2. This chapter forewarning: student and faculty
resistance is all but a guaranteed response to
learner-centered teaching.
This chapter aims to help you deal with
resistance from students and colleagues.
It helps to understand why students and
colleagues resist. What is the source of their
resistance?
3. Students resist learner-centered approaches
for a variety of reasons but we explain four of
the most common reasons :
Learner-centered Approaches Are More Work.
These approaches are more work for faculty
, who new face complex instructional design
issues, but the students resist ,because they
quickly realize that this means much more
work for them as well.
4. Students also resist these approach because
they are afraid . The old familiar scenario
played out cross years of educational
experience , with its predictable roles and
expected students and faculty behavior .
The teacher has opened Pandora's box and let
out all sorts of unknown and unfamiliar
policies , practice , assignments and
expectations .
5. These approach takes our students to new
places where the responsibility for what does
and does not happened is much more
obviously theirs .
Learner-centered Approaches May
Be Beyond Students.
If teachers are unfair to students and
unethical or ask students to engage in
ethically compromised behavior, then we
should hope that Ss would resist.
6. Overcoming the resistance is not something the teacher
does for the students , it is something the teacher
works to help students accomplish for themselves.
The best solutions involve communication.
Consider four characteristics of the communication:
The communication is Frequent and Explicit.
The communication Encourages and Positively
Reinforces.
The communication solicits Feedback from Students.
The communication Resists Their Resistance.
7. Students are not only ones who resist these
approaches .
Some colleagues and administrators will
object as well.
Their resistance will be just as disheartening,
it might be professionally threatening too .
8. The objections that colleagues raise come from
two sources:
They object because they find the approaches
enormously threatening . they deal with issues of power
and authority. These approaches take us away from an
exclusive reliance on content and move us into new and
unfamiliar domain of learning skills.
Some colleagues resist for much more objective reasons.
They are concerned about what these approaches do :let
students set course policies , devote class time to develop
learner skills and involve Ss in assessment activities .for
many faculty , these are radical ideas.
9. Be mindful of the politics.
Use the Autonomy of your Classroom.
Do Not Seek to Convert the Masses.
Document the Impact Off Your Approaches.
Find Like-Minded Colleagues.
