells us how Snapshot assessments empowers learners when students “demonstrates learning and growth areas in multiple ways throughout a process teachers and students gather information about what learners can do next.”

 

This leads into instruction and how we move into creating learning activities that individual students need. It can be whole-group, small-group or individual aimed. It can aimed towards skills or concepts. The key purpose is provide a life for the purposes of the right instruction at the right time to students. 

 

Implementing assessment to discover students’ likes/dislikes and learning styles, their current skills, mastery/reevaluation of skills and the ability to deliver the right instruction at the right time can enhance any student-centered learning environment. 

 

References:

 

A.Miller (2015), ‘Using assessment to create student-centered learning’, Edutopia, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller

 

S.Page (2017), ‘How assessments enable student centered learning’, McGraw Hill PreK-12 Youtube, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtd5VOYvzv8

 

B.Green (2021), ‘Three quick wins: Student-centered assessment strategies’, Global Online Academy, Accessed: 22/02/17, https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/three-quick-wins-student-centered-assessment-strategies

 

Project based learning has a big emphasis on being student centered and provides multiple uses of differentiation. A common example can be in literacy projects to group students by their level of reading. From there, teachers can give more time with groups that need intensive and ensure they are getting the instruction they need (A.Miller, 2016).  

 

Some examples for reasons for grouping can be:

 

·         Academic ability

·         Collaboration skills

·         Social-emotional purposes

·         Passions

 

Learning centers around classroom provide students with differentiated instruction. Students have various learning styles catered for with a variety of resources from which to learn (i.e. videos, games, reading). Student-centered learning puts ownership of learning to the student themselves and they decide how they want to learn. Through alternatives of different approaches, students take what is to their passions and how they want to learn to succeed. 

 

Assessments can be differentiated when it is student centered. A.Miller (2016) notes how students can show what they’ve learned in different ways. As teachers, as we check for understanding, we can assess in different ways students have understood learning points. Teachers can assess students through speaking, writing and portfolio work for the same topic.  

 

Differentiated content appeals to students directly. For example, in a reading activity, by raising or lowering the reading level and/or providing more visualizations, it is tailored to individual needs of students (S.Farnsworth, 2018). It can still be about the same topic but as long as the content is differentiated, it drives student centered learning more. 

 

Thanks to differentiation, students with special needs academic and non-academic abilities develop rapidly if the school organizes differentiated learning, according to M.Marlina, E.Efrina & G.Kusumastuti (2019). Curriculum modification by teachers to appropriate the conditions of the disability can empower students to have student centered learning, i.e. adjusting text sizes can enable students with sight issues to also participate with cohorts. 

 

References:

 

A.Miller, 2016, ‘6 strategies for differentiated instruction in project-based learning’, Edutopia, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-pbl-andrew-miller

 

M.Marlina, E.Efrina & G.Kusumastuti, 2019, ‘Differentiated learning for students with special needs in inclusive schools’, research paper accessed on Research Gate, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338246068_Differentiated_Learning_for_Students_with_Special_Needs_in_Inclusive_Schools

 

‘Differentiation of instruction: easy ideas for the 21^st century classroom’, Student Centered World, accessed 22/02/20, https://www.studentcenteredworld.com/differentiation-of-instruction/

 

S.Farnsworth, 2018, ‘4 EdTech ways to differentiate in a student-centered classroom’, Shaelynn Farnsworth.com, accessed 22/02/20, https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2018/02/05/4-edtech-ways-to-differentiate-in-a-student-centered-classroom/

 

Teachers can use saturation by encouraging students to read for pleasure as well as for information. Also, teachers can provide a variety of texts for students to read – e.g. books, textbooks, magazines, comic books, plays, poems. (F.Acquavita, 1978)

 

Promoting students to ask purposeful questions before, during and after reading so they can determine and/or further understand texts. Students can use prior knowledge and text clues to predict what will happen next in the text. 

 

Similarly, students with prior knowledge and schema (‘a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information’, K. Cherry (2019)) will be able to understand texts easier. A strategy to build is ‘What I know, what I want to know and what I learned (KWL)’ (H. Mansaray, 2013). This method is useful for enabling students whilst reading to make connections from texts to their own experiences, world knowledge and other texts. 

 

A more advanced technique would be encouraging students to infer. Inferring would be when students use text clues and prior knowledge to draw conclusions about past and present events. H.Mansaray (2013) notes that ‘examining author styles and use of language through literal and figurative analysis’ can infer meanings from texts.  

 

Summarizing is another advanced technique. For students, they need to separate the important parts of the text and summarize the message, important details, themes and ideas of texts. This technique needs monitoring as students can be overly competitive to finish stories for awards for example and their mastery skill for summarizing can suffer. (L.Davis, 2010)

 

Similar to questioning, developed readers can use their instincts to weigh and evaluate before, during and after their reading experience. They evaluate whether they enjoyed the text and their own reading development. As part of a reflection, this technique allows students to review lesson objectives, if they met them, what worked and what did not work. As part of group/roundtable discussion, B.Lom (2012) notes how a reflection only reflects how only one student is feeling about a text, however it does open the opportunity for other approaches and techniques from other students, i.e. summarizing, connections to texts. 

 

References:

 

H.Mansaray (2013), ‘Nine strategies for reaching all learners in English language arts’, Edutopia, Accessed: 22/2/17, https://www.edutopia.org/blog/stw-expanded-learning-time-individualized-learning-hassan-mansaray

F. Acquavita (1978), ‘A language arts program with a student-centered approach’, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, Accessed 22/02/17, https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1978/1/78.01.01.x.html

L.Davis (2010), ‘Toward a lifetime of literacy: The effect of student-centered and skills-based reading instruction on the experiences of children’, Accessed on Semantics Scholar on 22/02/17, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Toward-a-Lifetime-of-Literacy%3A-The-Effect-of-and-on-Davis/f92ea7dca3cbcbcffbebb50989edcdb80f5f760f

B.Hom (2012), ‘Classroom activities: Simple strategies to incorporate student-centered activities’, Journal Of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, retrieved from US National Library of Medicine, Accessed 22/02/17, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3592730/

K.Cherry (2019), ‘The role of a schema in Psychology’, Very Well Mind, Accessed 22/2/17, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873

Differentiated instruction is a way to address student needs with different types of materials, while UDL is a framework for designing those materials such that they are usable by all learners to the greatest extent possible.

Both UDL and differentiated instruction are effective methods that teachers use to bring out the potential in their diverse student populations. UDL uses brain science to help make sure that materials are more likely to be understood by all students. Differentiated instruction is an instructional strategy to help teachers figure out what materials and strategies best support different students so that students have what they need to succeed.