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Home > Workshops and Classes > Teacher Training > The Learner-Centered Teaching Series > The Learner-Centered Classroom: An Overview > The Balance of Power

The Balance of Power

• Students have input into selection of textbook--for example, teacher selects five possibilities from which a group of students makes a recommendation.
• Students decide which assignments they will complete--teacher may make some mandatory, provides specifics about the assignments, including due dates.
• Students set due dates and deadlines for major group projects. Students identify the major steps that need to be completed and when they need to be done in order to complete the assignment. They also include the parts of the assignment about which they would like formal feedback with associated dates. Students identify penalties if deadlines are missed.
• Students, at first working in small groups, establish participation policy for the course.
• Students determine the content of the review sessions--topics and specific questions.
• Teacher does not lecture on content covered in the text--uses class as a discussion section.
• Students make significant decisions about what content will be covered in the class--teacher provides a list of possible topics from which students select.
• Students write a short paper at the beginning of the term/semester outlining why they are taking the course and what they want to learn and the content that might help them accomplish these learning goals. Share in small groups and then prioritize a list of topics.
• Students have input into entire syllabus. Students interview each other about what they want to learn and teacher puts that information on the board/newsprint. Teacher brings a DRAFT syllabus to the class and distributes. Given all this, how should the course be revised?
• Students develop a plan for studying for the upcoming exam--with a time-line and list of activities.
• Students grade each other's work using templates.

  (Weimer, 2002)

 

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