In this article, I describe the personal challenges encountered in making the transition from a long career in management to teaching. Through this experience, I came to construct my own meaning of student centeredness, learning to examine many of my assumptions about teaching and students. Drawing from my experience and the literature on adult learning, collaborative learning, and human development, I describe my understanding of student centeredness as that which goes beyond teaching technique to being fully present with my students and coming to understand them as people who bring to their learning their unique backgrounds and experiences.
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