Students as Leaders of Learning - A Partnering Pedagogy

Students as Leaders of Learning - A Partnering Pedagogy
(this is a work in progress)

Who are we teaching - Who are we creating?

In trying to imagine the ideal student to teach, we must look outside and beyond schools, into what our ideal school leaver looks like. Many people would agree that independent decision making, critical questioning and thought, self reflective analysis and the capacity to lead themselves and others are some of key factors to a successful post-school life at either university or at work. Yet the majority of our schooling does not allow for this ideal to be considered let alone reached.

We must also consider who today's students really are. Our youth generation are fluent in a multitude of technologies, not taught through schools but learned from experimentation, their peers and the endless array of resources available on the Internet. Changes in communication, collaboration and creativity have opened new worlds of opportunities for them that they have taken despite the lack of engagement in these technologies in our schools and teachers.

Finally we must consider what these students want from their schooling. Mark Prensky in his book Teaching Digital Natives highlights several key factors that most students want:

• They do not want to be lectured to,
• They want to be respected, trusted and have their opinions valued,
• They want to follow their own interests and passions,
• They want to create, using the tools of their time,
• They want to work with their peers and group and project work (but ensure that lazy students are identified),
• They want to make decisions and share control,
• They want to connect with peers to express and share opinions, in class and around the world,
• They want to cooperate and compete with each other,
• They want an education that is nor just relevant but real.

In my time discussing what students want from school, both formally for research and informally, similar issues have arisen. Indeed many teachers would like to redress many of these issues for the benefit of the student but feel compelled to continue with the way they are going because the 'System' of education is not conducive to this ideal, because of the ever increasing number of targets and data driven accountability and because of the fear of failure seen in all schools. None of these as good enough excuses for me however.

Can it be done?
 
David Gauntlett in Making in Connecting, wrote this from an imagined future;


it has been realized that memorizing stuff for tests is the antithesis of real learning, which takes place through meaningful activity. This shift turned out to be somewhat easier that expected, once government policies had been changed, since most teachers had tended to doubt the value of shovelling information in pursuit of test scores. In the new system, students work on learning projects, in which their teachers encourage them to ask questions and to seek out understanding for themselves. To present their learning to others, they produce exhibitions, physical performances, online presentations, and games. They are inspired by their teachers, who are no longer just the holders of the 'answer book' but are visibly also learning new knowledge and skills in their own lives.

This outlook may seem over ambitious and unrealistic to some, however it is entirely realistic and achievable. My argument is that there does not need be a Government policy (though this would certainly make things easier) but is achievable now, with our current 'systems', curriculums and schools.

At the heart of this is fostering an environment where students can truly be leaders of their own learning. I have done exactly this for two years now in my current school and am finally getting heard about the ways that this can personally help every student.

I am due to hold a teacher training session about this new Pedagogy next week and will again investigate it at the Media Education Association conference at the BFI in February. The workshop will explore how to develop a culture of learning where students become leaders of their own learning. With staff and delegates as the learners, they will be in control of the direction, speed and outcome of the session. They will learn some of the theoretical aspects of ‘students as leaders of learning’, but perhaps more importantly see for themselves how to implement these theories into practice back in the classroom. I will not be lecturing about all the wonderful ways I engage students to be active self directed learners, rather I will practice what I preach and ensure that they have the opportunity to lead their learning in metalearning way

I will write a follow up post with the suggestions that the groups had, as well as the things that I've done to enable this, so watch this space.