Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 15: What Is the Teacher’s Educational Background?

“Teacher-Centered: Education in the subject matter being taught is preferred, especially for high school teachers. There is less concern with the teacher’s knowledge of methods of teaching than with knowledge and expertise in the specific subject matter.

Student-Centered: The teacher’s master of subject matter is considered less important than an understanding of child and adolescent development, and how to stimulate and encourage student’s creativity and self-expression.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.