Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice

by Maryellen Weimer

In this second edition of the classic work Learner-Centered Teaching , Maryellen Weimer―one of the nation’s most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching―offers a comprehensive introduction to the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. This thoroughly revised and updated edition includes the most current examples of practice in action from a variety of disciplines and contains new information on the research support for learner-centered approaches. Weimer also includes a more in-depth discussion of how students’ developmental issues influence the effectiveness of learner-centered teaching. 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. The book 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. Learner-Centered Teaching provides a theoretical foundation for the learner-centered approach and outlines a positive way to improve teaching.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, Academia, Grad School, Psychology, Theory

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2002

About the author

Editor-in-chief of Teaching Professor since 1987. Penn State Professor Emeritus of Teaching and Learning.
Received Penn State’s Milton S. Eisenhower award for distinguished teaching in 2005.

Past Director of the Instructional Development Program at Pennsylvania State University for ten years. Past Associate Director at the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment; a U. S. Department of Education research and development center.

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition of Maryellen Weimer's Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice is a classic. Her second edition expands and improves on the first: my copy doesn't just have underlining and comments, but also notes on front and back endpapers to remind myself of what I'd like to think about in my next iteration of my courses.

Weimer says the label learner-centered teaching "keeps us focused on what this way of teaching is about" (p. vii). Such teaching is not easy – it requires both student and teacher to step out of their comfort zone – but it can be rewarding.

I spent my senior year of high school in a program called the Center for Self-directed Learning, so this approach is in my bones (at least for myself). Nonetheless, when I started teaching, I was at about a 1.5 on a 5-point scale of learnercenteredness (with 5 being very learnercentered). Right now I'm probably about a 4, being more learnercentered in my upper-level courses and less in lower-level classes. I have been taking small steps toward more learnercenteredness over a long period. Most of the time these steps have worked well, although at other times my attempts flopped for what I've come to see as predictable reasons.

One of the barriers that I face to being successfully learnercentered is that I assume/hope that my students will be as prepared and excited as I like to believe I would be. (Of course, I was a less confident learner in college than I would like to think I was.) Because I assume/hope they will be prepared and excited, I underprepare to pull their passion. I also don't trust my students sufficiently and like performing too much. I like making my students think, but I also like making them smile.

Weimer responds to these and other issues. She provides a variety of strategies that can be easily used in other courses and programs of study. She responds to the questions and barriers that may interfere with faculty being more learnercentered.

This is a rich text that can bear reading and rereading.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly thought-provoking book for instructors in higher education. I think that most of us begin teaching in the traditional lecture style. As we mature as instructors, there is a tendency to venture out of that traditional framework in order to explore techniques that are impactful in the classroom. Weimer presents an alternative organizational framework for college courses that empowers students to control their learning experiences. She highlights five critical areas of change that must be addressed to move from a teacher-centered (traditional lecture-style) classroom to a learner-centered: (1) the balance of power within the classroom, (2) the function of the course content, (3) what the role of the teacher is and should be, (4) student and faculty perceptions on the responsibility for learning, and (5) the purpose of evaluation, including questioning the processes by which students should be evaluated. Each of these areas has a dedicated chapter in which empirical findings are presented. Additionally, Weimer shares many of her own experiences in the classroom.

What is most useful about this book is the practical advice that accompanies the message for change. After reading this book, I felt as if I could make significant, impactful changes in my classroom based on the specific suggestions and examples provided throughout the book. I highly recommend this book!

[Yomna · Rating 5 out of 5]

يتناول هذا الكتاب، التي أعدته أستاذة جامعية، على أسلوب تدريس حديث نسبيًا، ألا وهو التدريس المتمركز حول المتعلم ، حيث يكون الطالب مسئولًا عن عملية تعلمه و تخفف من سلطة المعلم داخل القاعات الدراسية بحيث يكون ميسرًا لعملية التعلم لا ملقنًا للمعلومات.
في ثلاثة أجزاء تتناول الكاتبة أساسيات التعليم المتمركز حول المتعلم من حيث النشأة و التغييرات التي يضيفها على عملية التدريس، وترفق ذلك بأدلة تربوية على مدى نجاحه في تحسين تقييمات الطلاب و استيعابهم ومشاركاتهم في القاعات الدراسية. تنتقل في الجزء الثاني لتفصيل التغييرات الخمسة التي يتطلبها هذا النظام من حيث دور المعلم في التيسر لا التلقين و الموازنة في السلطة داخل القاعات الدراسية بما لا يعطل نمو الطلاب أو يفقد المعلم مكانته، و أيضًا حول مشاكل وضع المحتوى و تغطيته و كيفية التغلب على عامل ضيق الوقت الذي بتذرع به المعلمون، ثم تنهي الجزء الثاني بما يجب أن تتضمنه عمليات التقييم لتعكس مدى استفادة الطلاب من هذا النظام وليس مجرد جمع درجات دون استفادة من المادة و المهارات العلمية.
يتضمن الفصل الأخير بعض العوائق التي قد تقابل التربويين في تطبيق هذا النظام من حيث مقاومة الطلاب للتعلم النشط وركنهم للتعلم السلبي، ومن حيث مقاومة هيئة التدريس لما يظنونه وسيلة غير فعالة للتعلم، كما تؤكد على أهمية التغيير التدريجي في تطبيق النظام فيما تصفه برحلة لا نهاية لها، وتختم الكتاب بملحقين بهما خطة مقترحة لمنهج دراسي قائم على هذا النظام، ومصادر للتعلم يستعين بها الطلبة.

[Mike Thicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Learner-Centered Teaching because I've been thinking about ways to redesign my introductory history and philosophy of science course to be less lecture-heavy. It has certainly helped my thought process in that regard, but it has also made me question nearly everything about how I teach. That makes this a really dangerous book!

Probably most college-level instructors or professors, myself included, have heard of "learner-centered" or "problem-based" approaches to teaching. On a limited scale, I have used several of the techniques discussed in this book, such as running peer review sessions for paper drafts or having student-run exam review sessions. While Learner-Centered Teaching does offer some advice about these limited activities, its real strength is in championing learner-centered teaching as a comprehensive teaching philosophy that affects all areas of our courses, and perhaps even entire departmental curricula. If you're just looking for a few practical techniques to incorporate into your course, there are better options out there. If you're looking to re-conceptualize the way you think about teaching, this is the book for you.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for college faculty, providing a format to make their teaching "learner-centered". I work as a campus minister, teaching weekly bible studies and preaching, so I read this book figuring there would be some lessons to learn to make my teaching better. As I read, I did see ways these techniques could translate into my ministry, so I am glad I read this book.

[Mohammad Keyhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just really wish all my professors would read this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who teach. It focuses on higher ed, but we used it in a library course, and I think K-12 teachers could gain a lot from it, too.

[Martha Burla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of issues with this book but I don’t think I was the intended audience so I’m giving it an average rating. I had to read this as part of my PhD coursework or I would not have finished it. I felt that a lot of it was inappropriate for a student who is trying to learn to teach as it was focused on convincing experienced teachers to shift to a new learner centered model. If you’re new to field, and/or already excited about learner centered teaching, this book is probably not the best choice as it wastes a ton of time trying to convince you to “change” and adopt this new way of thinking. There are some interesting/helpful suggestions that I honestly wish some of my professors would have implemented but you have to read so many arguments in defense of her style of teaching that it begins to feel tedious. I also found it to be very condescending to students at times. Because of that I think it probably wasn’t the best pick to assign to students as part of a course.

[Chloé · Rating 4 out of 5]

would love for all teachers & educators to read this!

"I used to think that someday I would finally be a learner-centered
teacher. Flachmann (1994, p. 1) changed my mind about this and
offers advice that fittingly summarizes this chapter, perhaps this
whole book: “Good teaching is a journey rather than a destination.
It’s not like a subway stop where, once you are there, you can cease
moving forward. . . . Inertia is an insidiously powerful negative
force in teaching—the urge to keep doing things the way we’ve
done them for years. It’s a bit like belonging to the pedagogical
equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous: there’s always a poor teacher
in us waiting to emerge. We have to resist the temptation to stay as
we are, to rest at the bus stop.”"

[Chandra Powers Wersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot to take in, but very helpful and thought provoking. This book definitely deserves to be read more than once. I really liked the charts/matrices she included near the end and her advice for faculty members to continue taking a class outside their content area in order to put themselves in the shoes of students and re-experience what it is like to be a learner again (since the content we teach becomes so familiar to us that we forget what it's like to ACTUALLY LEARN IT.) Teachers should be models of learning, Weimer states. This book made me excited to reexamine my own teaching strategies.

[Allison Mozingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second edition of Learner-Centered Teaching is absolutely wonderful and revolutionary. Although the book is written for an audience of college teachers (whether community college or university), many of the activities and ideas she discusses can and SHOULD be applied to middle schools and high schools. Many high school courses have the same format as your typical college course and a shift in focus for teachers would create the more well-rounded students college teachers are longing for.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of resources, ideas, and research. It may be that I read it while tediously waiting during jury duty or after a more compelling book that spoke to me more, but I found I was skimming a lot. Perhaps I will find that I return to the book again and again, but for now it's not for me. I also think that some of this has to do with my teaching situation more than a problem with the book.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good to read a text that showed the learning theories in practice. Some good examples of practical ways to create a student-centered environment. Her argument is clear and not all fogged up with teacher-jargon.

This marks the date where I finished a year of my Masters. One more year to go.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the author is honest about this approach to teaching is a process. As we all know not every student comes to us at the same level of development. The pandemic has forced students into new ways of learning that are more learning centered and many were not ready.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for teachers who need to redefine their pedagogy in order to engage students more effectively. Very practical and research-based.

[Stephanie Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information about helping students become better learners through learner-centered teaching rather than the traditional teacher-centered learning.

[Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I would highly recommended it to any teacher. It is full of great ideas that will make you a better teacher. It is well researched and documented.

[Raulito Trinidad]

I find a Learner-centered teaching book as a reference to read and study for my subject.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning how to help people learn. Not easy! Takes a lot of creativity and pushing against our usual methodologies. Appreciate this work.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I bought with the feeling that I wasn't going to get much out of it. I've read a number of books and papers about teaching and learning, and so from reading the index it seemed like there was little that was new to me. But I gave it shot --- maybe I would end up liking it. Even if it just re-hashed things I already thought I knew it might provide new insights. Unfortunately, my suspicious were right --- it was not a worthwhile book for me to read. Pretty quickly I started skimming through it as fast as I could. So take everything I say with a grain of salt. Someone new to the area
might find this book more useful.

There was very little information in this book that seemed useful or
particularly interesting to me. While the book seems to have lots of content, it was not well-connected or explained.

The author's writing style, while competent, got in the way of the ideas. The writing discouraged me. First, it is long-winded. For me, it spends far too many words trying to sell the ideas; I've already bought the book, thank you! Most chapters and sections come with a lot preliminary discussion, and many basic assumptions seemed to be re-phrased again and again. It was just tedious. Second, the author is self-indulgent. There were too many personal stories that were too long and too tenuously related to the main theme. The author is clearly enthusiastic about the topic, but, at least for me, it was not infectious. Hearing her talking so much about how she likes it just bores me.

Another issue is that the author, like so many educational experts, downplays the cost-benefit problems that arise with many of these techniques. At times the author admits that more work (or just as much work) is needed to get slightly better (or the same) results. The major benefit is, apparently, intangible things, like student engagement, being asked interesting questions, seeing a busy classroom, etc. The reality is that class sizes, rooms, university and departmental rules about marking schemes, and requirements from tenure and promotion committees make it difficult and risky to make changes without clear, concrete benefits.

For example, in a class with 130 students, spending 10 minutes to mark student submissions is about 22 hours of work for someone --- almost an entire day! And 130 students isn't especially large. Many clever ideas don't work at this scale because they are simply too labor intensive. Even seemingly simple things such asking and answering student questions during a lecture can be very difficult in a large room filled with people.

Ultimately, I came away from the book think that the term "learner centered teaching" is a hodge podge of "progressive" teaching techniques the author likes. There are vague common threads that run between them, but I am not convinced some other hodge podge of similar techniques might do just as well, or even better.

So, no, I did not enjoy this book. I wished I had checked it out of the
library instead of buying it. But if you think it seems interesting and worth your time, then you might want to give it a shot. It's the same advice I give about dill pickles: I don't enjoy them, but you might.

[Meredith Holt Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was something u had to read for my masters program. Lots of the practices were something that I was aware of but loved getting to seem them in the classroom. Which we could see how it worked in the secondary/elementary school level. And not just higher education.

[Curtis Newbold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight into learner-centered teaching. Great book for starting conversations about pedagogy and the challenges of implementing grades, assessment, learning, power dynamics, and so forth in the classroom.

The book is now over a decade old, but timely enough to make the conversation relevant. However, Weimer's ideas are not as groundbreaking as she claims them to be and her passive-aggressive attack on sharing content with students is sometimes heavy-handed.

Overall, though, I found myself largely agreeing with Weimer and found her book to be worth reading and discussing. She has a lot of pithy one-liners that are useful to incorporating into my own teaching methods, and those of anyone interested in shifting the learning responsibility to the students :)

[Elizabeth Schlatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, lots of food for thought. Read this as part of a book group at work. I sort of wish the format was different though, as in maybe 1/2 theory and research and 1/2 like a workbook with examples of applying this sort of pedagogy in class. As it is now, the examples tend to be buried in the chapters. So I have to go back and find the examples that I marked. Also, while I appreciate how thoroughly the author researched the benefits of Learner-Centered Teaching, her arguments became a bit repetitive and as such, a bit defensive. Nonetheless, this is a very positive, persuasive, useful, and realistic book on changing how we teach in the university classroom.

[Jeannie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Radical feminism has never appealed to me. Obviously, Weimer is attempting to use education as a vehicle for social change and not for educating. There is little to no evidence that non-guided learning works. She even admits that her classroom gets chaotic. I would argue that her technique does not create a good learning environment for students. While teachers should work to reach all learners and structure their courses to achieve that end, her technique will only reach one type of student. This may explain why she still finds students failing her class.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book for those who teach in higher education. There has always been the traditional approach to teaching, imparting knowledge to students who have to turn around and regurgitate it back. This author suggests the sharing of responsibility with learners which I found refreshing and I will try to implement this strategy in my classes next semester. The only thing lacking is more concrete examples of how to do this.

[Celtic Goddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was assigned for my Teaching of Psychology PhD level course. As educators, we need to find better ways to encourage critical thinking and creative processes in our students. I found the concepts presented by Ms. Weimer to be an interesting, thought provoking approach to address the changes needed in our educational system.

[Endira77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first graduate course textbook for "Effective College Teaching" at ECU with Dr. Maria Clay.

The active learning strategies are broken down along with the steps to implement them to meet goals and positively impact students. The most impressive aspect of the book is the understanding of why we do what we do.

[Selmoore Codfish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this for all teachers. The book provides insight into how students learn and how instructors can improve it by focusing on having students grow in responsibility in their own learning. The book is written with college education in mind, but should be informative to teachers at other levels too.

[Coreypine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, so good. As the main teacher and director of a busy herbal medicine school, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching, and also to make the class more interactive and less lecture. This book seems to have some of the answers.

I will give a better review when I finish. And an even more accurate review after a few months of teaching using these ideas.

[Catie Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few nonfiction books I would read again, but this is one of them. Great ideas to make a classroom more engaging with the added bonus of comforting you in knowing how awful it is to try. There are so many great ideas within this piece I would be happy to read it again to see what I missed and could still try to make a better learning environment for students.