Learner-Centered instructional approaches ask educators to shift their focus from traditional, teacher-centric approaches, where instructors push information at learners, to one that asks learners to actively co-create knowledge and participate in their learning. This transition from “Sage on the Stage” to “Guide on the Side” is not always a simple one and requires that educators connect with their learners.  In this episode, Stacy Craft chats with Dr. Cheryll Albold, an assistant professor of medical education in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and Administrator and Designated Institutional Administrator for the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, about why connecting with learners is so important, principles and foundations for learner-centered approaches, and pedagogically-sound practices and simple design recommendations to help you start incorporating more learner-centered strategies in your education

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A visual list of 28 Learner Centered Instructional Strategies Infographic 

Learner-Centered Approaches: Why They Matter and How to Implement Them

Teacher Centered Vs Learner Centered

Warm Demander:

Irvine, J.J. & Fraser, J.W. (1998). Warm demanders. Education Week, 17(35), 56.

Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. School Review, 83, 301-344.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Rogers, C.R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21, 95-103

Challenge and Support

Sanford, N. (1962). Developmental status of the entering freshman. In N. Sanford (ED.), The American College: A psychological and social interpretation of higher learning (pp.253-282. New York: Wiley

Mattering

Rosenberg, M., & McCullough, B. C. (1981). Mattering: Inferred significance and mental health among adolescents. Research in Community & Mental Health, 2, 163-182.

Schlossberg, N. K. (1989). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community. New Directions for Student Services, 48, 5-15. doi: 10.1002/ss.37119894803

Belonging

Hurtado, S., Cuellar, M., & Guillermo-Wann, C. (2011). Quantitative measures of students’ sense of validation: Advancing the study of diverse learning environments. Enrollment Management Journal: Student Access, Finance, and Success in Higher Education, 5(2), 53-72.

Meeuwisse, M., Severiens, S., & Born, M. (2010). Learning environment, interaction, sense of belonging and study success in ethnically diverse student groups. Research in Higher Education, 51, 528–545. National Center

Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino stu­dents’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324-345.