Empowering Learners
The term ‘Empowering Learners’ encompasses a notion of education which starts with the learner first, involving teachers seeking to understand how their students learn best. This involves consideration of how learners may need or prefer to explore the curriculum content and how they might need or prefer to communicate what they have learnt through the process. Designing flexible learning environments is also a key component in the empowerment of learners, involving not only the physical environment, but also creating classroom cultures which cater to a variety of needs and preferences.
The term ‘Empowering Learners’ encompasses a notion of education which starts with the learner first, involving teachers seeking to understand how their students learn best. This involves consideration of how learners may need or prefer to explore the curriculum content and how they might need or prefer to communicate what they have learnt through the process. Designing flexible learning environments is also a key component in the empowerment of learners, involving not only the physical environment, but also creating classroom cultures which cater to a variety of needs and preferences.
The Projects
Four inquiry learning projects have explored specific aspects which contribute to the empowerment of learners, as part of the ESF 'ACT' initiative. Teachers at Peak School have led the whole school community through an exploration of ‘differentiated learning’, trialling a variety of approaches to varied content, learning processes, products of learning and environments in which learning takes place. Colleagues at Renaissance College began their inquiry with the goal of examining the role of well-being and mindfulness in empowering learners - an investigation which has gradually widened to involve many aspects of positive psychology. Two different approaches to personalising learning to the needs of individual students have been explored by colleagues at Discovery College. In a trial of ‘Genius Hour’, students have been given the opportunity to select an area of personal passion or interest to explore whilst developing skills and dispositions of effective learners. In a Year 6 class, students have taken responsibility for designing their own learning engagements in an area of the maths curriculum and for recording and monitoring their own progress.
Click on the links above to explore these projects in detail and see evidence of their impact.
Click on the links above to explore these projects in detail and see evidence of their impact.