13 General introduction 1 Learning-centred education versus teaching-centred education Learning-centred education, more often referred to as student-centred or learnercentred education, has been defined in various ways.e.g.1,14,29,31-33 As a starting definition for this research, we have opted for the definition of Bremner,34 because of its clarity and completeness. It states that learning-centred education is ‘a teaching approach in which learners cease to be passive receivers of knowledge and become active participants in their own learning process; learning is contextualised, meaningful, and based, wherever possible, around learners’ prior knowledge, needs and interests; finally, learning is dialogic and democratic, and learners have control with regards to what and how they learn.’ A learning-centred educational approach is in line with the concepts of self-regulated learning and life-long learning. Small group teaching sessions can be effective in encouraging students to construct their own meaning of the subject matter, and increase their conceptual understanding through active participation and collaboration.35 Learning-centred education is the opposite of teaching-centred education, in which the teacher determines what is being taught and how it is to be learned. In teaching-centred education, formal lectures are important activities, and the students are more passive recipients of the knowledge presented. In this research we prefer ‘learning-centred’ education over ‘learner-centred’ education since in the discourse on educators’ beliefs about teaching and learning several studies emphasise that in learning-centred beliefs the focus is on the learning of the learner rather than on the learner themselves.e.g.16,27,36 Definition and characteristics of educational beliefs Beliefs can be defined as ‘psychologically held understandings, premises and propositions about the world that are felt to be true.’20 Although there are still many discussions about the concept of ‘educational beliefs,’ the following characteristics are generally agreed upon in the educational research literature.17,20,28,34,37-39 Educational beliefs are generally deeply-rooted through the strong influence of teachers’ own (early) experiences as learners. They are resistant to change, even though change over time is achievable in response to significant experiences. Educational beliefs can sometimes be consciously present in the ‘foreground,’ but can also be unconsciously in the ‘background’ at other times. They are generally seen as key factors in influencing teaching practice, but nevertheless the relationships between beliefs and practices are complex and there are many cases where educators’ beliefs do not match their practice. Educators’ educational beliefs can concern all areas which are relevant to education. In this research we focus on educators’ beliefs about teaching and learning, and their beliefs about being a teacher, the latter of which we refer to as ‘perspectives on being a teacher.’
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw