The Own your learning strategy developed from my research on student empowerment and participation. The research demonstrated that students learn more when they actively participate in all aspects of their learning process. When given opportunities and freedom, students can take responsibility for, and control their learning process in creative and innovative ways. Through interacting with their peers they can also advance each other’s knowledge. This is referred to as knowledge creation. The aim of the strategy is to provide opportunities and resources for the students to actively participate in their learning process. The idea is that as they continuously engage in these practices, they develop unique ways to direct their learning process and as a community, support each other’s learning.
Students who own their learning:
- Are active participants in their learning process, and they bring their unique selves.
- Are aware of what they know and what they do not know.
- Act decisively to resolve their unknowing, and
- Through interaction with others, advance their knowledge and that of their peers.
The strategy aims for the emergence of empowered students. Students who can confidently own their learning and work towards the future they choose.
The philosophy underpinning the strategy
As a deep constructivist, I view learning as a community endeavour. Individuals learn as they interact with each other. I believe that students create knowledge that is new to them when they collectively participate in all aspects of their learning process. In this internet age, knowledge is available and accessible. It is at our fingertips on our phones. Students are competent to take on processes that are traditionally the reserve of teachers. Students can learn new content outside the classroom and share this new knowledge with others.
The student as an active participant
I want my student to be active. Participating and negotiating their learning process. I do not desire my students to be solely knowledge receivers, dependent on me to transfer knowledge to them. My research (see discussion blog on thesis overview) demonstrates that when students have freedom and opportunity, they build a democratic learning community based on respect and trust for each other. This learning community is productive. They learn as they interact, building on each other’s knowledge and act as a resource that supports the learning of all students. In this community, students realise and reinforce each other’s competence. They act as learners, knowers and facilitators. Most importantly, they develop the competence to continuously and confidently learn.
The teacher as an educator
In the course of my research, I developed as a teacher. I came to see myself as an educator. The word “educate” comes from the root word “educe” which means to “bring out or develop (something latent or potential).” I came to see my role as in service to the student. My role as an educator was to draw out from students their latent potential. This term emphasises the aspects of teaching that enable others to continuously learn (Pelletier, 2012), and suggests the implicit belief that learning is most effective when students participate in knowledge creation through the use of their own intelligence, experience, experiments, persistence, and attentiveness (Biesta, 2017; Engels-Schwarzpaul, 2015, pp. 1254–1255).
The educator understands that the student learns in unique ways. Hence, the educator possesses a situational understanding and makes a contextual judgement in order to empower the student to take ownership of their learning. To this end, the strategy is adaptable. The foci described in the blog are interchangeable and adaptable to suit an organisation’s needs
Useful resources.
- My Learning Journey. This online platform makes the school curriculum accessible to students. The aim is for the student to know what they will learn across the academic year. The lesson objectives linked to podcasts enable the students to pre-learn and re-learn. Students prepare for lessons by pre-learning. The platform is linked to subject sites, online learning platforms and helpful learning information.
- A constant supply of plain A6 flashcards.
- Storage for flashcards
The two parts of the strategy.
The strategy recognises that the student learns in the learning environment (classroom) and beyond the classroom (individually and/or with peers). The two strands of the strategy complement and reinforce each other.
The classroom learning strand -Maximise your learning time.
In the strand, the behaviours we want from our students are highlighted and rewarded. It is supported by a whole school behaviour strategy. This strand is new for this academic year and more information will be added to this blog as the practice develops.
The learning beyond the classroom strand- OYL weekly sessions.
A regular time slot is best for the weekly sessions. Morning registration is a good time, as it refocuses the students on their responsibility and motivates them.
Focus – How can I own my learning??
In this focus, the students have space to share their ideas about taking ownership of their learning. This focus is at the start of each academic year.
- Form groups discuss how they ‘own their learning’. Their ideas and suggestions are fed back via Google forms. In subsequent sessions, each form group discusses and improves on the suggestions of another group.
- Students’ critic recorded discussion of how students pre-learnt a topic and how it was of advantage during lessons.
- Students share ideas on how to make and use flashcards and share their learning strategies.
Focus – Learn together, succeed together
This focus is on building the form group as a learning community. A specific subject area works with each year’s group on making flashcards/learning material. For some subjects, the focus could be an upcoming assessment. During their ‘own your learning’ sessions, students play games to learn together and succeed together. These games are downloadable and adaptable.
Focus – Pre-learning
This focus gives students the opportunity to learn through interaction as learners, knowers and facilitators. Students learn more effectively when they prepare to teach others (Bargh & Schul, 1980); such preparation awakens a need for explanation and clarification that requires self-explanation (Chi et al., 1994). The pre-learning powerpoint is downloadable and adaptable.
Focus- Preparing for examinations
The focus took place in the run-up to end-of-year examinations. It aimed for students to
- Be confident in how their prepare for assessments.
- Support the learning of others
- Share their knowledge with others
- Realise the equality of being a learner and being a knower
Focus – What I have learnt this year.
This focus is a celebration of students’ knowledge. It is an opportunity for all students to recognise that they know and hopefully build on this strength in the future.
The learning beyond the classroom strand- Reconceptualise home learning (homework).
This stand extends the opportunities for student empowerment. It seeks to reconceptualise homework from teacher-directed tasks, with sanctions for non-completion. The aim is for the work that students engage with outside of the classroom to be self-directed.
As part of the strategy, resources and the environment are made available for the student to direct their learning. This part of the strategy is new for this academic year and more information will be added to this blog as the practice develops.