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Education & Teaching vocabulary · Teaching Methods and Approaches

Student-centered learning

Meaning in education & teaching, with examples

nounCore term

In education & teaching, student-centered learning means: An approach in which students take an active role in their learning, for example by discussing, investigating and making choices, while the teacher guides rather than lectures.

In Turkish: öğrenci merkezli öğrenme, öğrenci merkezli eğitim

How it is used

A key phrase in curriculum documents, teacher training and job interviews. Its opposite is teacher-centered (or teacher-led) teaching. Learner-centered means the same and is common in language teaching.

Example sentences

  1. In student-centered learning, students often talk more than the teacher.

  2. The school wants to move towards more student-centered learning in science.

Common collocations

  • student-centered approach
  • student-centered classroom
  • move towards student-centered learning
  • learner-centered teaching
  • active learningLearning in which students do things and think about what they are doing, such as discussing, solving problems or explaining ideas, instead of only listening.
  • inquiry-based learningAn approach in which students learn by asking questions, investigating, gathering evidence and drawing their own conclusions, with the teacher guiding the process.
  • project-based learningAn approach in which students learn by working over an extended period on a real-world project or question and then present a final product to an audience.
  • pedagogyThe study and practice of how to teach, including the methods, strategies and beliefs about learning that shape what a teacher does in class.

More terms: Teaching Methods and Approaches

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