The Path to Student-Centered Teaching in Gerontology and Geriatrics

Abstract

Student- or learner-centered teaching has an historical context--it is old and new. This article traces the path that has brought us full circle to once again concentrating on student learning instead of teacher teaching--from the era of learning being restricted to the wealthy and privileged, to today where learning institutions are inclusive. Three pressures are identified and discussed that have been the catalysts for reevaluating teaching methods in higher education: assessment of teaching and learning at the institutional level, generational differences between instructor and student, and a better understanding of how students learn. The rubric is examined as a method of assessing student progress in a student-centered environment. These are then related to the teaching of gerontology and geriatrics where students and teachers alike have a distinct edge over other content areas where the practicum experience is not part of the educational fabric.

Towards an inpatient diabetes curriculum: medical student‐generated aims, objectives and methods for ward‐based learning of non‐critical, non‐perioperative inpatient diabetes care

“…Students have valuable insight to offer faculty and it was an eye-opening experience for the authors as the generated content exceeded expectations both in breadth and depth. The advantages of designing student-centred learning have been documented in multiple disciplines [25][26][27][28]. These advantages can be augmented by incorporating studentgenerated learning which has been shown to produce an excellent match with faculty objectives [29] while leading to better self-directed learners [30].…”