Developing Educational Videos: A Constructionism Approach – Active Collaborative Learning in a Science Module

The Shift From Teacher-Centered Learning To Learner-Centered Learning

The traditional teaching and learning pedagogy involves the teacher-centered approach to learning. In this pedagogical model, educators or teachers deliver materials and knowledge to learners in a direct manner (Blackiea, Caseb, & Jawitzc, 2010). Hence, a major disadvantage of this approach is that it will result in passive learning because learners are required to listen to educators during classroom time, and merely retain the knowledge as much as they can. In this approach, educators have full control of the module content, and delivery of the module, including assessments for determining the knowledge gained by learners (Chua, Chia, & Yong 2018).

In many instances, educators prefer to use the teacher-centered approach. There are five possible reasons why the teacher-centered approach is preferred. Firstly, in most circumstances, a larger proportion of the module lessons have already been prepared. Therefore the lessons can be recycled every semester. Secondly, in a learner-based approach, educators need to consider the suitability of teaching and learning innovations for the module content to be delivered. Such efforts may be beyond the scope of their research interest. Thirdly, learner-centered approach requires more preparation time compared to the teacher-centered learning approach. Fourthly, educators may be conservative and unwilling to experiment with new teaching and learning innovations. Finally, educators may have the mindset that research achievements are far more superior and favorable than teaching and learning achievements.

In the past, before the invention of the Internet, the teacher-centered learning approach was probably acceptable to both educators and learners because learners were fully dependent on their educators and hardcopy versions of books in the library to gain new knowledge. However, times have changed with the availability of various ways or platforms from which learners can access new knowledge easily. With that, learners no longer need to rely solely on educators for new knowledge. In fact, learners are required to attain new knowledge independently on their own, and the educators’ role is to facilitate this process. In this way, it is hypothesized that learners can learn more because they will need to acquire and apply new knowledge on their own as compared to the teacher-centered learning approach in which new knowledge is acquired passively, and assessment is mainly the regurgitation of the knowledge gained.