www.byjusexamprep.

com

1
www.byjusexamprep.com

Learner Centred Approach

Learner Centred Teaching Method:

● The learner-centred teaching methods try to address the differences displayed between the
pupils. A learner-centred approach views learners as active agents.
● Learning is an active search for meaning by the learner and constructed rather than
passively received.
● In the traditional approach to college teaching, most class time is spent with the professor
lecturing and the students watching and listening. The students work individually on
assignments, and cooperation is discouraged. Learner-centred teaching methods shift the
focus of activity from the teacher to the learners.

These methods include:

● Active learning, in which students solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions
of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class
● Cooperative learning, in which students work in teams on problems and projects under
conditions that assure both positive interdependence and individual accountability
● Inductive teaching and learning, in which students are first presented with challenges.
Inductive methods include inquiry-based learning, case-based instruction, problem-based
learning, project-based learning, discovery learning, and just-in-time teaching.

Q) Student centric classroom is meant for? [Dec 2019]

A. Addressing Individual Difference.
B. Reducing Teacher-oriented lectures.
C. Recalling the previous lectures.
D. Engaging the entire class.
Ans: A

Assignments
Assignments are given to students for various reasons, such as for surveying, application of
knowledge, solving numerical problems and acquiring additional information. The teacher also
plays an important role even though the learner has the main role. For collecting relevant
information the teacher has to guide the students.

Assignments can be on any type of topic, but the assignment should be such that the students may
not just copy from the books. The assignments should be open-ended and should promote
creativity among the students.

Advantages:
1. It helps students work independently.

2
www.byjusexamprep.com

2. It helps in sharpening the student’s analytical, comprehension and problem-solving abilities.

3. It helps in developing creativity among the learners.

Limitation:
1. Students may copy the material from each other unless the assignments are carefully planned.

Case study
• Active learning
• Creative thinking is encouraged.
• Students think beyond their knowledge.

Advantages:
1. It provides the opportunity for the participants to critically examine, analyse, evaluate and
express reasoned opinions.
2. It enhances decision-making and problem-solving skills.
3. It leads to innovative solutions by active participation.

Limitations:
1. To use this method requires training for the teachers.
2. It cannot be used under all situations and for all subjects.

Programmed Instruction(A method of self Instruction By BF Skinner)

Programmed Instruction (PI) is based on a logical sequence of self-paced, learning steps with
feedback between each step. It is a general term for a highly structured system of learning. In this,
the learner gets immediate feedback after each step.
Programmed instruction is a method of presenting new subject matters to students in a graded
sequence of controlled steps. Students work through the programmed material by themselves at
their own speed and after each step tests their comprehension by answering a question. They are
then immediately shown the correct answer or given additional information. Computers and other
types of teaching machines are often used to present the material, although books may be used.

3
www.byjusexamprep.com

It is an educational technique characterized by self-paced, self-administered instruction presented

in a logical sequence and with many repetitions of concepts.

Programmed instruction is based on the theory that learning in many areas is best accomplished
by small, incremental steps with immediate reinforcement or reward for the learner.
1. The main focus of programmed instruction is to bring desirable change in the cognitive
domain of a learner’s behaviour. The main objectives of programmed instruction are:
¬ To help the students in learning by doing.
¬ To provide the learner’s situation, so that they can learn at their own pace.
¬ To help students to learn in the absence of a teacher.
¬ To help students in assessing their own performance themselves, by comparing it with
the given answers.
2. Selected content is analyzed and broken into smaller elements. Each element is
independent and complete in itself.

Advantages:
1. There is regular feedback.
2. This enables the active participation of the learner and can be used in all subjects.

Limitations:
1. It is not suitable for ever-changing course content.
2. It is not suitable for effective domains and psychomotor domains.

Personalized System of Instruction

The Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) is a system that helps learners take control of and
manage their own learning. Students set their own learning goals, manage their learning, and
communicate with others in the process of learning.

Fred. S. Keller together with J. Gilmour Sherman perfected the PSI method (also known as the
Keller Plan) in the late 60s.

Five features:
First, the go-at-your-own-pace feature. Second, the unit perfection requirement. Third, many of
your concerns about lectures are addressed. Fourth, the focus on the written word eliminates
miscommunication between you and your instructors. And finally, proctors are a source of online
help. If you choose to study in class, then they are available for consultation. And, after you write
any test, you get to review the answers individually with the proctor. This is the time, while the
material is fresh in your mind when you feel best primed to discuss and defend your answers.

4
www.byjusexamprep.com

Learners must master a series of units, assisted by teachers, proctors and enriching lectures before
proceeding to the final test. PSI consists of five basic elements as shown below.
1. Mastery learning 2. Self-pacing
3. Stress on written material 4. Proctors
5. Lectures

It is suited for content that is to be delivered through written material.

Advantages:
1. It is based on mastery learning.
2. It facilitates self-paced learning.

Limitations:
1. It is not suitable for ever-changing course contents.
2. It is not suitable for effective domains and psychomotor domains.

Open Learning
It is the flexible method of delivering the instruction, where the learner has full access to learning
resources of material, people, accommodation, equipment even though regular class attendance is
not necessary. The face-to-face interaction between students and teachers through tutorials should
form a part of open learning. There are minimal or no restrictions on admissions. Open learning
instruction is not suitable for the rapidly changing nature of content as this involves expertise, time
and resources.

Advantage:
1. It offers flexibility to the learner.

Limitations:
1. Not suitable for achieving affective and psychomotor learning objectives.
2. It requires time, expertise, resources.

Heuristic Method
This method was supported by Professor Armstrong.
A heuristic method is an approach to finding a solution to a problem that originates from the
ancient Greek word 'eurisko', meaning to 'find', 'search' or 'discover'.

The writings and teaching of H.E. Armstrong, professor of chemistry at the City and Guilds
Institute, London have had much influence in promoting science teaching in school. He was a
strong advocate of a special type of laboratory training – heuristic training. In the heuristic method,
the student is put in the place of independent discovery. Thus no help or guidance is provided by
the teacher in this method. In this, the teacher set a problem for the students and then stands aside
while discovering the answer.

5
www.byjusexamprep.com

Each student is required to discover everything for himself and is to be told nothing. The students
are led to discover facts with the help of experiments, apparatus and books. In this method, the
children behave like research scholars. In the stage-managed heuristic method, a problem sheet
with minimum instruction is given to the student and he is required to perform the experiments
concerning the problem at hand. He must follow the instructions, and enter in his notebook an
account of what he has done and results arrived at. He must also put down his conclusion as to the
bearing which the result has on the problem at hand. In this way, he is led to research from
observation.

This method of teaching science has the following merits:

● It develops the habit of enquiry and investigation among students.
● It develops a habit of self-learning and self–direction.
● It develops scientific attitudes among students by making them truthful and honest for they
learn how to arrive at decisions by actual experimentations.
● It is a psychologically sound system of learning as it is based on the maximum “ learning
by doing”.
● It develops in the students a habit of diligence.
● It provides scope for individual attention to be paid by the teacher and for closer contacts .
These contacts help in establishing cordial relations between the teacher and the taught.

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

Differentiated instruction is a proactive and dynamic method of teaching. It means that the teacher
uses a variety of ways to teach and plan to learn. It is a combination of a small group, whole group
and individual instruction methods.

In this method, the qualitative aspects are more focused than the quantitative aspects. It makes use
of multiple approaches to accommodate multiple intelligences. It is student-centred, meaning that
the lessons are engaging, relevant, active, interesting. It is a planned and organised method of
teaching.

Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a variety of
instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty
based on the ability of each student.

6
www.byjusexamprep.com