One of the hardest things for me as a teacher was feeling I was never doing enough. Pouring my heart into lessons only to see students failing was defeating. Slide decks, detailed instructions, sentence frames, even choices...I tried it all. It was exhausting and sometimes even demoralizing.
To shake off the funk, I often turned to exercise. One day staring bleary-eyed at my Peloton app, I was deciding which ride to tackle. Do I feel like a high-intensity interval session? A leisurely scenic ride? Or maybe a challenging climb? The beauty is, I got to choose. I decided what my body and mind needed at that moment.
And that's when it hit me. I was exhausted because I was doing too much.
It wasn't just about the workout; it was about the control I had over it. My students deserved that same sense of control in their learning. As teachers, we're constantly pedaling uphill, pushing ourselves and our students, often without giving them enough say in the ride. What if, like on my Peloton, we focused on what they need on a given day? What if we gave them the power to choose their path, adjust their pace, and take ownership of their learning journey? This shift in mindset, from control to empowerment, from doing for students to empowering them to do for themselves, not only makes our lives easier but, more importantly, fosters lifelong learners who are curious, engaged, and ready to thrive.
Student-Driven Learning: Owning the Journey
That feeling of control (like choosing my ride, my music, my intensity…) that's what we want our students to experience in their learning. This is the essence of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): recognizing their inherent diversity, their unique needs and goals, which can even shift throughout the day. UDL provides the framework for offering flexible options, but it's learner agency that empowers students to actively shape their learning journey. It's not just about having choices; it's about students making informed decisions about how they learn best. For example, a student might be passionate about podcasting, but today, they might not have a quiet space to record, so they choose to focus on writing a script. Another student might be drawn to visual presentations, but today, they feel like practicing their speaking skills, so they opt for an audio recording instead. The what (the learning goal) remains the same, but the how (the method) is personalized and responsive to their current needs and preferences. The learner is in control of how they learn.
Mistakes as Stepping Stones
So, how do we give, and trust, our students this ownership? One way is through reflection – helping them become aware of their own learning process. When students understand their strengths, weaknesses, and preferred learning strategies, they can make informed choices about how to approach their learning. It's about teaching them to "listen" to their learning needs, just like I had to learn to listen to my body. This doesn't happen overnight. It takes intentionality, practice, and guidance. Imagine the power of students who understand their learning needs and can strategically choose the right tools for the task. That's the power of reflection; it guides students on a journey of metacognition: thinking about their thinking.
Because students are used to focusing solely on grades, students may initially struggle with reflection. In the beginning, my students were providing superficial responses and still wanting a grade. That is normal. Reflecting on the process can be difficult for anyone. Just as I might be tempted to choose an "easy" Peloton ride every time and not really reflect on what my goals really were, students might gravitate towards familiar, “easy” learning strategies. Our role is to gently challenge and encourage them to step outside their comfort zones, while still providing a supportive environment. Start by modeling reflection yourself. Share your own learning experiences (struggles and successes!), letting them witness that vulnerability. Then, provide specific feedback on their reflections, focusing on their thinking and growth, not just how many points they earned. Delay grading until students have reflected and acted upon that reflection.
Reframing Failure for Growth
Mistakes are inevitable and needed for learning. They're opportunities for growth. We often only see the final product: the movie, the game, the published book. We don’t see the hours of rehearsals, the early morning conditioning, the countless edits that went into creating it. Students need time to practice and make their mistakes.
To foster this growth mindset in my classroom, I had to shift from a grade and score to an asset-focused mindset, which was a transformative shift. Formative assessments became truly formative: a chance to practice and learn without the pressure of a grade. Instead of immediately assigning points, the assessment informed the students of their learning. It was based on the specific criteria outlined in our single-point rubrics. This allowed students to focus on learning and meeting the criteria, rather than just getting a good grade or completion. The rubrics gave us a common language to discuss their learning, shifting conversations away from points and toward skills and concepts.
I found that students need to practice and learn without the constant pressure of grades and earning points. Formative tasks should be a safe space for making mistakes and developing skills. Our students need that safety in order to overcome their fear of failure.
Letting Go to Empower: The Shift to Learner Agency
I wanted to be a teacher to inspire, to guide, and to empower. But somewhere along the way, I became overwhelmed with the sheer volume of "doing." It's not about us doing for our students; it's about empowering them to do for themselves. This shift toward learner agency requires us to trust in their abilities, to embrace the messy process of learning, and to become facilitators of the process (not just deliverers of content). The impact of letting go of control? Students become strategic, resourceful, and reflective. Remember, our role is to teach them how to learn, not just what to learn. Because if they can do that, they will… ride further, climb higher, and achieve more than we ever thought possible.
To help you get started, consider the suggestions below. What is one step you can take today to transform the control to your students?
- Start Small: Choose one lesson to incorporate reflection. Use an exit ticket with a prompt like “I am still wondering...", I used to think… now I think…”.
- Provide Prompts: Offer sentence starters or questions to guide deeper reflection: Use tools like Gemini or ChatGPT to generate prompts tailored to lesson objectives: “What are you curious about?” “How does this topic connect to your personal interests or goals?”
- Make it Consistent: Regularly incorporate reflection into your teaching practice. Use quick writes, think-pair-shares, or online platforms, to make reflection a routine.
- Focus on Feedback: Provide specific, actionable feedback on student reflections, focusing on their thinking process. Use tools like Gemini or ChatGPT to create rubrics based on your learning goal.
Ready to take the next step in empowering your learners? Connect with us to explore professional development opportunities.
