Learner-centredness and Teacher-educators in India: A case study of a Teacher-educator at a District Institute of Education and Training

ABSTRACT Learner-centred education (LCE) has gained firm policy support for school education in India to change from the prevalent teacher-led practice to one in which the learner is actively involved. It has been suggested... [ view full abstract ]

ABSTRACT
Learner-centred education (LCE) has gained firm policy support for school education in India to change from the prevalent teacher-led practice to one in which the learner is actively involved. It has been suggested that this shift calls for new ways of teaching and learning. However, there is little published research on prevalent practices in Indian teacher-educators’ classrooms in teacher-training institutes.
This small-scale case study seeks to provide insights into the learner-centredness of a teacher-educator in her conception and practice and how a District Institute of Education Training (DIET) in India supports LCE as recommended by the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (2009) and international discourse.
The research was ethnographically led with data collected from classroom observations, semi-structured interviews and a group discussion, and analysed thematically. The study was influenced by the theoretical framework provided by the Activity Theory that underlines the importance of interactions between the principal, teacher-educators, students, rules, facilities, systems, processes and environment at the DIET.
This research report provides a qualitative overview of the learner-centredness of a teacher-educator in her classroom by using a rubric tool developed for the purpose. The study found that while the teacher-educator’s own beliefs and experience influence her to become a learner-centred teacher, the teacher education institute also plays a crucial role in influencing and developing her understanding of LCE in theory and practice. This has implications for the professional development of teacher-educators and systemic changes needed in teacher education institutes adopting LCE to develop learner-centred primary school teachers.