1) The document discusses three strategies for implementing student-centric teaching: creating a culture of student-centered assessment and self-assessment, understanding by design and backwards planning, and flipped learning. 2) It provides examples of how each strategy has been applied by teachers, such as a teacher who uses online discussion forums and in-class feedback exchanges to develop student self-assessment skills. 3) The key aspects of student-centric teaching discussed are focusing on student learning over teacher teaching, helping students understand learning goals and assessments, and giving students more control over their own learning.

1. a passion for teaching
How to make your teaching
more focused on your learners
Student-centric
teaching with a
learning
platform

2. About the author
Morten Fahlvik is from Bergen, Norway, where he works as an Educational Researcher.
Trained as a teacher, Morten has taught in primary schools, been a teacher trainer and
investigated the pedagogical use of ICT at the Centre for New Media at Bergen University
College.
In many ways, it can be redundant
to talk about student-centric
teaching – all teaching should be
centred around learners. But most
educational research indicates that
the teacher’s voice still plays an
overly dominant role in teaching.
Instead, as teachers we must do
more to activate our students in the
learning process. Student-centric
teaching is one way to achieve this.
What is student-centric
teaching?
There is no simple answer to this question and
no single definition of student-centric teaching.
However, most people agree that student-centric
teaching is connected with teaching practice
that accommodates the needs of each individual
student. This includes teaching principles such as
differentiated, individualised and personalised
teaching. While these principles vary, they all
share a common trait:
the teaching is based firmly on the students
and their skills.
Focus on learning
There is seldom doubt in the classroom as to
whether or not students have been taught. What
is difficult, however, is to determine how much
students have actually learned. As a result, student-
centric teaching increasingly emphasises what
students learn over what teachers teach.
The goal of student-centric teaching is to give
students the opportunity to develop their cognitive
skills in a well-functioning learning environment,
instead of being spoon-fed knowledge, until they
become independent enough to act as their own
teachers and take control of their own learning.
A deliberate effort is required to raise students
to this level. Teachers, school principals, fellow
students and parents must all contribute and take
on new roles. For the teacher, this new role is to
ensure all students participate actively in the
learning environment and to monitor the students’
cognitive development. The question is: How can
you organise your teaching and assessment in
order to help your students become independent
and capable of developing their cognitive skills?
There is, of course, no ‘miracle cure’. The list of
student-centric teaching strategies is endless. So
this whitepaper outlines three strategies that
are relatively easy to implement and can lead to
successful student-centric teaching in a number of
teaching scenarios.
Student-centric teaching

3. Contents
4 Strategy 1
Creating a culture of student-centred
assessment and self-assessment
6 Teaching scenario
Student-centric writing lessons
8 Strategy 2
Understanding by Design and
backwards planning
10 Teaching scenario
Backwards planning and self-
assessment in chemistry classes
12 Strategy 3
Flipped learning
14 Teaching scenario
Learning the guitar in a flipped
environment
16 Conclusion
Choosing your own path to student-
centric teaching
16 References and further reading
Learn three strategies for
implementing student-centric
teaching in your classes
See examples of how these
strategies are being put into
practice by real teachers
Find a list of other literature
and resources to provide
inspiration for further work
In this
whitepaper,
you will:

4. As focus increases on the quality of feedback from
teachers to students, many schools are working
to establish good formative assessment cultures.
Nevertheless, research reveals that students only
assimilate a small proportion of the feedback they
receive. The strategy described here enables you to
shift focus from the feedback you give to how well
your students actually take on board your feedback.
In practice, you can achieve this by encouraging
your students to devote more time and energy
to reflecting on their own work. Reflection is
fundamentally self-assessment and in order for your
students to assess themselves, it is essential that
they understand the goals and success criteria of
their learning. Therefore, good assessment practice
requires that you help your students understand:
- How far their learning has progressed
- The actual goal of each lesson
- What they must do to close the gap between
their own skills and the goals they are to reach
These are not new ideas. In 1989, Royce Sadler
wrote an article titled Formative assessment and
the design of instructional systems, in which he
Strategy 1
Creating a culture of student-centred
assessment and self-assessment

5. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 5
not only describes these three conditions, but also
concludes that students must be trained to be able to
assess their own skills and progress. In other words,
students must become ‘assessment capable’ and
independent of their teachers.
The transition from exclusively teacher-generated
feedback to self-regulated students is not something
that occurs spontaneously. It is a process that demands
thorough and targeted work, and it is crucial that
students gain experience of assessing themselves and
receive help when developing good strategies for self-
assessment.
The following
scenario shows how
one teacher has
achieved this. »
...students must
become ‘assessment
capable’ and
independent of their
teachers.

6. 6
David Walton teaches English to 10 and 11-year-old students at Kibworth Primary School in
Leicestershire, England. The classroom has only one computer (with internet access), which the
teacher and students share. Nevertheless, David has developed a teaching practice that utilises
the opportunities given by itslearning, the school’s online learning platform. The scenario
described here illustrates how David and his students work to develop persuasive writing skills.
Student-centric writing lesson with David Walton
David starts the teaching process by
introducing the concept of persuasive writing
and its distinguishing features. The students
are introduced to the goal of the learning:
they are to write a letter encouraging readers
to donate money to a school in Gambia.
David and his students then examine
a selection of persuasive texts. During
breakout sessions, the students discuss which
elements in the texts are facts, opinions and
arguments. David then gives the students
two assignments that they are to begin in the
classroom and then complete at home.
Assignment 1:
David has posted a short persuasive text
in an itslearning discussion forum. In the
comments field of the forum, the students
must explain what they consider to be the
main points of the text, and make suggestions
for what the next paragraph could contain.
By using an online discussion forum, David
ensures that the comments left by the
students are visible to the rest of the class,
which essentially creates a group discussion
online.
Lesson 1:
Defining the goals and laying the groundwork
Assignment 2:
In their writing books, the students must
write the opening paragraph of their
fundraising letter for the school in Gambia.
Strategy 1
/ teaching scenario

7. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 7
Lesson 2:
Giving feedback to others
At the start of the next lesson, David briefly recaps
the previous lesson and reminds the students of the
overall goal of the class. Then, in order to ensure that all
students receive feedback on assignment 2, David uses
a method he calls: What Went Well & Even Better If.
When David mentions these familiar practises, his
students quickly take out their writing books and
swap with another student. They then assess their
fellow student’s text, giving written feedback on what
went well, as well as what could be done to make the
text better. As they do this, David walks around the
classroom, reading the students’ writing and assisting
individual students when necessary.
The class continues with a short summary about what
constitutes good feedback and some students read aloud
the feedback they have given. This helps the students
learn how to give constructive feedback and forms an
excellent basis for learning to assess oneself.
David then projects the itslearning
discussion forum (assignment
1) onto an overhead screen.
He reads some of the comments aloud and asks the
students to comment on some of the statements in the
forum. In David’s experience, some students prefer
to make comments orally in class, while others are
more comfortable making their contributions to class
discussions in writing. Combining the two different
forms in this way allows more students to play an
active role in the conversation. The students take notes
on mini-whiteboards and use these notes in the group
conversations that follow.
Over the previous two classes, the students have been
introduced to the overall goal, seen examples of good
persuasive writing and given feedback to and received
feedback from their peers. They are now ready to
finish writing their persuasive text (assignment 2). The
students do this in class and David helps individual
students when necessary.
David’s classes
include a mix of
whole group work,
work in small groups
and individual
instruction.
What Went Well & Even Better If.

8. 8
An important prerequisite for learning is that students
themselves believe that they can reach the goals that have
been set for them. One of the key tasks for teachers, therefore,
is to ensure that students understand both the content of the
teaching and its goals.
The American educational experts Grant Wiggins and Jay
McTighe have developed a framework and methodology for
planning that provides teachers with a systematic approach
to helping students understand the content and goals of
teaching. The concept is called Understanding by Design
(UbD) and, according to McTighe, there are two primary
intentions embedded in the title:
Strategy 2
- Focus on understanding (including assessment for
learning and the ability of students to demonstrate
and apply what they have learned)
- Design of appropriate teaching processes based
firmly on teaching goals
Understanding
by Design and
backwards
planning

9. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 9
UbD emphasises the
teacher’s role as the designer
of student learning. It helps
you clarify the learning objectives,
document student understanding and
develop efficient and engaging learning
activities. For many teachers, time limitations often
create a conflict between a content-rich curriculum and
established pedagogical values such as critical thinking,
creativity and the ability to cooperate with others.
This method gives you a three-step way of prioritising
activities during your planning.
Assessment is a crucial component in UbD, but it is
important to emphasise that UbD is a framework for
planning and not a teaching method. Wiggins himself
makes the point that even poor teachers can have a
good plan. As such, a good plan will not make you a
better teacher, but it will lay the foundation for better
teaching.
Backward design
{ Planning } Step 1:
Identify desired
results
What knowledge, skills
and understanding
should students have
after the teaching process
is finished?
Step 2:
Determine acceptable
evidence
What kind of evidence
of learning is needed to
understand if students
have achieved the
desired results?
Step 3:
Plan learning
experiences and
instruction
Which learning activities
should students try? What
content should they use?
How much time should
they spend?
Teaching Timeline
The following scenario shows how one teacher uses
UbD and backwards planning to ensure students
are capable of applying the knowledge and skills
they acquire. »

10. 10
Strategy 2
/ teaching scenario
Frøydis’ assessment rubric for this lesson describes three levels of achievement
Step 1:
Preparing rubrics to make students
aware of the goal
Frøydis begins by preparing
assessment criteria based on the
learning objectives/standards of the
course. These assessment rubrics are
prepared in itslearning, the school’s
online learning platform, and will
be used throughout the teaching to
ensure students are always aware
of what is expected of them. For
example, one lesson plan states:
“The goal of this lesson is for students
to be able to explain the concepts of
entropy and enthalpy and use them
to determine whether a reaction is
spontaneous.”
Low-level Mid-level High-level
Explain what
endothermic and
exothermic reactions
are. Use bond energy
to calculate and
determine whether
the reaction is
endothermic or
exothermic.
Explain entropy and
enthalpy. Know the
requirements for
spontaneous reactions.
( rH-TrS<0)
Be able to discuss rH,
T and rS to determine
whether a reaction is
spontaneous or not.
Backwards planning and self-assessment
in chemistry lessons with Frøydis Hamre
Frøydis Hamre’s chemistry lessons
at Nordahl Grieg High School in
Bergen, Norway, are distinguished
by a strong student-centric focus.
The approach ensures students are
capable of applying the knowledge
and skills they acquire and helps train
students to assess themselves. Frøydis
bases her teaching on the principle
of backwards planning and prepares
assignments and learning activities
that will lead her students to the
stated goal.

11. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 11
2 3 4
As well as providing students with
insight into what is expected of
them, the rubrics form the basis for
Frøydis’ feedback on the answers
her students submit. As students
are aware of each level, the rubrics
also show them what they have
achieved and what they need to
do to reach a higher level. These
rubrics are always available for the
students to read on itslearning.
Preparing good assessment rubrics
is challenging. They must not limit
the students’ learning and curiosity
or impair their willingness to take
chances and make mistakes. The
rubric should, therefore, focus on
making students ask themselves
three questions: How well am I
doing right now? Am I on the right
track? What do I need to do to be
better?
Of course, rubrics are not the only
way that Frøydis provides feedback.
She also gives her students
continuous feedback on what they
do in class and on the exercises they
complete.
Step 2:
Practice tests and model
answers
In order to help her students gain insight into the
different ways of formulating good answers and
solutions, Frøydis makes a variety of previous tests (and
their answer sheets) available on itslearning. Looking
through these tests is not mandatory, but many
students still do. In fact, many students actually take
the practise tests – either alone or in groups – before
they review the answers.
Step 3:
Final evaluation with
self-assessment
Frøydis’ teaching units end with a final test. However,
she had previously noted that most of her students
were only interested in the final grade and rarely read
her feedback. As the ability to reflect is crucial to self-
regulated teaching, Frøydis introduced an assessment
practice that requires her students to reflect on their
own performance and learning before they get their
grade. Briefly put, this practice is as follows:
Students receive their grades on the test.
1
Frøydis reads through
each student’s test
answers and makes
notes about their
performance.
She returns the
students’ answers
(without grades or
comments) along with
a list of suggested
solutions for each
question.
The students assess
their own answers
by comparing them
to the suggested
solutions.
The students complete
a survey in itslearning
expressing how they
think they performed
and how much they
understand about the
topic.
Students reflect
on their own
performance and
learning before they
get their grade.

12. 12
Flipped learning is commonly described as a scenario
in which students do their homework at school and
their schoolwork at home. However, flipped learning is
actually more complex and has strong student-centric
properties.
The Flipped Learning Network, an association of
teachers with experience in flipped learning, gives this
definition of the concept:
“Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which
direct instruction moves from the group learning space
to the individual learning space, and the resulting
group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive
learning environment where the educator guides
students as they apply concepts and engage creatively
in the subject matter.”
... there is much more
to flipped learning
than simply posting
learning materials
on the internet.
Strategy 3
/ FLIPPED LEARNING
It is important to note that the Flipped Learning
Network differentiates between the concepts of the
‘flipped classroom’ and ‘flipped learning’. Teaching in a
flipped classroom may lead to flipped learning, but this
is not inevitable. Many teachers have already flipped
their classrooms, so that their students read texts, watch
supplementary videos or solve assignments outside the
classroom environment. However, in order to be able
to describe your teaching as flipped learning, you must
incorporate the following four pillars:
1. Flexible learning settings (both time and space)
2. Learning culture with a student-centric focus
3. Content targeted at the goal(s) of the teaching
4. A professional teacher

13. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 13
In other words, there is much more to flipped
learning than simply posting learning materials
on the internet.
The teacher’s role in flipped
learning
The principal intention of flipped learning is to
make better use of classroom time by moving
parts of the instruction out of the classroom.
The teacher’s task, therefore, is to utilise the
opportunities and properties inherent in the
combination of the physical and online learning
arenas. You must carefully plan what students are
to do at home, and take into account how much
time students are to spend on their homework.
You must also assess the scope and difficulty of the
homework, and define ways to help students if they
reach an impasse.
How students control their own learning
Flipped learning enables students to review the teaching
material several times in order to fully understand the
concept. This enables them to learn at their own pace,
helping them become more self-regulated, which gives
them the time they need to find their own solutions
when they encounter difficulties in an assignment and
improves motivation.
The following scenario
describes how one teacher
applies this in order to provide
individualised teaching to a
large group of students with
vastly differing abilities. »

14. 14
Before teaching:
Establishing the learning
objectives
The music syllabus for students aged 12 and 13 in
Norway includes guitar lessons. At the beginning of
each unit, Kjell Rune clarifies the goals for his students
and gives them clear criteria for how to attain them.
This is done by creating an assessment rubric in
itslearning, the school’s online learning platform, that
contains the goals for the unit and assessment criteria.
The rubric clearly shows the students the learning
objectives, as well as brief descriptions of four
attainment levels: novice, beginner, expert and
advanced. All students work with the same goals and
apply the same assessment criteria.
Getting ready:
Preparing materials for use in
and outside of the classroom
Kjell Rune’s students have access to a wealth of
different assignments and teaching aids, including
video clips of Kjell Rune demonstrating specific
techniques, in a resource bank set up in itslearning.
There are many songs for the students to work with
in itslearning. Alongside each song title is a list of the
chords required, so that students can immediately see
which song they may be able to play. They can also
use iPads to access an app that displays guitar chords
and gives automatic feedback on how they are playing
them. The students can use these materials whenever
they wish. This enables them to work at their own pace
and focus on the details they need to practice.
Strategy 3
/ teaching scenario
Flipped learning in guitar lessons
with Kjell Rune Fjellheim
Kjell Rune Fjellheim teaches music at Kannik Lower Secondary School
in Stavanger, Norway, and his groups generally include students with
very different knowledge and skills. This is a challenge that teachers
face in every subject and flipped learning has enabled Kjell Rune to
overcome it.

15. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 15
During classes:
Creating the balance
between group and
individual work
As the music curriculum is broad and there is little
time, Kjell Rune thinks carefully about which elements
to cover during collective classroom instruction. His
goal is to keep this to a minimum as some students can
already play the guitar very well and basic communal
teaching would be a waste of their time. Instead, he
gives students access to the teaching resources in
itslearning so they practise in class or at home.
Kjell Rune starts each lesson by giving brief instructions
regarding goals and showing students where to find
teaching materials and practice assignments. The
students then collect
iPads and guitars
supplied by the school and
start practising. Kjell Rune
circulates round the classroom,
helping individual students as required.
Kjell Rune gives the students a host of choices, but he
also makes sure that students don’t misuse the freedom
of choice by selecting overly simple songs. He works
with individual students during class time to ensure
they are working at the right level to maintain their
incentive to learn.

16. 16

17. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 17
Conclusion
Choosing your own path to
student-centric teaching
This whitepaper highlights three teaching strategies that
you can use to increase the level of student-centricity in
your teaching. But there are many more strategies that
you can use – including Growth Mindset, Gamification,
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction and Learning
through Collaboration – and there are many paths you can
take towards more student-centric teaching. The key is to
have a broad range of strategies at your disposal, so you can
continuously assess your own teaching, check whether the
strategies you have chosen are having the desired impact,
and make adjustments to your teaching as needed.
I wish you great success in involving your students in your
teaching practice!

18. 18
References and
further reading
Flipped Learning Network (2014): Definition of
Flipped Learning, http://flippedlearning.org/cms/
lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/46/FLIP_
handout_FNL_Web.pdf
Flipped Learning Network (2014): Literature Review
on the Flipped Learning Model, http://flippedlearning.
org/cms/lib07/VA01923112/Centricity/Domain/41/
LitReview_FlippedLearning.pdf

19. Student-centric teaching with a learning platform 19
itslearning (2012): Making assessment for learning
work, http://www.itslearning.eu/whitepaper-
assessment-for-learning
itslearning (2012): Blended learning, http://www.
itslearning.eu/whitepaper-blended-learning-and-
learningplatforms
itslearning (2013): Blended classroom, http://www.
itslearning.eu/whitepaper-the-blended-classroom
itslearning (2014): Inspiring music students by using
GarageBand on iPads, http://www.itslearning.eu/
garageband-on-ipads
itslearning (2014): Flipping the classroom at
Sandgotna school, http://www.itslearning.eu/
flipping-the-classroom-at-sandgotna-school
Elisabeth Engum (2012): http://www.itslearning.eu/
the-flipped-classroom
Jay McTighe & Grant Wiggins (2012): Understanding
by Design Framework, http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/
pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_WhitePaper0312.
pdf
Hawker Brownlow Education (2013): What is
Understanding by Design? Author Jay McTighe
explains. (7 min video), https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=d8F1SnWaIfE&feature=player_
embedded#at=258
AVENUESdotORG (2013): Grant Wiggins –
Understanding by Design (1 of 2) (11 min video),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4isSHf3SBuQ
AVENUESdotORG (2013): Grant Wiggins – Video:
Understanding by Design (2 of 2) (14 min video),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgNODvvsgxM
Sadler, D.R. (1989). Formative assessment and
the design of instructional systems. Instructional
Science, 18, 119–144.
(Available online at: http://link.springer.com/
article/10.1007/BF00117714)

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