Whose learning is it anyway?

When my students, rather than using their initiative, ask me what to do or how I want them to do something, I often respond by asking ‘Who owns your learning’?

These posts got me thinking this week, on related topics…

Against the Wind by @Nunavut_Teacher

DB talks about his efforts to abandon the ‘total control’ mindset that many teachers have. One of the ways he began the transition to a more student centred class, was to ask himself ‘Is it important?’ before responding to students’ simple day-to-day requests. Letting go is just as difficult for those of us used to being in control for years, as it is for less experienced teachers still trying to ‘gain control’ in their classrooms. Starting off as DB does, with asking ourselves ‘ Is it important?’ seems to be a step in the right direction. I blogged recently about ways to get your students to take responsibility for their own learning.

The Hive by @mrs_honeysett

In this candid, reflective post, Michelle talks about the the fact that her practice doesn’t always reflect her beliefs about teaching and learning. She admits to sometimes doing things because that’s the way she was taught. How many of us do things in the classroom without thinking about the reasons, because we have always done them that way?! I’ve blogged about this before in relation to Simon Sinek’s TED talk ‘Start with Why’.

The Wejr Board by @MrWejr

In his post about a student designed curriculum, Chris describes how students’ needs and suggestions were taken into consideration in developing a girls PE program. The post shows students as key players in their own learning. (Sounds obvious, doesn’t it?) It further highlights the need to move away from the idea of teacher (or admin) in control of all learning situations. And it demonstrates the power of not just considering the ‘why’ before doing things, but including the students in the decision making process…