Student Led Learning
ISSUES & THE INDIVIDUAL LEARNER PASSION PROJECT
Student-led learning puts the student at the core of the classroom. It is an education style that emphasizes self-directed education, creativity, and discovery, rather than regurgitation of concepts with the teacher as the center and holder of knowledge. Students are encouraged to incorporate their own interests into projects. In student-led teachers act as facilitators and students as knowledge holders. With these methods they are able to become leaders in the classroom, connect with the peers while sharing their perspectives, and contribute to a thriving classroom ecosystem.
SELF EFFICACY & Student-led learning
When schools include a message of self-reliance in their mission statements, they remind everyone that the school values independent student learning. They communicate that they aim to produce learners who take personal ownership over their learning, possess a shared responsibility
for their decisions.
STUDENT VOICES
Elevating Student Voice Through Senior Talks
The Power of
Student Voice
Black Student Voices: What Educators Should Know
What Would You Write Your Future Self?
Letters from
Their Students
Hello - a Short Film About Tolerance & Diversity
Has Social Media Harmed These Teens
STUDENT-LED LEARNING
Using Open-Ended Materials to Spark Curiosity
What Your Grades
Really Mean
STUDENT CENTERED
"She found that a student’s identity is negotiated during learning. In other words, learning and identity formation are reciprocal tasks for students. To this end, students who examine the relevance of course content that connects to them in some way are more likely to develop intrinsic motivation and show an increase in eagerness to learn."
CASE STUDY: EASTERN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
When students enter their classroom at Eastern they are met where they are at. Teachers have reevaluated their traditional teaching methods and moved into blended learning, self-paced structure, and mastery based grading.
Students begin each unit with a recorded lesson where they can go at their own rate of learning, pausing and understanding the video in a way that suits their
needs. They then move on and work together to understand the concepts presented. By the end they move into a exit ticket exercise — a mini quiz that tests for basic knowledge and understanding of skills. If they don't get through the exit ticket, they work with the teacher to better understand the concepts. If they do get the ticket, they move on to their next concept.
By using this method students are able to learn at their own pace and know exactly where they are when they come to class. Students aren't slowed down or sped up to meet others students. They navigate through their learning independently while learning time-management, deep understanding, and ownership of their projects.
IDEAS TO INCORPORATE INTO STUDENT-LED CLASSROOMS
Creating an ecosystem that fosters a sense of community, support, self efficacy, vulnerability, and resilience through student-led classrooms.
- Student Artist Council
- Lunch Bunch
- Student Surveys (repeat quarterly) - we grow and so do your ideas
- Student Opinion Boxes
- Student Artist Talks
- Student-Led Conferences
- Peer-Peer discussions
- Student-Led Clubs
- Seating arrangements based on current curriculum needs
- Open-ended material exploration
- Student Choice in the classroom (materials, lessons, units, topics)
- Student Art Gallery in the classroom
- Student Centers (Catch-Up Corner, student resources, quick activities, etc.)
- Cross-discipline collaboration