On Student-Centered Learning and Active Participation
by Kim Haimes Korn and Gay Lynn Crossley
Sample student essays and readings are playing an increasingly important role in the first-year writing classroom because they act as springboards for class discussion, but for these discussions to be successful and meaningful, a student-centered atmosphere needs to be cultivated to better promote student involvement and meaningful interaction. Successful learning takes place when students are encouraged to take an active role in meaning-making processes, when they are encouraged to look to themselves and each other to create knowledge, not to the teacher to pass it on. A student-centered classroom offers students the opportunity to make sense, for themselves, of writing processes, their thoughts, and their subjects (their experiences and interests). Creating an atmosphere where purposeful and meaningful learning can take place depends on finding a comfortable balance between maintaining authority and relinquishing control, encouraging active and consistent participation, and setting expectations of the type of participation that is valued.
