Teacher-centered approaches involve instruction in which the teacher's role is to present the knowledge to be learned and to direct, in a rather explicit manner, the learning process of the students, where as learner-centered approaches include instruction in which learners, with the teacher's guidance, are made responsible for constructing their own understanding. (Eggen, 2001) Traditionally, the teacher-centered approach has held as the most effective, especially for the teaching of mathematics and reading. The teacher-centered approach keeps the educator in direct control of the knowledge. The learner-centered approach puts the power of knowledge in the hands of the student often requiring more project-based activities and self-assessment. The teacher is in control, behind the scenes, guiding the students in the pursuit of understanding the concept(s) at hand.
(table availabale in print form)
The learner-centered approach takes what is common and expected in the teacher-centered approach and alters the learning perspective, creating a new activity having the same outcome. The teacher-centered approach versus the learner-centered approach is illustrated below (See Table 2). The same outcomes occur via small changes in approach. With the learner-centered approach the learner gains knowledge using a more meaningful method for the learner. Knowledge gains last longer and are more easily applied to new knowledge.