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ODE Extra Credit
Beyond
Engagement: Empowering Students to Take Ownership of Learning
By: Virginia Ressa
Summer “vacation” is one of those things that non-educators sometimes
misunderstand. Some people, even our family members, think teachers
have three months off to lounge, sleep in and binge watch the shows we
missed during the school year. We know differently. First of all, it’s
not three months – it’s maybe two and a half after you factor in
required planning and professional development days. But that’s not
what I want to discuss today. I want to talk about how we use that
time. Educators are also learners, using their time “off” to take
classes to maintain their current license, earn a new license or an
advanced degree.
What motivates us to continue our education and complete graduate
classes?
What inspires us to engage in the learning process? To finish the vast
amount of academic reading? And to complete the group projects that are
so ubiquitous in grad school? I can tell you from experience, there are
no rewards that give graduate students bonus bucks to spend at the
university store when they complete the required reading. Rather than
extrinsic rewards, we develop our own intrinsic motivations that keep
us focused. We have ownership of our learning because we know why we
are engaged in the learning. We know where we are going and what is
expected of us.
Why don’t our students develop the same ownership of learning that we
do?
Think about our K-12 classrooms and how we involve students in
learning. Many of our schools and classrooms have rewards systems with
stickers and bonus bucks in an attempt to motivate reluctant students.
We try to provide extrinsic rewards because we have not given students
the information and tools they need to develop ownership of their
learning and intrinsic motivation. Teachers make the decisions about
what students will learn and how they will be assessed. Teachers
determine the timing of lessons and units of study. Teachers collect
evidence of student learning. Teachers keep track of student progress.
Teachers retain most of the control of teaching AND learning decisions,
which leaves students as directed, passive participants.
As classroom teachers or grade level teams, we can offer rewards and
privileges that might work for a short time, but rarely result in
enduring motivation. Most of our attempts at external motivation fall
far short of creating the engagement we genuinely want to see in our
classrooms. What we are actually striving for, and what we experience
as students ourselves, is ownership of learning. Student ownership goes
beyond engagement and motivation, and empowers students with a sense of
control and responsibility for their learning. Creating the conditions
for students to take ownership of their learning requires teachers to
work with students to set and communicate clear learning targets,
collect evidence of their learning, track and analyze their progress,
and provide opportunities for self and peer assessment.
We often see students engaged in classroom activities – they are busy,
on task and focused. But if we stop to ask them what they are learning
and why, can students articulate either? They may be on task simply to
complete the activity before the end of class so they don’t have
homework. Maybe they are on task because they want to earn a spot in
Friday’s field trip. They may not know why they are doing an
assignment, but have been provided with enough outside motivation to
complete the assignment. Yet, research shows that when students know
why they are engaged in a learning activity and understand how their
learning will contribute to their long-term goals, they are more likely
to be self-motivated and to reach their goals. In other words, students
are more likely to be motivated to reach goals they’ve helped to set.
They are more likely to keep working toward their goals if they can see
and track their progress.
If you have participated in any of the Formative Instructional
Practices (FIP) professional learning, you will recall it emphasizes
four core practices: Creating clear learning targets, collecting
evidence of student learning, providing effective feedback and
supporting student ownership of learning.
The most critical element of student ownership and FIP is the creation
of clear learning targets. Clear learning targets are the keystone in
this set of practices because we cannot successfully implement the
other practices if we do not have well written, aligned and easily
communicated learning targets. Most significantly, clear learning
targets provide educators with the key to empower students to take
ownership of their learning.
This summer, Ohio’s teachers will have many opportunities to
participate in professional learning. it is now easier than ever to
learn about formative instructional practices. Free resources are now
available on the Learning Management System (LMS). I’ve given you an
introduction to student ownership of learning, but there are modules in
the “FIP in Action” course that will help you to envision the practices
in the context of content area classes. Once you have had a chance to
take some time for yourself, visit the LMS and look at the many options
available for improving your use of formative instructional practices.
Virginia Ressa is
an education program specialist at the Ohio Department of Education,
where she focuses on helping schools and educators meet the needs of
diverse learners through professional learning.
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