Fostering a Paradigm Shift from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Pedagogy

We will present the results of research designed to determine the effects of a course with a one-week field experience on the pedagogy of teachers of gifted learners. In the Creative Thinking and Problem Solving course, teachers learn about problem and project-based learning and then facilitate it with children in grades 1-9 during a field experience on a university campus. The goal is for teachers to change their practice from didactic to inquiry and to promote critical and creative thinking in their classrooms. To determine changes in teaching practice and student learning, we conducted surveys with teachers who had completed the course. Follow-up interviews were conducted with six participants. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Themes that emerged included a shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered pedagogy, improved classroom climate, change in instructional methods, and growth in teacher collaboration and leadership. Presenters will share teachers’ stories of how the experience transformed their pedagogy by giving them the “courage” to experiment with a learner-centered methodology and discuss implications of the research for teaching. Session attendees will learn the details of the field experience and how to help learners connect research to practice through field experience