ISU instructors are looking to further their students’ involvement in the classroom with learner-centered teaching, a method to tailor lessons to specific audiences.

Scott Chadwick, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, learned about learner-centered teaching while reading books in an effort to improve his own teaching methods.

He said the idea of the method is to teach according to the students’ needs.

Chadwick said learner-centered teaching is a more appropriate form of teaching than teacher-centered teaching, because teaching should be for the students, not for the teachers.

“If the goal is to get students to learn, then the more methods you can use that students like, the more you’ll be effective,” he said.

Steve Jungst, professor of forestry, also uses the learner-centered method in his classes.

“The emphasis [of learner- centered teaching] is on learning, not on teaching,” he said.

Corly Brook, associate vice provost at the Center for Teaching Excellence, said learner-centered teaching is effective.

“We learn best by doing, so the more actively involved the learner is, the more likely significant learning will occur,” she said.

The methodology of learner-centered teaching has developed through K-12 schools, Brook said, and is now looked at as the best process of learning.

“It has become a trend in higher education,” she said.

Jungst said he believes learner-centered teaching is a way for students to become further involved in his classes.

“Learner-centered teaching involves students directly instead of just lecturing to them,” he said.

While learner-centered teaching is very effective, its success depends on the environment of the classroom, Chadwick said.

“Learner-centered teaching can be done in large lectures and small classes, but it depends on the students,” he said.

Chadwick has earned various awards for his approach in teaching, such as the Iowa State University Foundation Award for Early Achievement in Teaching in March 2000 and Iowa State University Faculty Member of the Year, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1999. He was nominated for the Central States Communication Association Outstanding New Teacher in 1999.