What Learner-Centeredness Is—or Ought to Be

At its core, learner-centeredness means placing the student at the heart of instructional practice and decision-making. It is not a teaching model but rather a set of principles and practices that should inform virtually all teaching models. It belongs in inquiry-focused classrooms, problem-based classrooms, project-based learning, community-based learning, classrooms centered on direct instruction, and most other approaches to teaching and learning as well. Learner-centeredness has implications for how we see ourselves as teachers, think about and relate to students, frame curriculum, use (and don't use) assessment, plan instruction, provide feedback, and think about concepts like equity, excellence, expectations, and empathy.