Who Owns the Learning?

This week marks the last full week of summer break for the students of Okoboji. It is completely normal to experience feelings ranging from anxiety to excitement as we all look forward to a year of school. What excites me the most is the potential that every year holds for learning. Two weeks ago the Okoboji administrative team heard Alan November speak to school administrators from around Iowa as he challenged us to create classrooms much different than many which exist today. (Click here for a schedule of when Alan's talk will be aired on IPTV). The classrooms he describes will leverage the power of technology and great teachers to ignite a passion for learning in students and propel them to desire a continuous learning mindset in their lives. While I use the word different to describe the kind of classroom he challenged us to create, I was most impressed by the simplicity of the change. With just a few small tweaks, every classroom teacher can begin to shift their learning environment to help maximize the learning potential for every student. Here are a few simple questions November encouraged us to ask ourselves in order to assess the type of classroom environment which is currently being created and nurtured:

• Are students empowered in your classroom to contribute?
• Who works harder in your classroom, teachers or students?
• Does the teacher or the student own the learning?

While these are very simple questions, the answers have the potential to quickly assess the impact of learning in a classroom. We are entering an exciting time in education. Technology advances are moving at an exponential rate. Information is being developed and added faster than ever before in human history. But with this excitement of the new and amazing developments, we need to really sit back and ask ourselves if we are preparing our students to engage in this new information environment. If a student does not feel they are connected to the learning, then the advancement of technology, the expansion of new information, and the power of high-level learning will be missed. A great teacher is the most important variable in a student's learning experience. A great teacher is one who realizes the most important thing they can do is enable their students to take on the ownership of learning. With the potential to connect every student to a world of knowledge, we all need to work hard to make sure our students are stepping forward with the skills to engage in this world. What we need now more than ever are teachers willing to give up control for the good of their students. Teachers willing to use their wisdom to guide students through an ever-changing information landscape. And most importantly, teachers who believe the best thing a student can do is to leave their classroom more excited about learning than when they entered. When that happens you can surely say the students are the owners of the learning.