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Traditional teacher-centered instruction places emphasis on the teacher’s role, adhering to a strict format in which the teacher chooses course material, lectures and assignments with no input from the students. Student-centered learning focuses on the student instead of a lecturing teacher. Rather than taking a passive role in their education, students step up and actively participate. There are a number of reasons why student-centric teaching is more effective than traditional teaching methods.

Interactivity
In student-centered education, students are not fed knowledge, but aid in discovering it. Instead of imposing a fixed curriculum, instructors step aside and help the students set their own goals. Besides being responsible for maintaining a climate suitable for learning, an instructor’s role is collaborative. The objective is not so much to lead the students as to support and encourage them. Teachers provide structure and cohesion in the learning experience, and stimulate a hunger for knowledge with open-ended questions. The environment becomes one of not only teacher-to-student and student-to-teacher but also peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

Integration
Student-centered education helps students become not only observers but participants in the classroom experience. This gives students a sense of confidence and empowerment. Studies show that even highly intelligent and knowledgeable people do not function well in society without the ability to adapt their learning to practical situations. They need practical intelligence as well as general intelligence. A student-centered learning environment, by creating a microcosm of a societal situation in which students collaborate with each other and the teacher, builds the self-confidence necessary for students to become versatile and effective in the workplace.

Versatility
Every student is unique, and rather than stifling this individuality, student-centered learning uses it to enhance the learning experience. Student-centered education takes into account the fact that students learn at different speeds, have different styles of learning, and have a diversity of innate talents and abilities. Though students in a classroom are often the same age, they are at different stages of development, and instead of rewarding those who are supposedly more advanced and punishing and hindering the rest, student-centered education allows all students to advance at their own pace. The entire paradigm of what constitutes progress is restructured, so that students use past knowledge and experience to shape their academic growth. With their teacher’s guidance, they select their own materials and create activities that are personally relevant to them. The ideal student-centered learning environment uses flexible time management to take advantage of special learning opportunities.

Progress
Many students do not do well in a traditional teacher-centered learning environment. They chafe under the strain of sitting still and listening to instruction. However, when they have an opportunity to become more actively involved in the classroom experience, they thrive. The thrill of independent learning enables previously poorly-motivated students to excel. Studies show that students who take part in educational programs that emphasize student-centered learning are as academically adept as their traditionally taught peers.

Student-centric teaching motivates and engages students in ways that are impossible in traditional teacher-centered education. Though progress sometimes seems slow at first, students gain momentum rapidly as they realize that the educational environment is shaped for them and their individual needs and goals. Not only does it help students realize their maximum potential, but it engenders within them the joy and excitement of the learning experience.