Breaking with Tradition: Preparing Faculty to Teach in a Student-Centered or Problem-Solving Environment

Abstract This article views all educational approaches as either traditional (teacher-centered) or non-traditional (learner-centered), with not much emphasis placed on differentiating between the non-traditional models. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impediments to changing one's approach to teaching and some strategies to overcome those impediments. We will also focus our attention on those educators who seek to change from a traditional approach to a more non-traditional approach to teaching. The three main sources of resistance described are the students, the administration, and the individual attempting the change. The rest of the paper describes strategies and actions to deal with the resistances encountered.