← Back to articles 5 Tips on How to Empower Students Carolanne Tremblay , Wednesday, March 14 2018

As you may have realized during your readings, one of my main priorities as a teacher was to develop the autonomy of my students. Today, I'm going to share with you some of my tips.

First of all, let's define autonomy. According to Google, “autonomy” is a noun that is defined as "Freedom from external control or influence; independence”… But that's not exactly what I was trying to do with my students. In developing the autonomy of the students in my class, I wanted above all for them to progress on their own and to develop their learning strategies. My intention was for them to transfer what they had learned to other areas of their lives, and to be aware of their ability to overcome obstacles. I wanted to empower them.

So what did I do to encourage empowerment in my classroom? To avoid the "Madam, what should I do next? "How should I do that? », Etc.

I had to implement different teaching tactics. Sometimes it extended my lessons, but over time and with perseverance, I could reap the fruits of my labor.

1. Encouraging Teamwork

When the assignment allowed it, I offered the possibility to the students to work in teams, on a daily basis. Having to work collaboratively allowed students to understand other students' strategies and value each other's strengths. During teamwork, I expected young people to re-read the work of their colleagues, to correct it, but especially to learn from the work of others. I also took this opportunity to ask them to evaluate their peers. I gave them a short evaluation to complete containing a satisfaction scale to facilitate and guide the peer assessment.

2. Clearly Defining the Objectives of the Lesson

Before starting a project, working on an assignment or starting a lesson, I would write on the board the learning objectives of what they were about to do. Over time, I asked my students to participate in this task. They then had to question the objectives of what we were going to do. It allowed them to determine the strategies they should use, determine the tasks to be done, the deadlines to meet, etc. Which brings me to my third point...

3. Making a Work Plan

At the beginning of a project or a new work assignment, I asked my students to make a work plan, starting it by themselves and then completing it with their teammates. We made an employment contract out of that work plan. The students then became responsible for what they had to do because it was them who had determined the plan and who drafted the contract.

4. Doing Individual Meetings

I know, doing individual meetings with all our students is a long and tedious process. I chose key moments during the year to do them and took the opportunity to ask the students to complete a self-assessment of their work and their evolution. Thanks to these meetings and to the self-assessments, I could better understand the student's perception of himself or herself, but I could also determine points to work on with him or her. So, he or she had a grip on his or her personal development.

5. Involving Students

Phew! This point seems so vast. But it's pretty simple. The goal is for students to feel involved in every step of a school project or work assignment. From the first step of deciding a theme, to how to achieve the result. Then in the planning, but also at the very end at the time of the evaluation. Depending on the age of the group I was talking to, I was trying to get them involved in as many steps as possible.

In conclusion, I think the key element to remember is to leave choices to students and give them some control over their learning. Thus, they will feel that they take part in what they learn, which will make them feel more involved in their learning, which will have the effect of increasing their level of responsibility with regards to the school. The most difficult thing when we start working with our students is to take the first step and install this new method. By persevering, the results will surprise us and the rest will flow naturally. Most surprisingly is the motivation of the students that ignites with the feeling of having some power over what is going on in class.