Learner Centred Education (LCE) and the benefits of it.

 The fundemental principles at the heart of learner centred education (LCE) is the idea that students have rights, a voice and learning enhances their experiences and capabilites. It is about empowering students to take ownership of what they learn and not be passive learners. Teachers need to be the facilitators that guide and not just authoritarian figures that impart knowledge. 

Traditional pedagogies see the teacher as the centre of the classroom and learning. They often are overlaoding students with knowledge, much of which has little value in their daily lives.

There are 7 miniumum standards for learner centred education. They are:

1.  Lessons much be engaging - motivating the students to learn.

2. There must be a respect between the teachers and the students. No form of humiliation or punishments to degrade a student.

3. The lessons must be built upon prior knowldge and skills that the learners have. It must be at the appropriate standard and level of reach. 

4. Learners have the right to their opinion and there is a focus on dialogic teaching. 

5. Curriculum must be relevant to the learners present and future lives - meaniful to them in their private and social lives.

6. Curriculum and pedagogy embrace skills and attitude outcomes as well as the aquisition of knowledge. 

7. The assessment process must be meaningful so learning is improved by it.

Here are some of the ways that LCE can be brought into a learning environment:

* Collaborative group work - encourages discourse and sharing of opinions. Learners can benefit from each other and the discourse can lead to higher levels of thinking.

* Student choice - giving students the choice of 'how' they explore a subject, inquiry or task. When given the same task, 5 people could all choose a different way to approach it and all would be valid and acceptable.

* Do authenic tasks - by this I mean that they are relatable to the learner and 'real life'. It uses and builds upon skills and knowledge that the learner already has and is relevant to their everyday lives. 

Many studies have shown that when learners are engaged and involved in their learning (LCE), they become more active and motivated in what they do. This then leads to better outcomes and learners that enjoy and aquire skills relevant to their lives. For me it makes sense to give children an active role in their education. This way learning is not a chore, rather a life long adventure. 

I can't say I have met any child who enjoys merely learning from a text book and gaining knowledge from an authoirtarian figure. Sparks fly when children collaborate, think outside the box, discover, create, be critical and have agency in what they do. 

So when we want to see a change in attitudes towards learning. We need to put those who are learning at the centre of it.