Student-Led Learning: Fostering Independence and Growth Mindset

Hey y'all, Welcome Back.

If you've been here throughout the summer, you already understand the basics of student-centered practices and student-led learning, but if you haven't, check it out HERE.

The Back to Basics blog series explored the baseline basics in student-centered education; we talked about:

• Empowering student's voice

• Building authentic relationships

• Personalized learning

• Promoting student agency

• Fostering collaboration

• Using formative assessment

• Leading student-led conferences

• Addressing challenges & sustaining this student-centered work

So, for the Back to School series, I am here to keep the strategies, real-life examples, and resources coming to help you maintain your commitment to building AND maintaining a student-centered classroom.

Imagine a classroom where students are not passive recipients of knowledge but active creators of it. Picture a space where curiosity drives learning, and students are the captains of their educational journey. That's the essence of Student-Led Learning.

I'm in this to help you foster students' independence and a growth mindset. I'm also in this to help out my school leaders because you are creating the conditions for educators to prioritize maintaining their student-centered mindset.

Here are some strategies that will help you, educator or leader, to empower your students and teachers and transform your classrooms:

Create a Safe and Inclusive Space

• Educators: Before students can take charge of their learning, they need to feel safe and included.

  • Try this: Next time you develop a class activity provide students with multiple entry points to complete the assignment to ensure all students have a way to safely express themselves.

• Leaders: If you want your educators to thrive in the classroom they need to feel your support of their full humanity, not just their identity as a teacher.

  • Try this: Establish open lines of communication where teachers feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, concerns, and ideas without fear of retribution. Create space for this in team meetings and one-on-one check-ins.

Set Clear Learning Objectives

• Educators: Set clear learning objectives that are broad enough to encourage creativity and critical thinking but specific enough to guide students.

  • Try this: Involve students in the process of defining these objectives so they have a sense of ownership from the beginning, and more reason to buy into the work.

• Leaders: Be mindful that learning CAN NOT stop with students; educators have to be empowered by their leaders to be continuous learners.

  • Try this: Together set clear learning objectives for teachers to create time to be continuous learners of their students, their practice, and themselves.

Celebrate Mistakes and Growth

• Educators: A growth mindset is all about embracing challenges and seeing failures as opportunities for growth.

  • Try this: For an entire class acknowledge and encourage students to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. Verbally affirm, and celebrate them for their resilience and efforts.

• Leaders: You can do the same damn thing! Educators must be committed to growth and taking risks and making mistakes are the only way to get there.

  • Try this: In your next staff meeting take the approach above, and focus on your teacher's failures and how they have learned and grown from them. Show them what it looks like to remain resilient and use their mistakes to better their practice.

Now you have all the strategies so, it's time to implement them. Don't think; just do it, and see what comes of it, I promise you will learn through the process.

And with this one let's keep the conversation going! Shoot me an email or a DM on IG with your experiences with the strategies, and let me know what support you need in empowering student-led learning in the classroom.

Okay, now go! Seriously, get to work!