Making every student an Active learner

Greetings my friends!
Have you ever looked at your lesson planning and realized that it is based on "I".  For  example, I will do a demonstration, then I will present information, then I will ask questions, and finally I will close my lesson.  The problem with this type of planning is that it doesn't reflect the students.  It is not about the teacher but about the students.  In order to have a student centered classroom, you need to have active participation from all your students.  It is having a gauge in the classroom where you can tell if the students understand so you can move on.  Perhaps you need to slow down and re-teach or perhaps you need to quicken the pace.  If the students are not actively involved then you as the teacher have not received the feedback essential for engaging students in the learning process. One of the main reasons for student failure is the teacher presumed the students understood.  "I taught therefore he learned" is the most common mistake a teacher can make.  As professionals, we need to make sure our students are learning by creating classrooms centered on active learners.  By asking for their feedback during our lessons, we can adjust to the students' needs.  Here is a method to try to gauge student learning.  It is based on facial expressions.  On the first day of class, have students draw 3 different faces either on index cards or small pieces of paper. One expression per side of a piece of paper or index card.  The first card is a happy face, the second face is sad, and the third face is to show some confusion.  As the lesson progresses, the students flip the card to show how they are feeling regarding the content.  The teacher by moving around the classroom has a visual representation of her students' progress towards the content.  She can then adjust her teaching to meet the needs of her students.  Once the cards are made, the students keep them and can use  them during every lesson. (If you attended the seminar at Peace House during June, this is very similar to using  red light, yellow light, green light.)   I'll post pictures of the cards as soon as my students make them.  Until next time,
Donna