Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments

Barbara L. McCombs directs the Human Motivation, Learning, and Development Center at the University of Denver. The center focuses on the professional development of educators, personal and organizational change, systemic educational reform, and school violence prevention. McCombs’ current research is directed at new leadership models for redesigning outdated views of schooling and learning. This research has led to her international and national recognition in areas that include transformational teacher development approaches, motivating hard-to-reach students, and the use of technology as a primary tool for empowering youth and facilitating relevant learning. The author has begun a series of books published by Corwin Press. Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments: Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement (2006) was co-authored with Lynda Miller and written for teachers. Her second book in the series, written for school administrators and other school leaders, was also co-authored with Lynda Miller and is titled A School Leader’s Guide to Creating Learner-Centered Education: From Complexity to Simplicity (2008).McCombs is the primary author of Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCPs): Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform. She has developed research-validated learner-centered models of teaching and learning based on the LCPs. Through collaborations with colleagues at the University of Bristol in England, she developed an online version of her Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP) teacher and student surveys. These surveys have been validated with over 35,000 students and their teachers in Grades K-3, 4-8, 9-12, and college level. The ALCP surveys are being used in numerous national and international K-12 schools as well as colleges.Lynda Miller began her professional career as a junior high school English teacher in Westminster, Colorado. Her interest in language and cognitive development led her to graduate studies, which culminated in a PhD in language development and disorders and learning disabilities. She has held teaching positions at the University of Colorado, the University of Montana, and the University of Texas at Austin, where she pursued her research on cognition, learning styles, and intelligence. Her research and teaching focused on identifying and describing students’ learning strengths and abilities, and on translating that information into instructional strategies designed to support students’ developing skills as motivated, self-responsible learners. Miller is the author of numerous publications on a variety of topics, the majority of which focus on the learner and learning as the essential features of successful instruction.

"This book offers practical suggestions for how to create a learner-centered environment, which I believe teachers want to do—they just need to know how!"

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors1. What We Know About LearningHow Do You Learn Best?What Does the Evidence Show About Supporting Natural Learning?Teachers and Students as Co-Learners: An InvitationWhat’s Next?2. What Is Learner Centered From an Evidence-Based Perspective?What Does “Learner Centered” Mean?Seeing the Big Picture: Education as a Complex Living SystemDomains of Schools as Living SystemsThe Learner-Centered ModelWhat Are the Learner-Centered Principles?Factors Affecting Learners and LearningWhat’s Next?3. What Teachers and Students Tell Us About Learner-Centered PracticesWhat Teachers Have Recognized About the LCPsTranslating the LCPs Into PracticeThe LCPs, Testing, and AccountabilityWhat Do the LCPs Mean for Teaching and Learning?What the Evidence Shows: Characteristics of Effective TeachersWhat Students SayStrategies for Honoring Student VoiceForming a Student UnionInvolving Students in Action Research ProjectsStudents as Meaningful Partners: International EvidenceReflectionWhat’s Next?4. The Learner-Centered Principles: One By OneDomain 1: Cognitive and Metacognitive FactorsLCP 1: Nature of the Learning ProcessLCP 2: Goals of the Learning ProcessLCP 3: Construction of KnowledgeLCP 4: Strategic ThinkingLCP 5: Thinking About ThinkingLCP 6: Context of LearningDomain 2: Motivational and Affective FactorsLCP 7: Motivational and Emotional Influences on LearningLCP 8: Intrinsic Motivation to LearnLCP 9: Effects of Motivation on EffortDomain 3: Developmental and Social FactorsLCP 10: Developmental Influence on LearningLCP 11: Social Influences on LearningDomain 4: Individual Differences FactorsLCP 12: Individual Differences in LearningLCP 13: Learning and DiversityLCP 14: Standards and AssessmentFinding Examples of LCPs in Your Own PracticesWhat’s Next?5. Learner-Centered PracticesTurning Principles Into PracticesGlasser’s Six Conditions for Quality SchoolworkClassroom ClimateRelevance of Learner-Centered Practices in the Context of Standards and AssessmentThe Achievement Gap IssueWhat Students Say About the Achievement GapReflectionWhat’s Next?6. Effective Learner-Centered PracticesEffective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in K–3Effective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in Grades 4–12What Happened to “Classroom Management”?Strategies for Creating Learner-Centered, Resilient ClassroomsInsights and Reflections: What Needs to Change in My Classroom?What′s Next?7. What Tools Do I Need to Become Learner Centered?Who’s in Charge of My Learning?Who’s in Charge of Students’ Learning?Implications for PracticeImplications for PolicyThe Learner-Centered SurveysCharacteristics of Learner-Centered ToolsThe Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP):Tools for Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms and DepartmentsResearch-Validated Definition of “Learner Centered”ALCP Feedback Process for TeachersUnderstanding Sample ALCP Feedback: Table of Teacher Variables Compared to the Learner-Centered Rubric for One TeacherBecoming a Magnet for Change in My School and DistrictReassessing My BeliefsWhat Is My Vision for Schools?My Plan for a Learner-Centered ClassroomHow Can I Manage Resistance to Change?Obtaining the Necessary Support for Learner-Centered SchoolsWhere Do I Go From Here?Resource A: Teacher Strategy IdeasResource B: Contacts: Learner-Centered Projects and SchoolsResource C: Books and Journals Worth a ReadResource D:Learner-Centered Glossary: Some DefinitionsReferencesIndex