Instructor/Facilitation Assessment

Source: Center of Excellence for Careers in Education

Check the item that most nearly describes an instructor’s

interaction with you as a student that reflects a more learner-
centered approach.

_____1.The instructor is clear when he/she tells me what

to do.
_____2.The instructor’s questions are helpful in assisting me in making
decisions.
_____3. The instructor meets class on time.
_____4. The instructor’s availability schedule is posted.
_____5. The instructor works effectively with me one on one.
_____6. The instructor always meets with the class as a whole.
_____7. The instructor always offers me options rather than telling me
what to do.
_____8. The instructor makes corrections to my work that are clear and
gives me direction.
_____9. The instructor’s interactions with me, have helped me become
a better problem solver.
_____10. The instructor always has the right answer.
_____11. The instructor always gives me several suggestions to
choose from.
_____12. The instructor solves problems for me.
_____13. The instructor lets me work problems out for myself.
_____14. The instructor is more like a band conductor than an advisor.
_____15. The instructor is more like a coach than a director.
_____16. The instructor is a good listener.
_____17. The instructor’s instructions are helpful.
_____18. The instructor uses “What if you ....” statements rather than
“ You should do this...”
_____19. The instructor is good at finding answers to my questions.
_____20. I always feel that the project is mine and I am responsible for
thinking it through.
_____21. I can count on the instructor coming up with the right idea
if I am stuck.
_____22. The instructor values my ability to figure things out for
myself.
_____23. My instructor values me following his/her instructions.
_____24. The instructor shares with me his/her thinking.
_____25. I have no idea how the instructor solves problems.
_____26. The instructor sets all the timelines for meeting deadlines.
_____27. I am responsible for the timelines for meeting deadlines.
_____28. The instructor comes to class with prepared class activities.
_____29. The instructor builds the class activity around student’s
 questions and concerns.
_____30. The instructor gives suggestions as to where I can find
information.
_____31. The instructor will find information for me.
_____32. The instructor encourages me to discover things for myself.
_____33. The instructor answers my questions in a way easy for me to
understand.
_____34. The instructor answers my questions with questions.
_____35. The instructor always has the right answer.

After carefully answering the Instructor Facilitation assessment, refer to the answer key
posted at the end of the analysis section.

Let us now begin to deeply reflect on your response to

the assessment. Try to briefly answer to each question.

1. What do you consider as the most noticeable practice of a

learner- centred instructor?

2. What do you also observe as the most noticeable practice of the

teacher-centred instrutor?
_________________________________________

3. If you had a more learner-centered instructor, how would feel

about your learning experience under those circumstances?

4. On the other hand, if you had a more teacher-centred instructor,

how would you feel about your learning experience under such
circumstances?.

To know more about the essential features of Learner-Centred Pedagogy, let us now
turn to the next section.

Answer Key to Instructor/Facilitation Assessment

The following item identify learning-centered facilitation behaviors of
an instructor.: (2, 4, 6, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 32, 34)

Learner Centered Pedagogical Approaches

According to this image of teaching and learning, the ideal classroom for the 21 st
century learners will no longer be one in which 30-50 students are always listening to
the teacher or silently working on their own. Although contemporary teaching practices
still involve lecture, drill, and practice, students need to be trained to work in
alternative arrangements such as:

 talking to each other in small and large groups

 making public their personal knowledge and beliefs
 constructing and testing their knowledge with peers and teachers.

Among the popular instructional approaches that have been extensively researched for
more than two decades are the Cooperative Learning Approach, Differentiated
Instruction Approach, and the Personalized Learning Approach. A comparison of
these 3 pedagogical approaches along with the traditional approach is shown in the
table below using the 5 essential elements of Learner-Centered Pedagogy by Weimer.

Table 1
A Comparison of Teaching Approaches

Elements Traditional Cooperative Differentiated Personalized

Instructional Learning Instructional Learning
Approach Approach approach Approach

Balance of Dominant Dominant More choices Mostly reliant

Power teachers teachers given to students on on student
based on their motivation,
Minor role Empowered ability levels and engagement,
learners students teams for interest interest
learning

Function of Imposed a Same content Differentiated Flexible

content highly processed by content in terms curriculum
structured students in of difficulty content
curriculum groups, fixed levels, more according
content in a timeline of flexible pace of personalized
 fixed pace and learning learning learning paths,
timeline of highly flexible
learning pace of learning

Role of Knowledge Facilitator Designer of Collaborator/co-

teacher Expert of learning tasks differentiated creator of
Authoritarian done in learning tasks to knowledge
classroom collaborative accommodate
manager peer-group readiness, profile
settings and interest of
students

Responsibi Students are Learning is co- Learning co- Students design

lity for expected to fully created by created with individualized
Learning understand students in group students in group learning plans to
knowledge settings settings achieve mastery
passed on by of targeted
their teachers learning
outcomes

Cooperative Learning Approach (CLA)

The Cooperative learning Approach (CLA) started becoming popular in the 1990’s in
an attempt to move away from traditional pedagogical approach that relied heavily on
uniform instruction for a large-sized classroom. The CLA used the social
interdependence theory, which proposes that the behavioral outcomes of a person are
affected by their own and others' actions. Said theory became the framework for
designing teaching-learning activities in peer group settings.

Johnson and Johnson (1994) described five factors that influence the effectiveness of
cooperation in classrooms which are shown in the figure below.

Figure 1
Five Factors for an Effective Cooperative Learning Approach

Individual
Positive Interpersonal Promotive Group
& Group
Interdependence Skills Interaction Processing
Accountability
Positive Interdependence.
 Students commit to personal success as well as the success of every member of
the group. If students are having difficulties, their group mates are there to
support them.

 Positive interdependence can also promote motivation to learn, because

students are learning not just for themselves but also for the benefit of their
groups.

 Working in groups involved sharing information helping each other in doing

the group task so that they progress together.

Individual and group accountability.

 The group is accountable for achieving its goals, and each member must be
accountable for contributing a fair share of the work toward the group goal

Interpersonal and small group skills.

 Group members learn how to how to apply teamwork skills that has
collaborative leadership, making fair decisions,
 Students also develop friendship by building trust, communicating freely, and
resolving conflict.

Promotive Interaction
 Students promote each other's success by sharing resources or information that
will help every member.

 Peers take time to encourage, and praise each other's efforts to learn.

Group Processing
 Group members need to feel free to communicate openly with each other to
express concerns as well as to celebrate accomplishments.

 Learners take time to monitor and discuss how well they are achieving their
goals and maintaining effective working relationships.

 Students frequently reflect and discuss on how well they are achieving their
goals and work to maintain effective working relationships.

Differentiated Instructional Approach (DIA)

The pedagogical concept of differentiation as opposed to uniform instruction was first

popularized by Carol Ann Tomlinson with her book How to Differentiate
Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, published in 1995. In Tomlinson’s 2nd
edition in 2014, she described teachers in differentiated classes as using time flexibly,
applying a range of instructional strategies, and becoming partners with their students
so that both what is learned and the learning environment are shaped to authentically
support the learning process of the student.

In DI approach, teachers usually differentiate their teaching by modifying three

aspects in his/her classroom practice. Each aspect of practice is presented below with
examples on how each is applied in actual teaching practice.

Figure 2
Differentiating 3 Aspects of Pedagogy

Content Process Product

lessons that students learn teaching-learning activities performance of students

that help students to learn

Differentiating Content
 The most important part is to diagnose the learners’ prior knowledge so as to
determine his/her readiness to learn new content. In fact, diagnostic assessments
form the foundation for designing differentiated teaching-learning activities to
better construct or build upon students’ prior knowledge.

 Via differentiation, teachers respond proactively to differences in students'

knowledge, skills, learning styles, interests, and cognitive needs in order to create
multiple access points to content.

 Teachers may differentiate several learning tasks or pathways within the same
lesson that match the needs of specific students or student groups.

 Teachers should hold all students to the same expectations and goals related to
mastery of essential content but may utilize different techniques and modified
activities to help each student meet outlined objectives (Bondie, Dahnke & Zusho,
2019).

Differentiating Process
 Teachers utilize whole-class, small-group, and individual explorations. Students
are allowed to work with peers who show similar academic needs at a given
time.

 Students of mixed readiness are also allowed to work together so that they may
draw upon the strengths of others.

 Students may also choose to work with classmates who have similar interests or
learning styles or even collaborate with those who have different interests or
 learning style profile.

 Students themselves sometimes decide on their work groups and arrangements,

and sometimes teachers also decide.

 Teachers may also use technology to create blended learning classrooms that
allow for multiple leveled activities and centers.

Differentiating Product

 Flexibility in the work products and performances that students complete to

demonstrate newly acquired knowledge or skills supports accurate evaluation of
students' capabilities while also allowing students to leverage their strengths to
achieve the same standards as their peers.

 Assessments can be implemented before, during, and after instruction to

monitor student progress relative to differentiated instruction.

 Create and implement assessments that accurately measure competencies,

analyze assessment results to identify students who are below mastery level

 Students are provided with alternative ways to act skillfully and demonstrate
what they know

Personalized Learning Approach (PLA)

In personalized Learning systems, instead of counting the number of hours students are
in their seats, students move through coursework and graduate based on their ability to
show they have mastered the material

The United States National Education Technology Plan 2017 defines personalized
learning as follows:

Personalized learning refers to instruction in which the pace of learning and the
instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner. Learning objectives,
instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may all vary
based on learner needs.

Personalized learning is a progressively student–driven model where students deeply

engage in meaningful, authentic, and rigorous challenges to demonstrate desired
outcomes (Zmuda, Curtis & Ullman, 2015). Four design elements have been associated
to the personalization movement (Olofson et. al, 2018) which are shown in the Figure
3.
 Figure 3
Design Elements of Personalized Learning Approach

Competency-based Personalized
Graduation Requirements Learning Plans

4 Design Elements
Student Ownership Flexible Learning
And Agency Pathways

Flexible Pathways
 Learning activities must be meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their
interests, and often are self-initiated.

 Students are provided the opportunity to choose in-school and out-of-school

learning modalities that are attuned to their socio-economic capability, interests
and needs.

Personalized Learning Plans

 Learning plans are co-crafted by students with their parents and teachers which
best suit their needs, interests, and abilities. This plan creates a customized
approach that uniquely responds to the ability and interest profile of the learner.

 Students are encouraged to identify their own interests, passions, and strengths
and integrate these, in partnership with educators, into meaningful learning
experiences with clear goals.

Competency-Based Graduation Requirements

 Competency standards are made clear to students at the beginning of the course
as well as and how these are to be assessed at the end.

 Teachers must continuously assess student learning against clearly defined

standards and goals and students’ input into the assessment process is essential.

 Students must also have access to real-time feedback and performance data for
self-monitoring.

Student Ownership and Agency

 Teacher refrains from imposing or fully controlling the pathways of learning.
Instead, student and teacher collaborates in designing learning activities that
will help them meet the competency based-graduation requirements.

 Students will work with the teacher to develop a challenge, problem, or idea
clarify learning goals, envision the assessment, and create a personal learning
 plan.

 Ownership within the context of personalized learning also requires students to

set, monitor, and reflect on their personal progress towards their set learning
goals. This is a way to empower them with ownership over their own work and
progress.

The table below provides a list of commonly applied teaching strategies under CLA,
DIA and PLA.

Table 2
Teaching Strategies According to Approach

Traditional Cooperative Differentiated Personalized

Instructional Learning Instructional Learning
Approach Approach Approach Approach

Lecture Thin-Pair-Share Tiered Lessons Team Wikis

Teacher-demo Jigsaw II Choice Boards Group Blogs
Drills Team-Game- Graphic Organizers Personal Vlogs
Recitation Tournaments Web-Quests Discussion Threads
Student Report (TGT) Learning Logs Chat Groups
Role Play Student-Teams Learning Contracts Polling
Games Achievement Gallery Walk Project e-Portfolio
Division (STAD)
Numbered Heads
Inside-Outside
circle

In summary, as you progress from a beginning career stage educator into a

distinguished career stage teacher, you will definitely grow in your teaching
competencies in using a Learner-Centered Pedagogical Approach which now favors
heavily on the Personalized learning Approach. This is primarily due to the availability
of education technology tools that can be accessed by both students and teachers alike.