Abstract
Student-centered learning is a pedagogical paradigm shift that is currently attracting immense attention. Questions about its exact meaning and what it would look like in practice are still difficult to answer. The objectives of this study were first, to investigate the extent of student-centered learning of biology in Japanese high schools. Secondly, to explore adaptability of the classroom practices to the Kenyan situation. A total of 31 lessons taught by four veteran (experienced) teachers and twelve student-teachers were observed and video-recoded, with a single lesson lasting 50 minutes. The video-taped lessons were then coded for the presence of predetermined categories of teaching strategy using the Teaching Strategy Observation Differential (TSOD) schedule developed by Anderson, Struthers, and James (1974). The results of the study show that the lessons are closer to being teacher-centered than to being student-centered. Two clear groups of lessons emerged; those rich in student activities (hands-on activities), and those which were expository relying mainly on lecture method.
