Teacher controlled vs. student centered classrooms (Prompt 2)

It is difficult to hand control over to students and to plan and adapt for every situation because it takes a lot of time and effort to do this. Planning for every situation could be infinite. A teacher might plan for multiple outcomes, but the students together only have 1 or 2 differing outcomes. This method is worth it because you can be fully prepared and can help each student individually. You could hand over some control to students by allowing them to create a presentation for the class. You could give them a topic to focus on, but it is up to them to create a way of presenting the material to the class. With this method the students have control over how to present the material, but the teacher is supporting learning by giving them a specific topic to focus on.

The elements I saw that were controlled by the teacher were worksheets, lectures, and readings. The teacher gave the students required material to complete so it was controlled by the teacher. The elements I saw that were centered around the students were the class projects, games, and computer activities. These were normally activities where the students could create something, show their individuality, and to make choices.

In the teacher controlled elements I observed a lot of boredom and frustration. The students wanted to learn their own way, and did not always want to do the assignments the teacher gave them. I observed that the students were more motivated and enthusiastic when they got to make choices about what they wanted to do and when they could show their individuality. Students were more engaged in learning when their interests were put first in the student centered learning.