Student Learning: Process vs. Product

Traditionally, students learn in a teacher-centered classroom, where the focus is solely on the teacher as opposed to a student-centered classroom where students and teachers share the focus. Recently, the debate of teacher-centered versus student-centered has come to the forefront of education. Teachers are always looking for ways to engage students in the learning process and several studies designed around student-centered teaching have indicated that student engagement and achievement increases when students and teachers share the focus in the classroom. During my student teaching experience in a fifth-grade classroom, I observed that many students were not actively engaged in the learning process. Majority of my students completed tasks with minimal effort when asked to demonstrate a specific skill, especially in mathematics. I implemented student-centered lessons in hopes of increasing student engagement. With these lessons, it is expected that students demonstrate responsibility for their learning as they work with peers and teachers to actively engage in the learning process.