Toward Learner-Centered Teaching

Through the past several years, the emphasis in education has shifted from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach. Traditional teaching has too often been based on a passive lecture model, dependent on an expert teacher who funnels knowledge into the somewhat retentive minds of students. More current learning theory suggests a different role for teachers—that of facilitators. Based on research about how people learn, this article advocates that teachers use more active, inductive instruction in the classroom and demonstrates a student-centered approach using classroom examples implemented in a required, college-level business communication course.