Do You Have a Student Centered Classroom?

One best practice to think about is having a student-centered classroom. With all of the 21st-century learning happening in your rooms, it is important to consider where you are with creating a classroom learning space that allows for students to have a voice, to interact frequently with other classmates, and to make choices about their learning.

Here are some questions for you to think about to see if you are providing a learning environment that is student-centered.

• Do you have ways that the students feel respected and feel part of the classroom?
• Do students have opportunities to make decisions in the classroom?
• Do they have choices with their learning?
• How often do you check for understanding with the students and adjust your instruction?
• How are your desks arranged? Do the students have multiple opportunities for students to share with other students?
• How much direct instruction are you giving versus facilitating their learning?

In a student-centered classroom it is important to allow your students to think, explore, try out, and practice new learning with some teacher directed instruction and coaching. Students tend to learn and retain more when they construct new meaning about novice concepts and topics independently, and when collaborating with others.

Think about your classroom. How student-centered is your classroom?