Running head: UNDERSTANDING THE CLASSROOM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Understanding the Classroom Learning Environment
Mohmmed Aldaghri
800752195
Western Kentucky University

UCC-200

Learner-Centered Approach

Learner-Centered Approach

Teacher-Centered
Approach

Teacher-Centered
Approach

After I went throw the chart that explain the different characteristics of the teacher-centered approach and the learner-centered approach, I choice this point in the continuum for the classrooms culture in Saudi Arabia. The point was at the teacher-centered end of the spectrum because the different characteristics of the teacher-centered approach describe more the classrooms culture in Saudi Arabia.
The teachers in Saudi Arabia preferred lecturing as a teaching methods, this might be because that the teachers had a plan that was assigned by the ministry of education for each course and by lecturing the teacher will have more chance to cover the course in time, and if he/she did not cover the course it will be hard for the student to understand the course of the following year. Some of class that had shorter course subjects the teacher tries to use different methods to teach.
In the classroom the instructor’s role is to clarify and interpret the written text and to direct the learning process. The learner’s role is to listen to lectures, taking notes, read the assigned texts and memorize it, and this explains the teacher-centered approach in the two characteristics, instructor’s role and the learner’s role.

Two others characteristics from the chart are who directs the learning process and the use of the computer, because of the big number of the students in one class room and the long course in on school semester the teachers preferred not to use the computers in the class room unless it was necessary and the instructor will directs the learning process, but I had some class when the teacher will take our class to the computer lap and he will asks to look in the internet for more information about the topic that we are taking in class and then we will share it together.
When I was in high school the evaluation methods was the written/oral exams and homework’s. In the university was also the same but add to that we points for participation or papers for some of the majors, for example the Arabic language or Islamic studies. I had some of my classes in the university where we had to make group presentations also. But overall the desired outcomes were based on the memorization of the texts and absorb knowledge.
Who conducts evaluation is one of the aspects on the chart, when I was in high school our instructors had to evaluate the students by the writing the report or by the grades. Also when I was in the university it was the same but the students had to evaluate the instructors by the end of each semester.
If I had to compare between the classes in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. which is comparing between the teacher-centered approach and the learner-centered approach, I think the learner-centered will be more right and suitable to the students. That will make him understand the subject more clearly but it might take long time using the different methods and this might lead to not finishing the course on time.