Exploring Teachers and Students as Partners in the Learning Process

Why do students frequently run to the teachers for validation of the work they are doing? Why are the students showing decreased motivation? Can students make choices in the learning process? By giving students more choices, will teachers lose control over the class? The current study explores such issues in a Delhi School. Teacher-centred environments foster excessive dependence of the students on the teachers. The shift of responsibility from teacher to learner does not exist in a vacuum. However, it results from supportive changes to the curriculum towards more learner-centred learning. This redefined role of teachers and learners stimulates a change in the age-old distribution of power and authority that has plagued the traditional classroom. However, this shift needs an enabling environment characterised by learner-centred learning processes. Learner engagement is critical in addressing tenacious instructive challenges like low achievement, high dropout rates, fatigue, and aggression.