1. Student centered learning
Dr. Sherwan Rahman Sulaiman
MD MSc PhD
College of Medicine
Hawler Medical University

2. Learning Outcome
By the end of the lecture the participant must be able to:
Describe what is student centered learning and its benefits.
Be able to implement SCL in the class.

4. Student Centered Learning SCL
The shift from teachers teaching to students learning: more than semantics
Semantics:
the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. The two main areas are logical semantics, concerned with matters such as sense and reference and presupposition and implication, and lexical semantics, concerned with the analysis of word meanings and relations between them.

5. Why shift?
Need to produce students who are good critical thinkers, problem solvers, and creative
Explosion of information: need to make sense of it, not memorize it
Improve student engagement and ownership of learning

6. Indicators SCL CLASSICAL
Instructional methods include lecture, teacher led discussion, book work
Instructional methods include cooperative learning (working in groups), inquiry (hands on), debates and simulations
Instructional skills used include presenting, giving directions, demonstration by teacher
Instructional skills used include questioning, facilitating, monitoring

7. Indicators Teacher is the information provider/gatekeeper
Teacher is the guide, helping students to make meaning, anticipating and correcting misconceptions
Goal is to cover discrete set of content, knowledge, skills
Goal is student mastery/deep understanding of content, knowledge, skills

8. Indicators Room arrangement likely to be in rows with teacher in front
Room arrangement is likely to be flexible, tables, chairs moved to accommodate tasks
Conversation pattern likely to be teacher-student-teacher-student
Conversation pattern is teacher-student-student-student-teacher

9. Indicators
Whole group instruction: single form of delivery and assessment
Learning takes place in whole group and small, flexible work groups
Single anchor text
Multiple texts at various reading levels provided on the same topic or theme

10. Indicators Whole class assessment using a standard assessment tool
Multiple options for assessment, assessment until mastery
What else ?

12. Student-Centered Classrooms Focus on
What do we want students to know (deeply and forever) and be able to do?
How will we know when they know it? (assessment of mastery)
How will we respond when they don’t/can’t learn it? (interventions)
How will we respond when they already know it? (enrichment)

13. Implications for curriculum
Written by teachers
Based on State and National Standards
Coverage versus depth of concepts
Facts and trivia versus big ideas
Isolated command of content versus real world connections
Balance between content and skills

14. Shift in Role of Assessment
Did the students “get it”?
Did the teacher make good instructional choices?
Test at the end of learning: on to next topic
Test provides information to adjust teacher’s plan to assure learning for all

15. Shift in role of assessment
Instructional focus on exposure and/or coverage, teacher puts information out there, students responsible for learning it
Focus on students’ mastery, teacher makes adjustments and changes on the fly in response to student strengths and weaknesses, teacher responsibility for learning
Goal to cover everything, test everything
Teacher teaches key concepts deeply, assesses for main ideas

16. Importance of alignment
Curriculum aligned to standards
Teaching aligned to curriculum and student needs
Assessments accurately reflect student mastery
Student mastery of curriculum results in school improvement
Teacher Evaluation Plan and contract reflects district expectations
Staff development and resource allocation supports the instructional core

18. Questions ?
Do it …