Student-centeredness (SC) is the en vogue concept in curriculum design nowadays, and a reality check is needed. If SC is defined in terms of a purely student-led problem-solving approach, problems
with the application of SC in an NE Asian context can be framed in terms of four large issues: first, the effect on teachers in terms of lower student respect, depersonalization, employment attrition, and decreased expertise; second, the mismatch of learning styles due to student-led dislike of group-work, which leads to ineffective group formation, heightened by an avoidance of conflict and therefore
shallow discussion; third, the self-selection of familiar topics to avoid local and textbook-designed socio-cultural taboos, which potentially leads to greater and potentially-problematic teacher-led social activism, converging together against the local status quo; fourth, the self-selection of easy tasks, which lowers performance standards, limits the amount of topic coverage due to time inefficiencies, and obscures achievement when learning goals are not specified a priori. These issues are interspersed with suggestions for situating SC more favorably within an NE Asian context. |