Empower: What Happens When Student Own Their Learning

by John Spencer

When we empower students, the fourteen thousand hours have a new purpose. It’s not all about what we want students to learn, it is about what they learn through their choices in what they do (create, build, design, make, evaluate).

engagement as the merging of two key factors: high attention and high commitment.

standards should not hold you back from creating an empowering learning environment.

“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Education is the bridge to so many opportunities for our learners. We must step aside as the gatekeepers and instead move next to our learners to take the journey together.

Limitations often inspire more creativity. They become the creative constraint that leads to innovative breakthroughs.

Studying photosynthesis in class? Give students a variety of content choices to learn the basics, then ask them to demonstrate their knowledge through making a video, giving an oral presentation, conducting a podcast interview, or creating an infographic (using paper or computer). Choice dictates a sense of ownership and autonomy, even when presented with limitations.

Yet the problem is that we often fail to encourage students to try new things and instead demand that they try new things. It may sound like a small difference, but let me tell you, it has huge ramifications. Encouraging expands options and affirms student agency. Demanding limits options and pushes compliance.

reinvent school, we don’t need to scrap the entire system. We don’t need to start from scratch. We don’t need to throw away what has worked. Instead, we need to change our focus from rigor to vigor.

If being a self-starter is all about sparking innovation in the midst of chaos, self-management is all about knowing how to stick to deadlines and routines. Students need to be self-managers.

We often use the expression “self-directed learners” to describe a similar mindset. That phrase encompasses being both a self-starter and a self-manager.

Students will take initiative when something matters to them. This sounds simple, but it’s actually a challenge. It requires teachers to tap into students’ interests and passions.

Carve out time in your schedule where students can self-start on their own learning.

when you see those moments of self-direction, celebrate it! Those little habits lead to that self-starting mindset.

Self-managers are able to take a larger task and break it down into sub-tasks and eventually deadlines. They can think realistically about what is needed in terms of time, resources, and concrete actions. This is a critical piece of project management. It requires students to see the big picture, the details, and the complex relationship between the two.

Innovation isn’t change for the sake of change. It’s driven by a sense of purpose and meaning. It’s what happens when you say, “There’s got to be a better way,” and then you experiment and take creative risks to see what happens. It’s what happens when you ask, “Why not?” and challenge the status quo because there is a problem you care deeply about, and you’re determined to solve it.

In an empowered classroom, we can help students distinguish between plagiarism and inspiration. We can help them figure out how to use a work as a starting point but then take creative risks and modify what already exists. It’s critical that they understand issues around Copyright and Fair Use, but it should be something addressed as a learning experience rather than a punitive measure.

When students own the assessment process, they are able to figure out the following: What they already know (prior knowledge) What they don’t know (areas of improvement) What they want to master (their goals) What they will do to improve (action plan)

Empowered students are able to set goals, monitor their own progress, and determine which types of assessments they will use for specific outcomes. Instead of seeing assessment as a dirty word, they embrace it as a vital part of the learning cycle. It becomes a tool they will use to improve.

What if our lessons, projects, units, and assignments were adjustable? What if our rules, procedures, and structures were flexible? What if students felt the permission to modify things on their own? What if we adapted the system for the students rather than forcing the students to fit into the system?

Students aren’t always used to the sheer amount of choice you’re providing. You may need to teach students how to select the right intervention and enrichment, how to access the scaffolding, how to manage their own projects, and how to make decisions when they feel stuck.