Getting Out of the Way: A Strategy for Engaging Students in Collaborative Learning

The author describes what has been entailed in a shift from a teacher‐centered approach — one which relied on her expertise in Chinese studies — to a more student‐centered approach in which the teacher creates a learning environment and seeks to “get out of the way” of student learning. She describes concrete strategies for de‐centering herself and empowering students, and discusses the roles and responsibilities of the teacher in this alternative model.