Importance of Student-Centered Instruction

Mamchur's Factors for Reliable Assessment

Mamchur (1981) suggests that instructors should concentrate three factors (student input, environment, and outcome) to make a reliable assessment. Unfortunately, the author points out that many teachers tend to focus on the curriculum and pay little or no attention to the students and the learning environment. These two factors are equally critical to the learning process. This article stresses that besides the curriculum, instructors should also pay significant attention to the students who constitute the classes and those who strive to make sure that the learning context if promoting student-centered learning. Mamchur (1981) suggests that teachers should attempt to demonstrate open-mindedness in a learning environment and exhibit the enthusiasm to continue learning throughout their lifetime. The author asserts that instructors should exploit every opportunity a hand to teach not only in the classroom but outside as well. The writer reiterates that teachers need to ensure that the learning incorporates real-life situations to cultivate and enhance student engagement and motivation in learning.

Teacher Input

Teaching is a two-way, mutual learning process in which both the teacher and the students learn from each other. In light of the student’s learning experience, she enrolled in the classroom environment with some skill and ability which represent my input. The learner brought to the class excellent writing skills which the professor quickly realized and sought to help the student improve the skills by providing her a better environment. This input can be clearly depicted from the student’s description of the relationship of the women in her story. As Mamchur (1981) asserts, students do not come to class as blank slates, rather they always have some knowledge they have acquired in the experiences prior to the learning situation. The student-centered instruction does leverage this past experience to foster learning and understanding by linking it to the new content. Besides that, active engagement in the learning experience constitutes another important input that I came to the lesson with. The students collaborated actively with the professor in her learning process

Environment

Mamchur (1981) points out the program or learning environment, which encompasses the course, assignments, lectures, and other opportunities for learning is critical to reliable assessment. In light of this perspective, the student had to spend more time writing stories to hone her writing skills. The student never thought that she might someday actually publish her own stories. With full knowledge of the importance and impact of the environment on learning, the professor asked the student to drop the 100 level classes the learner had signed up for. The instructor created a new context and gave the student some constructive feedback on her writing. These activities made the instruction student-centered. Being open-minded allowed the professor to actively engage and motivate the student to learn (Mamchur, 1981).

Outcome

The excellent ability to write stories and even publish them was the major outcome of the student-focused learning environment. The most logical explanation for this result is the professor’s belief in the student’s writing process. The instructor allowed the learner more access to great opportunities and enriching learning experiences that helped her advance her writing skills. Providing a supportive and productive learning environment not only encourages students to actively engage in the learning but also improve their comprehension of the subject matter and transfer of the acquired knowledge to real-world situations. Teachers who adopt such a holistic and comprehensive approach that factors in both the student’s input, the learning environment, and the outcome can result in a more reliable assessment.

References

Mamchur, C. (1981). Magic. Educational Leadership, 39(2), 152–153.