STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING

Back to Basics Workshops - Panamá Bilingüe Program September 18-22 , 2017

Maria Dantas-Whitney, Ph.D. Western Oregon University

dantasm@wou.edu

Plans for Today

¨  Ice-breaker ¨  Principles of Language Learning ¨  Student-centered Classroom Practices

¨  Planning Student-centered Language Tasks

¨  Experiencing a Model Task

Contextualization Collaboration Critical Thinking

Into Through Beyond

Ice-breaker: Your Language Learning Autobiography

Reflect on your experiences learning English…. ¨  What types of class activities were common in your

educational experience? ¤ most favorite/helpful activities… Why? ¤  least favorite/least helpful activities… Why?

¨  How did you develop your English in the different skill areas (speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, pronunciation) ¤ which skills were easy for you? Why? ¤ which skills were more challenging? Why?

Game: Two facts and a lie

¨  Write three sentences related to your language learning autobiography on a piece of paper: ¤  two true statements (facts) ¤  one false statement (lie)

¨  In your table groups, one by one, introduce yourselves and say your three sentences

¨  The rest of the group has to guess which one is the lie

In the beginning, I could understand people (listening), but sometimes I had trouble speaking and expressing my ideas

I felt anxious when the teacher asked me to give presentations without much time to prepare

My favorite type of activity was memorizing verb conjugations

Views of Language Learning

•  Language acquisition as a cognitive and individual phenomenon

•  Language is a collection of forms and an object of analysis apart from contexts

•  Language is a carrier or conduit of knowledge

•  Emphasis on acquisition of grammar rules and vocabulary

•  Language acquisition as a social phenomenon that is shaped by our interactions and experiences

•  Language is a social practice (not something we have, but something we do)

•  The sociocultural context is the source of mental development

•  Emphasis on how people use language in particular situations

Classroom Environments

•  Curriculum is presented part to whole, with emphasis on basic skills

•  Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued

•  Activities rely heavily on textbooks and worksheets

•  Learners are “empty vessels”

•  Teachers transmit skills or knowledge

•  Curriculum is presented whole to part with emphasis on big concepts

•  Pursuit of student interests is highly valued

•  Activities rely mostly on authentic materials, physical action, mutimodalities

•  Learners are perceived as active builders of their own knowledge

•  Teachers facilitate experiences for learning that take place between individuals

Classroom Environments, cont.

•  Teacher-centered classes •  Teachers correct

answers to validate student learning

•  Assessment of learning is viewed as separate from teaching

•  Students primarily work alone

•  Student-centered classes •  Teachers seek to

understand students’ experiences and background knowledge to create relevant lessons

•  On-going assessment while teaching

•  Students primarily work in groups

Characteristics of Student-centered Learning

¨  Students play an active role in their own learning

¨  Students take more responsibility and work independently

¨  Students learn how to express personal opinions and feelings

¨  Students work cooperatively with others

¨  Students learn skills of self-evaluation

¨  Students acquire life-long learning skills

https://www.slideshare.net/ncureton/student-centered-learning-and-technology

Four Zones of Teaching and Learning (Gibbons, 2015)

Learning/ Engagement Zone

Frustration/ Anxiety Zone

Comfort Zone

Boredom Zone

“Construc*onzone”“Zoneofproximaldevelopment”

HighChallenge

LowSupportHighSupport

LowChallenge

Scaffolding Temporary help for learners to complete a task until they can perform independently

Contextualization

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Contextualization

¨  Help learners access experiences and background knowledge

¨  Utilize students’ interests and passions

¨  Use non-linguistic resources to help comprehension (pictures, gestures, objects, music)

¨  Model and demonstrate activities

¨  Tap into the local culture. Provide opportunities to use English out of class

Contextualization: Classroom Examples

art projects

songs and physical action holiday celebrations

visuals

gallery walk

KWL chart

Contextualization: Classroom Examples

microscopic

miniscule

tiny

small

Video (Vocabulary Role Play)

How is contextualization achieved in this classroom?

Student-centered Classroom Practices

Contextualization

Collaboration

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

¨  Use group activities to increase verbal interaction (Pairs, small groups, large groups)

¨  Principles of Cooperative Learning (Kagan, 1995):

¨  Anxiety is lowered, students are more willing to participate and take risks. Motivation, confidence, and fun are increased.

POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE ¤  Group members need/help each other to complete task

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY ¤  Each group member responsible for learning and sharing

EQUAL PARTICIPATION ¤  Each group member has equal speaking time/opportunity

SIMULTANEOUS INTERACTION ¤  Many students interacting at once = higher efficiency

Collaboration: Classroom Examples

Inside/Outside Circle – Lines of Communication Talking Stick – Talking Chips Information Gap Think-Pair-Share Interviews

Think about the following routines. Can you identify them?

Inside/Outside Circles Lines of Communication (Speed Dating)

1.  Blue partner speaks (time limit) 2.  Red partner speaks (same limit) 3.  One circle or line rotates.

4.  New partners! 5.  Repeat steps 1-3

Learners tell the same story/report/opinion/idea/etc. several times to several partners

Interview Grids

Information Gap Activity

A B

Now You Do It: Information Gap Activity

¨  Get together in pairs ¨  Decide who is Student A and Student B ¨  Look at your picture only. Do not show your picture to

your partner ¨  Take turns asking and answering questions:

Where is the ____? The ___ is ___ the ____.

¨  Draw a picture of each object in the place indicated by your partner

¨  Do not show your picture to your partner until the end!!

Critical Thinking

¨  Language is a tool that mediates cognitively complex activities

explaining & describing

predicting

comparing/contrasting

cause & effect

problem/solution

classifying

Critical Thinking: Classroom Examples

note-taking with graphic organizers

sorting and categorizing with realia

Guided questions, observation, analysis

Graphic Organizers (or Concept Maps)

word web

Venn diagram

T-chart

Frayer model

Critical Thinking: Classroom Examples

experiments and investigations

environmental print activities

language play

Now You Do It: Using Graphic Organizers (Grabe, 2008)

¨  In your binders, find the text about Jet lag: “Flying High, but Feeling Low”

¨  Read paragraph 1 and find the definition of Jet lag

¨  Look at the next page and complete the first graphic organizer (Definition)

¨  Get together with a partner. Choose another graphic organizer to work with: ¤  Cause-effect (paragraph 1)

¤  Comparison-contrast (paragraph 2)

¤  Comparison-contrast (paragraph 3)

¤  Problem-solution (paragraph 4)

¨  In pairs, read your paragraph and complete your graphic organizer

http://community.wvu.edu/~xj002 http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/graphicorganizers/index.html

Defining Jet lag Paragraph 1

Jet lag people suffer when flying cross time zones

problem is a that

The Jet Lag Problem Paragraph 1

Jet lag (flying cross time zones)

1. Makes a person tired and confused

2. Causes headaches

3. Causes poor sleep and appetite

Cause Effect

tired feeling bad 1. tired even after

sleeping 2. confused 3. poor sleep and

poor appetite 4. headaches

1. tired but feel better after

2. thirst and motion sickness

3. occurs in-flight 4. disappears after

good rest

Comparison

Contrast

Jet lag Flying stress

Comparing Jet Lag and Flying Stress Paragraph 2

1. more time zones crossed 2. flying east 3. “morning” people 4. introverted 5. rigid people 6. older people 7. ill people

1. fewer time zones crossed 2. flying west 3. “night” people 4. extroverted 5. flexible people 6. younger people 7. healthy people

Contrast

More affected Less affected

Comparing Jet Lag Impact on People Paragraph 3

1. Drink fluids 2. Wear comfortable clothes 3. Move around every hour 4. Special diets 5. Books for advice 6. Anti-jetlag products

Jet lag (its symptoms)

Problem Solution

Jet Lag Solutions Paragraph 4

Planning Student-centered Language Tasks

Into Through Beyond

Pre-activity Phase

During-activity Phase

Post-activity Phase

Before During After

Into (Before the activity) Purposes: ¨  Activating and

building background knowledge

¨  Establishing a purpose and motivating students for the task

¨  Pre-teaching essential vocabulary and concepts

predicting (e.g., from title)

previewing questions and discussion

Into (Pre-activity Phase)

flashcards

visuals and realia

Purposes: ¨  Facilitate language comprehension and production ¨  Monitoring/Self-assessment

Through (During the activity)

draw order pictures

check comprehension

note-taking with graphic organizers sound on/sound off

Through (During-activity Phase)

Purposes: ¨  Extend understanding, deepen learning of content ¨  Make connections to related activities and skills

Beyond (After the activity)

role plays debates discussions presentations

summaries rewrite content from different perspectives letters

Beyond (Post-activity Phase)

games

create an ad

research project

drama performance

create a video or a multimedia presentation

Beyond (Post-activity Phase)

1.  Discuss with your partner: We will watch a clip of a movie entitled “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” What do you think the movie will be about?

2.  Sit with your partner back-to-back. One person

can see the screen and the other can’t. You will watch the clip with the sound off. The person who can see the TV describes the images.

Examining a Model Task

¨  Watch the clip again with sound and discuss: ¤ Did your descriptions match what you heard? ¤ Predict: What will happen next?

¨  After watching the clip, check your predictions

Discussion & Predictions

Mom: Ferris! Ferris? Tod! Dad: What’s the ___________________? Mom: Oh, it’s Ferris! Dad: What? What’s ______________________? Mom: What’s wrong? For Christ’s sake, look at _____________, honey! Dad: Ferris? Mom: He doesn’t have a ________________, but he says his _________________ hurts, and he is seeing spots. Dad: _________________ the matter, Ferris? Ferris: Papa? Mom: Honey, feel his _______________. They’re ___________________ and clammy! Dad: Oh! Ferris: I’m ____________________. I’ll get up. Mom: No! Ferris: I have a ____________________ today. Mom: No! Ferris: I have to _________________ it. I want to do to a good ___________________ so I can have a fruitful ________________! Mom: Honey, you’re not going to ____________________ like this now!

Cloze Exercise (in groups)

Describing the Characters (in groups) Describing the Characters

Ferris

Parents

Sister

Writing a Note

¨  Choose one of the characters (Ferris, Sister, Mom, Dad). ¨  Imagine that you are this character. ¨  Write a short note to a friend describing what

happened this morning from your point of view.

Debriefing

•  Think back on the model task you’ve just experienced.

•  Discuss: •  Which activities did you do for each phase (Into,

Through, Beyond)? •  Which principles of student-centered learning do these

activities reflect (Contextualization, Collaboration, Critical Thinking)

Tasks Principles of Student-centered learning

Into (Before the video)

Title discussion

Information gap

(Sound off)

Predictions

Contextualization, critical thinking Collaboration, critical thinking Critical thinking

Through (During the video)

Check predictions

Cloze exercise

Critical thinking Contextualization, Collaboration

Beyond (After the video)

Describing the

characters

Writing a Note

Critical thinking, collaboration Contextualization, Critical thinking

Exit Ticket

3-2-1 Review

•  3 things I learned today are: 1.  _________________________ 2.  _________________________ 3.  _________________________

•  2 words I want to remember are: 1.  _________________________ 2.  _________________________

•  1 thing I found very interesting is: 1.  _________________________

3-2-1 Review