Educator/Student Partnership in Learning


The classroom teacher must possess a deep understanding of the developmental characteristics of his
students as well as how students learn to be effective partners in the learning process. A
student-centered teacher will design learning experiences that explicitly link essential concepts
and skills to students’ current understanding and natural curiosity about the topic in order to
scaffold additional or deeper understandings. Students are engaged in decision making in the
classroom and have the opportunity to more fully explore topics. We are most effective as teachers
when we help our students discover the power of their own minds to work in their own ways to
achieve success. ―Few students develop a sense of academic, self-efficacy by becoming mired in what
they cannot do. (Tomlinson & Jarvis, 2006, p.19).


Principles of teacher-student partnership:

-          positive approach – optimism, tact, sympathy, encouragement, appreciation

-          individualisation – different learning styles, learning pace, levels, experience and
interests

-          variability – acceptability of differences, tolerance

-          freedom – democracy, responsibility for one’s own decision, behaviour and acts, keeping
rules

-          cooperation – tolerance of another opinion, ability to share, empathy

-          playfulness

-          activity – drama activities, creative writing, project education, discussion, problem
solution...

-          constructivism learning – students’ own activity, relying on one’s own experience,
knowledge and abilities

-          meaningfulness – of any school activity, purpose, connection to real life

-          global education – relationships and connections within a system, understanding of the
world and existence