When Students Design Their Own Learning

Two articles in the Summer 2008 online Educational Leadership issue on thinking skills, "Differentiating Math Through Expeditions" and "Immersed in Inquiry," describe how the authors set up conditions in which students designed their own learning tasks and set their own bar and their own pace. Check out the results teachers Angela Hicks and Jean Anne Clyde got by inspiring 5th graders to dig into local history and the varied ways Brent Loken saw middle schoolers of different ability levels progress in his Algebra class.

Do you agree with Loken’s statement, “When students are given a chance to design their own learning experiences, they will design experiences that suit their learning needs”?

Have you seen students rise to the learning occasion in this way?

Submitted by Naomi Thiers, Associate Editor, Educational Leadership magazine.

Comments

[rebecca]

Loken's article was a fascinating description of the practical application of expeditionary learning. As educators, we have long been exposed to the concepts of inquiry and project-based instruction. However, it seems that in practice, few educators employ the strategies on a consistent basis. Student-designed learning is clearly the foundation for ALL Loken does in the classroom. For him, it is not just a gimic or the one annual special project his class is invited to enjoy.
I absolutely agree that when students are allowed to design their own instruction, that instruction will meet their needs. I believe a classroom climate in which students first explore their individual interests, learning styles, and strengths will equip those students to rapidly identify their needs and empower them to map out a course of instruction that will meet those needs in the most optimal fashion.

[Kelli Stanley]

I also agree that if students are allowed to design their own instruction, their needs will be met. However, I think that they need to have guidance from their teachers. We need to see what they want to know. What to they care about? Why do they want to know more about?

We also have to make sure that these choices coincide with our learning standards and mandates.

[Adam]

Like many topics in education there are two distinct sides to this line of thought. I think when you allow students to guide their own learning you have to make sure they have at least some direction. I believe the amount of the direction can vary, but if you let the student have complete control over what they are doing, not all students will be able to handle it in a way that leads to success.

[Rich]

I agree with the statement. I have seen this in my classroom. I try the best i can to give students a say in what they are learning. If they take ownership in their education then they are going to retain more of what is being taught. It is like anything in life. If you enjoy what you are doing then you will retain more.

[Kimberlee]

I work at a school that prides itself on project based and inquiry style learning. But I have to say, as someone who is still relatively new, it takes a master craftsman as a teacher to mold and meld this into something that is really meaningful. Rebecca pointed out that we are still bound by mandates and standards. Furthermore, for goodness sake, who will teach my 2nd graders about lighthouses (which was TOTALLY on the STAR this year) if they are not interested in learning about it. Every once in a while we can really get going on a certain interest that has captured the whole class and do a storyline and the whole shebang with it, but there still has to be time for skills practice whether we like it or not.

[Sarah]

I agree that if students are given the opportunity to design their learning experiences, they will design experiences to meet their individual needs. This will help stimulate student interests which can lead to an engaging and fun experience. As a teacher it is very important that we engage the students in positive learning experiences designed to meet the needs of the students within the classroom. By sparking student interest, students may be eager to learn more and become more involved on the given topic. The students in my class love it when I give them choices. They feel like they have an equal say in our classroom. Experiences such as this can help the students learn more about themselves. This may also help the teacher learn even more about the student. I do feel that if students were to design their own learning experience that it would need to be guided by the teacher to ensure success.I teach special education and I found that if the students are engaged in an experience that they are interested in (you can usually tell because they are having fun while doing it) then they are able to retain that information better than if they were to sit at a desk and complete worksheets. I feel that most, if not all, of the students in my class would choose/design a learning experience that would involve hands-on learning. Differentiated instruction is key to the success of each student!

[Catherine Lane]

I must admit that allowing student to design their own learning is an unfamiliar tactic to me. I have never experienced this as a student or promoted it as a teacher. Reading all of the posted comments was very intriguing and I would like to learn more about how you would implement this into your classroom. I do agree that if students take ownership of their learning they will be more motivated. I have observed this probably by accident. It was assuring to hear that most comments spoke of a balance between giving students choices and adhering to the requirement of learning basic skills with drill and practice of those skills. Students would more likely stay enthusiastic about their learning if, though it is necessary to learn the basics, they also had opportunities to design their learning.

[Linzee Wainwright]

I read both articles about inquiry based learning and I found what the teachers did in those classes very interesting and I would love to try that in my classroom. However, I agree with most of the comments so far in that I feel that students need some direction to facilitate their learning from their teachers. I have no problems with students learning what they feel is important to them but, I am curious to see how learning what students want to learn coincides with all of the standards, state and district assessments that teachers need to concern themselves with. Can a balance be achieved?

[Abby]

Both articles have captured my curiosity and I am intrigued in the process of giving students a chance to design their own learning experiences to fit their own learning needs. If implemented successfully I feel that this could be an extremely powerful tool for student success.

It is no doubt in my mind that when students have a role and are as active as what is described in the articles, that knowledge becomes more valuable to them.

I have had the opportunity to witness this first hand in my 8th grade Pre-Algebra classes. After my district adopted the Connected Math Program, a program based on student discovery, I saw success in students on a level that I had never seen before. When students are actively working in groups to discover concepts rather than being told procedures to solve problems, they hold themselves accountable for contributing to their groups and begin to take ownership of concepts.

I would love to put this type of philosophy into effect not only with the content but with HOW the content is delivered. While it seems overwhelming to me how I would allow students to choose how they are going to learn and what type of assessments they are going to take, it is motivating and definitely something I plan to do further research on.

[audrey]

I do not agree that students should design their own learning experiences at every level. I believe that students, particularly in the years prior to upper high school and college, require structures that infuse their choice with rigor and content that they might otherwise avoid. I find that my students veer toward consumerism in most projects they design themselves. If allowed to design their projects exclusively, they merely mirror the goals of madison avenue .... which is the endless acquisition of consumer products that are stand ins for emotional states that are only vaguely realized.