Previous studies have reported that student achievement improves with student-centered instruction, but this has not yet been quantified, and the relationship between student learning and the use of active learning strategies has not yet been reported for geoscience courses. Using newly designed lessons in introductory geoscience courses taught by four faculty at separate US public institutions, we compare student learning gains for three categories of instruction (student-centered, transitional, and teacher-centered). The style of instruction is measured by direct observations using RTOP and COPUS observation protocols. Student learning is measured with two paired sets of questions; one compares students' responses on exam questions with those at the start of the semester; the second compares clicker question responses at the start and end of the class period when the lesson was taught. Pre- and post-instruction surveys also ask students to rate their interest in the lesson topic. Post-instruction surveys additionally ask students to report perceptions of their learning. We developed five new introductory geoscience lessons and report here on results for the Critical Minerals lesson. Student learning in the Critical Minerals lesson was greater when instruction was observed in the student-centered category than the teacher-centered category. Student learning gains are higher for exams than for clicker questions. A quantitative assessment of the extent of student learning will compare incremental instructional changes from teacher-centered to student-centered categories of instruction.