6 Essentials for Student-Owned Learning

I think every educator wants student ownership of learning to be THE goal of teaching and learning. When you "own" something, you will protect it, take pride in it, and seek ways to increase its value. (see Frontier & Rickabaugh's "self" lever)  That's a life-long learner.  Take a look at the Danielson Framework for Teaching and note that the the difference between a proficient and distinguished teacher is the level of student-initiated learning taking place in a classroom.

And none of it happens by accident.  It all happens by design.
Here are 6 essentials for student-owned learning that I have uncovered this school year.

Norms of a 5th grade class

Essential #1 - Development of classroom norms so that everyone knows how to function within the group. 
From day one, collaboratively setting class norms tells students "You have a voice here. You have choices here. You are able to hold yourself and others to these norms. Everyone here has a role to play, and this is how we function together."  This is the first step in creating the conditions for student-owned learning.

"Wall of Great Questions"

Essential #2 - Develop a culture that values questioning.  
Students cannot initiate learning unless questions are valued. Humans are naturally inquisitive, but schools are an artificial construct designed to efficiently pass on knowledge. Don't let school drive out children's natural instinct to wonder and question. If you are a teacher, publicly celebrate quality questions.  If you are a parent, ask your child what questions he/she asks at school each day. You can tell so much about people from the questions they ask.

Essential #3 - Clear learning targets & success criteria every lesson so that students know what to learn and how to know when they've achieved it. 

Learning Target & Look For's

How is today's class different from yesterday's?  What am I learning today that I never learned before?  Please make me curious about something and tell me what I need to do to learn it well.  The research of John Hattie about teacher clarity (d=.75) and Brookhart & Moss (learning target theory) will have you rethinking lesson design to creates the conditions for student-owned learning.

Essential #4 - Teach students how to have conversations about their work.
If the only conversation about a piece of student work is between the teacher and the student, then you've just missed 25 other possible conversations students could have had about their work in your classroom. Students will talk to their peers openly and honestly about their work - The problem is they don't know how to have those conversations.  Provide prompts. Model it. Monitor it. Make time for it. Celebrate it when you see it.

Provide prompts for student conversations

Essential #5 - Publicly recognize students who are helping others along their journey.
Once your class begins to take ownership of its learning, you will see students helping each other more than ever.  While you are helping one student, ten other helpful conversations are taking place that you don't see or hear.  Find a way to acknowledge those conversations.  Ask kids "Who helped you today?  What did they do to help you?"  Celebrate respect, helpfulness, and teamwork and it will multiply.

Essential #6 - Formative feedback.  Maximize personal conversations as the main source of feedback.
We learn about what we value, but how do kids learn to value something they can't see or hold? How do you make knowledge and understanding a valuable commodity in your building? When teachers provide personal feedback, students work harder and see value in the process, the product, and the person helping them.  That is an essential component of student-owned learning.