How to Empower Students Ownership of Learning in the Classroom

Introduction

Empower Student learning means students own their learning. They have a meaningful voice in the process and must make critical choices along the way. Instead of following a recipe, they help create a path toward the learning destination. Empowered students are fully invested, intrinsically motivated, and control their own outcomes. When students are empowered, they learn at a much higher level and gain the skills needed for future success.

The goal of students’ ownership of learning is to regain control over their own learning by giving them agency and choice. They must realize that they possess the knowledge (i.e., learning) that will allow them to be empowered and confident in controlling their own lives and engaging with their choices. When students OWN their learning, THEY are making their own choices, asking questions and making decisions on their own. It is about them making a roadmap for learning, with the support of another, helping them create their own map.

Ownership of Learning

“Empower Students Through Creativity and Choice” article includes three key areas: rise to the top academic
knowledge, transferable skills, and social emotional skills.
We know academic achievement is important, because it can provide a strong foundation, and is the mission of
K-12 schools. But is it enough?
Employers are looking for skills from employees, like the ability to communicate, collaborate, create and think
critically. These core transferable skills should be woven into lessons in every subject area.
The last key area is social emotional skills. Now a days, social emotional skills are essential to student success,
because they empower students to work through their struggles, manage their emotions, stick to a task, and understand how their behavior impacts others.
These three key areas support and empower student success, like the three legs of a stool. Without all three legs,
The stool will not stand. However, with a strong foundation in each of these three areas, our students will have a
stable base that can support and empower them throughout their college, career, and personal lives.

How to Promote and Sustain ownership of
learning

In the Teacher Clarity website, I will discuss how teachers can enhance students’ ownership and autonomy by
removing themselves from the center of attention, decision-making, and authority by showing:
When learning is organized to build ownership and autonomy, what does it look like?
When the learning process allows ownership and autonomy, what does it entail?
When students can think about and apply themselves to what they learn, students can do what?

Conclusion

Teacher Clarity is a work in progress.

I invite you to explore my website and pick an idea that resonates with you.

Good News! 

My role at Confianza as contributor will also include my website. You will see my older blogs and newer ones on the Confianza Website.

The purpose is to see if we can use some of your other blogs you write for your website and “cross-post” as we’ve done in the past. You are a prolific writer, and Confianza’s audience can learn a lot from you. 

Sarah Bernadette Ottow (She/Her/Hers)

Founder, CEO & Director of Professional Learning: Confianza & Author: The Language Lens