As I read around all that is being discussed in the
cybersphere of education – personalised learning, passion projects, e-learning,
e-portfolio, and Daily 5 – the prominent thing they all seem to foster is independence
and I think that is great.
It is great in theory and with a lot of hard work, I am
beginning to think that it can be great in practise too. I have taught year 5/6
for 3 years now and each year I expect (and if I’m being honest, allow) a
little more independence from the children. And I don’t mean independence in
tying their shoes, or remembering their meetings, or picking up after
themselves, but independence in their learning.
Being able to equip the
students with; the belief that they can lead their own learning, the strategies
and systems to help them to lead their own learning, and the time in which to
practise has not been easy. Balancing control with trust, accountability with
flexibility. But slowly, slowly I am starting to see how powerful this can be,
and it makes me want to do more.
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| photo courtesy of tonyduckles on Flickr |
From developing an independent reading programme linked
closely to Daily 5, I am now developing a writing equivalent, which is starting
off much more positively than I expected. It hasn’t been easy trusting the
children to achieve, independent of the teacher, but my class are surprising me
in small steps. The key seems to be the planning before each session – either written
or oral – of what they hope to accomplish in the session, and then at the end a
quick reflection as to how they feel it went. We question anyone who has had
problems and discuss solutions together. I was even surprised today when one
child asked if he should hand his book in (and note I must confess that I don’t
often collect writing books in, unless there is something specific I want to
mark in depth). My reply “If you would like my feedback, sure”. And at that, 20
books plopped down into a pile at my feet.
Ultimately what I am seeing happen in my classroom, is
children taking control. I can step back and really start to guide them. I don’t
have to make all their decisions for them anymore, so I have time to talk to them
more about what they are choosing to do, what learning they hope to get out of
it, and how they feel they are going. I am enjoying their growing independence.
