Ten Tips for Learner-Centered Teaching

Ten activities can build student engagement and get them more actively involved in learning, writes Maryellen Weimer, Ph.D., professor emerita of teaching and learning at Penn State Berks, in a recent Faculty Focus story. In the article, Weimer outlines activities that fall into three major categories: “Creating the Climate for Learning,” “Let the Students Summarize,” and “Lessons Learned from the First Exam.” The activities include having students discuss the best and worst class discussions they have observed; compiling feedback into a list that students can use to evaluate the course later in the semester; using a summary to start a class period; summarizing the most important points and having students check their notes for them; asking students to identify a study strategy that worked well and share it with other students; and having students make a case for incorporating another option on a multiple choice question on an exam.