ROLE OF ICT IN LEARNER-CENTERED EDUCATION (LCE)

A.S.Arul Lawrence and 2T.Deepa

Introduction The Learner-Centered Education (LCE) focuses on both teachers and learners experiences. It helps to motivate teaching, learning and its achievement. ICT can be exploited to enhance the integration of the learning centered principles by supporting the learners and teachers need and capabilities while promoting creative and critical thinking. Teachers must advance in their methods of instruction and knowledge of technology to support the individual learner in learner-centered frame work. Informed educators are rapidly adopting Learner-Centered Education for the classes they teach because the students are benefiting in a number of ways: students are more actively engaged with the subject, they are more motivated as learners, and they learn more skills, including discipline knowledge and collaborative and communication skills. Faculties who employ LCE interact more closely and richly with their students, thereby developing a clearer picture of student understanding. Faculty guidance and feedback to students is thus better informed and more appropriately aimed. There is little question among informed educators that getting students actively engaged in a well-designed LCE classroom environment facilitates learning better than do teacher-centered classrooms. Importance Learner-Centered Education Learner-centered education places the focus on each students individual needs. According to this model, the educator must first understand each students unique educational context and evaluate the students progress toward specified learning objectives. The purpose of the learnercentered model is to provide an individualized, flexible learning environment for every student. 1. The role of the educator shifts. No longer is the teacher simply someone who stands at the front of the room imparting knowledge on students. Instead, the instructor works as an educational architect and facilitator.

Principal, St.Joseph College of Education, Kadamboduvalvu, Nanguneri-627108. E-mail: arullawrence@gmail.com 2 Asst.Prof of History, St.Joseph College of Education, Kadamboduvalvu, Nanguneri-627108.

2. Students assume responsibility for their own learning. The educator and student work together to decide on appropriate coursework and evaluation. It is the students job to follow through with these choices. 3. Rather than revolving around content, the learner-centered classroom centers around learning processes. These are meta-cognitive skills that the student can apply in any educational scenario. Therefore the student is more likely to attain success in a new educational environment. 4. The student is no longer a passive receptacle for the teachers knowledge. Instead, the student becomes an active part of the learning process, and may even assist in teaching his or her classmates. 5. The learner-centered classroom provides an emphasis upon higher-order thinking skills, such as the ability to judge and evaluate. Students who master these skills are better able to assimilate new information and apply it to different situations. 6. In addition to gaining a strong knowledge base, students develop learning skills and self-awareness. Because they must make decisions along with their instructors, they must pay attention to how they learn best, evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses, and act accordingly. 7. Students learn self-advocacy skills. They have to articulate their needs on a regular basis. This practice means that they not only get better at expressing themselves, but they also learn how to communicate appropriately and effectively with a wide variety of people, from fellow students to instructors. 8. Reluctant learners are more motivated to participate in their own education, since their stake in the process is clearly defined. Because they can steer themselves toward curriculum that they find interesting and rewarding, such reluctant students become more enthusiastic learners. 9. The learner-centered classroom provides a built-in system for accommodating different learning styles or specific challenges. Because the learner-centered classroom offers a tailored program for each student, special needs like ADD/ADHD or specific learning disabilities can be addressed seamlessly and effectively. 10. Students in the learner-centered classroom feel significant as individuals, since their opinions and viewpoints are an integral part of their classroom experiences. This 2

aspect of the learner-centered environment is particularly significant to troubled teenagers, who often have less sense of self-worth than their peers. Using this model, students demonstrate improvement in motivation, learning, and achievement. Ultimately, the learner-centered classroom has a higher rate of student retention, and students are better prepared for success outside the classroom. Teacher vs. Learner-Centered Education Teacher-Centered Focus is on instructor Focus is on language forms and structures (what the instructor knows about the language) Instructor talks; students listen Students work alone Instructor monitors and corrects every student utterance Learner-Centered Focus is on both students and instructor Focus is on language use in typical situations (how students will use the language) Instructor models; students interact with instructor and one another Students work in pairs, in groups, or alone depending on the purpose of the activity Students talk without constant instructor monitoring; instructor provides feedback/correction when questions arise

Instructor answers students questions about Students answer each others questions, using language instructor as an information resource Instructor chooses topics Instructor evaluates student learning Classroom is quiet Classroom activity is Didactic Teacher as a Fact teller and Expert Passive participation of students Instructions emphasize on memorization Concept of knowledge is accumulation of facts Drill and practice technology used Students have some choice of topics Students evaluate their own learning; instructor also evaluates Classroom is often noisy and busy Classroom activity is Interactive Teacher as a Collaborator sometimes learner Active participation of students Instructions emphasize on inquiry and inventions Concept of knowledge of transformation of facts Communication, collaboration and expression technology used 3

Teacher as a knowledge transmitter, primary Teacher as a learning facilitator, collaborator, source of information, content expert and coach, mentor, knowledge navigator, guide and cosource of all answer learner. Teachers controls and directs all the aspects of learning Learning as a solitary activity Integration of ICT in LCE Technology of instruction can make an ordinary man capable of superior performance and a means, either printed or electronic, to distribute that instruction. There are two main characteristics of technology in the context of LCE. 1. To use well-planned way the scientific or other organized knowledge for practical task 2. To divide such task in categories and subcategories Technology can support learning centered principles in two main facts researching and creating an authentic product for assessment. The internet provides an unrestricted number of sources of information and data on most topics. Web pages are a popular form. Documents, studio
3. PERSONAL AND PHYSICAL MATERIALS Resources 4. EVALUATION Outcomes LEARNERCENTERED EDUCATION (LCE) 2. CONDITIONS Learning Experiences 1.GOALS Objectives

Teacher gives students more options and responsibilities for their own learning Learning collaboratively with others

presentations, video animations, web movies, digital camera images and excel spread sheets. Thus all products should here be technology based. The above flow chart shows that ICT approach on LCE focuses upon all the aspects of teaching and learning. The four quadrants of the chart contain the specific planning steps, each of which is necessary and important. The charts provide more significance on both teacher and learner. Thus, the LCE can answer any questions regarding teaching-learning process. It gives technological explanations also. A shift from teacher-centered education to learner-centered education is needed to enable students to acquire the new 21st century knowledge and skills.

Instructional Role of ICT The ultimate goal of ICT is to increase learning with longer retention and increased performance. For a teacher to change their teaching methods and incorporate ICT into their teaching is an emerging trend. They must have time, confidence, motivation, training, the proper technology supported environment and the incentive to do so. Technology alone, of course, does not produce learning; technology is a tool that can be used in many ways, to enhance LCE. The literature generally describe three major categories of instructional use of ICT; these are 1. Learning from the technology 2. Learning about the technology 3. Learning with the technology. LCE is fundamentally based on Constructivist theory-based on observation and scientific study-about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. The changing role of teacher in ICT based learning In the traditional teaching-learning situation, the relation between the teacher and the pupil is frontal-the role of teacher is to deliver knowledge to the pupil. There is some co-operation among pupils. Teachers do not possess adequate knowledge and skills for the effective collaboration of ICTs. Traditional Teacher-Pupil Relationship TEACHER Knowledge Transmission Co-operation PUPIL PUPIL For effective education, it is essential that there be more opportunities for student participation in the learning process, more team work, more self-study and self-evaluation, as well as more peer evaluation and less examination oriented teaching and learning. It is felt that ICTs can assist in promoting more learner-centered and interactive learning. Knowledge Transmission

Teacher-Pupil relationship in emerging learning society TEACHER INFORMATION RESOURCES

PUPIL

Knowled ge Constru ction

PUPIL The new technologies have enormous potential to revolutionize education. It is obvious that the monopolies enjoyed by schools as formal education providers will diminish. What the teacher has to do in a learning centered classroom? A teacher has to use many techniques in the teaching process. For example, he may: 1. prompt students to formulate their own questions (inquiry) 2. allow multiple interpretations and expressions of learning (multiple intelligences) 3. encourage group work and the use of peers as resources (collaborative learning) Its primary goal is helping students learn how to learn. Learner-Centered ICT Pedagogy: Theoretical Framework The design of a learner-centered ICT teaching method depends on the chosen theoretical framework. The framework supports the designers work, forming the foundation for implementation, evaluation, and research. The theoretical framework is developed in four steps: 1) Defining the psychological foundations of the learning-centered ICT teaching method based on learning theories and the learning cycle. 2) Specifying the underlying pedagogical principles of the learner-centered ICT teaching method. 3) Re-conceptualizing pedagogical principles of the ICT teaching method within learning theories and the learning cycle. 4) Defining the contextual factors influencing the use of the learner-centered ICT teaching method in secondary schools. 6

Conclusion It may be concluded that it is learning with, not from or about, technology that makes computer based technology an important tool in LCE. In order to capitalize on the potential of new technology, and particularly digital technology as a teaching tool there is an urgent need of the professional development of teachers. Professional development that allows teachers to construct professional knowledge about pedagogy, content, and technology, as well as strategies for managing the changing classroom environments brought about with the creation of constructivist learning environments supported by technology. References
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