This summer I’ve been tearing through books like crazy! Most of the books I read this summer are not related to education, but this one made the cut. I read Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning because the librarians at my school recommended it. It’s quick to read and has a positive tone. Here are my main take aways!
Let Students Make Decisions
Empower asks the question “What decisions am I making for students that they could make for themselves?” I will be approaching my projects with this question from now on. In the past, I have given students choices in their projects but they’re typically superficial decisions such as choosing a picture to fit a regression curve to. I genuinely think that offering students those choices helps to make projects more relevant to them, but I should offer more content related choices as well.
Encourage Students to be Self-Starters and Self-Managers
Some people have great ideas and get so excited about them that they have no problem starting on their project. However, if a student doesn’t have self-management skills they will struggle to complete a project. In Empower, the authors argue that all students will need to present themselves as entrepreneurs in the work force, a point that I only partly agree with, and the skills of self-starting and self-managing will be vital in accomplishing that. In order to be a self-starter, teachers must inspire students, provide the tools, and model the thinking process for them. If students are to be proper self-managers they must learn to set goals and break down the tasks necessary to complete them.
It’s Not the Tools, it’s The Mindset
I often marvel at how much technology I have available to me as a teacher. I find myself wondering, “What did teachers do before YouTube, SMART boards, or personal laptops?” But students have been inspired and innovative since they were learning from overhead projectors. It’s not the technology but the opportunities given to students that makes a difference. This point made a particular impact on me because my school is very privileged. While I think that technology opens doors for students, I also recognize that the proper mindset is what truly sets students up for success.
The book has an open and honest tone and I appreciated its candor. The authors genuinely want to offer solutions and ideas to those teachers who are willing to try something different. I recommend checking this book out for a quick read and some inspiration!
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