Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice [Hardcover]

Maryellen Weimer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787956465 | ISBN-13: 978-0787956462 | Publication Date: July 8, 2002 | Edition: 1

In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By staying with the book the reader will discover the book's value as a guide to the current literature about learning and teaching." (Teachers College Record, 1/13/04)

"Expertly written by Maryellen Weimer 'Learner Centered Teaching' is an invaluable resource..." (The Midwest Book Review, August 2003)

From the Back Cover

In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.
Learner-Centered Teaching also offers well researched advice for educators who want to transition to a learner-centered approach in their classrooms and

• Identifies the steps to take to put into place learner-centered policies and practices
• Provides a theoretical foundation for the learner-centered approach
• Outlines a positive way to improve teaching

Throughout the book, Weimer clearly illustrates the difference between teacher-centered and learner-centered instruction and offers practical strategies for creating learner-centered courses.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (July 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787956465
• ISBN-13: 978-0787956462
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shifting the Focus, August 7, 2006

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T. Hooper "thdizzy" (Osaka, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice (Hardcover)

These days the trend in education has been to shift the focus of classes from the teachers to the students. The idea is that by taking responsibility for their own education and by learning by doing and working with others, students will be able to learn skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, teacher-centered lectures will only cause the students to cram for exams and quickly forget what they learned as soon as the exams are finished. This book offers an easy to read guideline for shifting your class to a learner-centered environment. The author has done a good job in writing a practical text. It's not weighed down with too many discussions of research and theory. Instead, the author presents her ideas through her own experiences and the experiences of other teachers. This makes it very easy to follow her recommendations as they have been tested and tried in a classroom setting rather than in an academic journal.

If you're looking for a scholarly work, this may not be what you're looking for, but if you want an easy-to-read practical guide to implementing learner-centered teaching practices, then this is perfect. One more thing, this book was written by and primarly for those who are teaching in university. With some adjustments, you may be able to use the recommendations in this book in a high school setting as well.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful and well-researched approach, August 8, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice (Hardcover)

Expertly written by Maryellen Weimer (Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning, Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Pennsylvania State University), Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes To Practice is an invaluable resource for college and university educators concerning the learner-centered teaching approach that takes into account what, how, where, and what conditions under which students are learning. Individual chapters convincingly address implementation and fine-tuning adjustments to adopting the learner-centered teaching style, and the appendices include a syllabus, sample learning log, and more. A very useful and well-researched approach, Learner-Centered Teaching is an important and strongly recommended addition to Educational Reference collections and Classroom Instruction reading lists.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview, August 3, 2004

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Dr. (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice (Hardcover)

This book not only makes the very strong case for a shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered instruction, it provides a road map for how to achieve that shift in both the classroom and the entire academic institution. It is an excellent book for both faculty and administrators in higher education.