Reviews for Learning

The average rating for Learning based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-08-25 00:00:00 Richard Rogers The first edition of Maryellen Weimer's Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice is a classic. Her second edition expands and improves on the first: my copy doesn't just have underlining and comments, but also notes on front and back endpapers to remind myself of what I'd like to think about in my next iteration of my courses. Weimer says the label learner-centered teaching "keeps us focused on what this way of teaching is about" (p. vii). Such teaching is not easy - it requires both student and teacher to step out of their comfort zone - but it can be rewarding. I spent my senior year of high school in a program called the Center for Self-directed Learning, so this approach is in my bones (at least for myself). Nonetheless, when I started teaching, I was at about a 1.5 on a 5-point scale of learnercenteredness (with 5 being very learnercentered). Right now I'm probably about a 4, being more learnercentered in my upper-level courses and less in lower-level classes. I have been taking small steps toward more learnercenteredness over a long period. Most of the time these steps have worked well, although at other times my attempts flopped for what I've come to see as predictable reasons. One of the barriers that I face to being successfully learnercentered is that I assume/hope that my students will be as prepared and excited as I like to believe I would be. (Of course, I was a less confident learner in college than I would like to think I was.) Because I assume/hope they will be prepared and excited, I underprepare to pull their passion. I also don't trust my students sufficiently and like performing too much. I like making my students think, but I also like making them smile. Weimer responds to these and other issues. She provides a variety of strategies that can be easily used in other courses and programs of study. She responds to the questions and barriers that may interfere with faculty being more learnercentered. This is a rich text that can bear reading and rereading.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-26 00:00:00 Carl Sutherland # 533662 This was an incredibly thought-provoking book for instructors in higher education. I think that most of us begin teaching in the traditional lecture style. As we mature as instructors, there is a tendency to venture out of that traditional framework in order to explore techniques that are impactful in the classroom. Weimer presents an alternative organizational framework for college courses that empowers students to control their learning experiences. She highlights five critical areas of change that must be addressed to move from a teacher-centered (traditional lecture-style) classroom to a learner-centered: (1) the balance of power within the classroom, (2) the function of the course content, (3) what the role of the teacher is and should be, (4) student and faculty perceptions on the responsibility for learning, and (5) the purpose of evaluation, including questioning the processes by which students should be evaluated. Each of these areas has a dedicated chapter in which empirical findings are presented. Additionally, Weimer shares many of her own experiences in the classroom. What is most useful about this book is the practical advice that accompanies the message for change. After reading this book, I felt as if I could make significant, impactful changes in my classroom based on the specific suggestions and examples provided throughout the book. I highly recommend this book!