Learner-centred teaching is way to go

Faith Katarekwa Teachers and parents usually feel a sense of gratification and association when the learners show improvement in performance. It is equally true that when the performance of the learners declines and/or stunts both parents and teachers will feel the pinch. As an educator, I am aware that there are several factors that affect the performance of the learners. These include; hereditary and environmental factors, school environment, motivation [external and internal], the type of education system, attitudes et cetera. However, my discourse will be limited to only the teacher and teaching methodologies as part of the school environment; and it will specifically be bent towards the learner-centred teaching as contrasted to the traditional method of teaching. What is learner-centred teaching? It encompasses methods of teaching that shift the focus from the teacher to the learners. Despite the vast resources [time, expertise and money], the Government of Rwanda has invested in education through the Education ministry (MINEDUC) to raise the quality of education by improving the quality of the teacher, some teachers, if not the majority, are still using the traditional teaching methodologies in their classes. For instance, the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the British Council and other stakeholders, provided holiday trainings for particularly primary teachers. Apart from improving effective communication, learner-centred teaching took a larger share of the programmes, which were designed for teachers. In the same vein, Uganda tutors were, also, hired on a semi-expatriate basis to tutor in Rwandan Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) with emphasis on learner-centred teaching. They started in March 2009 and concluded in March 2013. Holiday programmes, which were meant for in-service teachers to help them acquire more skills in preparing communicative activities and how to conduct learner-centred lessons, ran for six years or so alongside other programmes. And, the mentoring programme that started in mid-2013 was also meant to help the teachers improve their communication skills in class as well as helping them adopt the learner-centred method of teaching. This methodology allows a teacher to be a facilitator other than a lecturer. There are many ways a teacher can make his lesson learner-centred. To achieve this, the teacher can organise the pupils or students in small groups, for example, of five; let them work in pairs or give individual tasks. The intent is that they get ample time to actively and passionately discuss the topic introduced by the teacher. In the groups, the learners will choose their leader and secretary, who write down whatever they agree on as a group. The group leader ensures that each member participates in the discussions. The teacher will move from one group to another supervising and attending to particular conceptual questions that may arise while the learners are brainstorming on the topic. Then, group leaders will present and every child is given a chance to react to the presentation when the whole class is following presenters. The teacher can reward the presenters and correct them accordingly, but he or she should talk less and let the learners do most of the talking. Why go learner-centred teaching? The methodology promotes critical thinking, a value any good teacher should strive to develop among their learners and when learning is by self-discovery, which is characteristic of this methodology, it is more effective. Shy students can learn from their peers in the group and they sometimes feel comfortable to contribute when the groups are small. Apart from developing confidence among learners, they develop life-long study skills that are needed for future academic pursuit as well as cultivating independent-problem solving skills. It provides an opportunity for the teacher to learn from the students. Teachers, unlike in the traditional teaching methodology, are not the only source of information or knowledge. A teacher is a guide and facilitator of learning. This methodology, which has been tested and proved to be more effective, highlights individual learner’s interest, abilities and learning styles. This is the reason why the teacher can let the learners choose what they will learn and how they will learn it. Why learner-centred teaching is less popular It requires the teacher to have ample time to plan and prepare for the lesson. They should, also, have enough teaching aids such as markers, charts and/or be able to improvise by using old bottles, bottle tops and exploit their immediate environment to profoundly prepare the lessons. Most teachers find it, therefore, time consuming and drudgery, indeed. I call upon all teachers in Rwanda to use learner-centred teaching for the learners to develop the desired values and practices such as critical thinking, independent problem solving, self-discovery, research skills. Teaching is a calling and they should have a passion for it. Secondly, the educators and stakeholders in the education sector should continue to work towards the improvement of the teachers’ working conditions to enable them teach well. The writer is the Country Manager of Fountain Publishers Rwanda