Student Learning a Traditional Education

Student Learning

A traditional education begins and ends in the classroom the vast majority of the time. It is an education that is very teacher oriented; it is managed by the teacher, it is conducted by the teacher and it is and education that is almost totally dependent on the teacher's knowledge and skills. Oftentimes, the lack of knowledge or the scarcity of skills on the teacher's part can lead to a less fulfilling experience for the student, or a scenario where the student does not gain a comprehensive knowledge of what the course is supposedly providing. The traditional education differs greatly from the student-centered education in concept, development and implementation. An education that is student-centered is one that the student will oftentimes find to be much more comprehensive in scope due to the fact that the student is able to guide the entire process (with teacher input) from deciding the educational objectives, to determining a learning timeframe, to understanding the subject matter. My belief is that the student-centered learning is a much more efficient use of the student's (and teacher's) time, efforts and is very conducive to achieving the educational goals and objectives. Having experienced both a traditional approach and a student-centered approach, the student-centered approach is a much more viable one for the student (like myself) who wishes to both work at a speed that is more conducive to learning as well as garnering information that is more relevant to what it is I wish to gain knowledge in. I enjoy student-centered learning because of the information I am attempting to acquire but doubt very much that my feelings would change if the information was more fact-based instead of theory or linguistic based.

One recent study determined that "the majority of organizations would report that they are aware of the benefits of having a diverse workforce" (Cordero, Kottke, 2007, p. 2) and the student-centered education seems to provide that type of diversity by focusing on the student's needs, not on rote memorization. As an example; a recent classroom experience using the student-centered approach allowed the students to determine what type of care would be most effective in a health care scenario.

The students were asked to examine a case study and determine a treatment method for recovery. Each student was to present the situation based on their specific area of interest. The varied responses by the different students assisted all the participants by providing a much more comprehensive approach to the healing of the patient.

Another example of the effectiveness of the student-centered educational process is when the student is asked to examine the relevant goals and objectives of a specific course of study. This can be especially essential in gaining a perspective in nursing or nursing theories.

Most individuals understand, and desire, the benefits that can be derived from an education.