To develop communicative competence—the ability to use the language to accomplish communication goals—learners need to be actively involved in using the language themselves as much as possible. For this reason, language teaching needs to focus on the learner and the learning process, following an approach known as learner-centered instruction.

In this approach, instruction treats the learner as an active participant in the learning process. Learners define learning goals, identify their preferred learning styles, and choose learning strategies. The teacher provides guidance on what makes a learning goal both realistic enough to be achievable and challenging enough to be interesting. The teacher also helps the learners understand which learning strategies will support achievement of their learning goals.

In learner-centered instruction, the teacher creates a learning environment that has three important characteristics:

  • In the classroom, learners attend to models provided by the teacher (input) and then build on those models as they use language themselves (output).
  • The teacher facilitates learning by scaffolding instruction in ways that support skill development while promoting learner autonomy.
  • Classroom activities incorporate situations that learners are planning to or likely to encounter when using the language outside the classroom.

Learner-centered instruction encourages learners to take responsibility for their own language skill development and helps them gain confidence in their ability to learn and use the language. Teachers support learners by devoting some class time to non-traditional activities, including teaching learners how to use learning strategies, how to use available tools and resources, and how to reflect on their learning and evaluate their progress.

Language teachers who are new to learner-centered instruction sometimes make the mistake of thinking that if they put learners in groups to work on activities, their teaching will automatically be learner centered. However, learner-centered instruction is not about specific teaching techniques, whether lectures or drills or group tasks. Learner-centered instruction is about the questions that a teacher asks when preparing to teach. In teacher-centered instruction, the teacher asks, What am I going teach in class tomorrow, and how am I going to teach it? In learner-centered instruction, the teacher asks, What are my learners going to learn tomorrow, and how are they going to know that they have learned it?

Many learners have had experience with learner-centered instruction and expect it to be used in their classrooms. Learners who are accustomed to more traditional teacher-centered instruction may resist the learner-centered model at first because it expects them to be more involved in the learning process. However, when they discover that learner-centered instruction enables them to develop real-world language skills while having fun, they usually become enthusiastic participants.

Examples of Learner-Centered Programs

Background Resources on Learner-Centered Instruction

The learner-centered approach to teaching grows out of the educational philosophy known as social constructivism, which emphasizes the active role of the learner in the learning process. Early proponents of the constructivist nature of education include Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner, Maria Montessori, and John Dewey.

Summaries of these theorists’ contributions to constructivism are available here: