Student led education 


Student led education is a new concept that requires teachers to be risk-takers and create a classroom environment where students are enquirers and use their creativity to follow their passion.

Traditionally in education, teachers lecture to their students with curriculum, showing them from the start the way of solving the problems and encourage them to learn everything as long as they want to. But what comes after that? How can we lead the students into being creative? How can we make them ask for more, how can we make them ask why and how?

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day. Teach the man to fish and he will eat for a life time”.

For me this quote best describes this concept of student led education. Letting students enquire into a subject stimulates their curiosity which promotes the idea of life-long learning. Students need to develop critical thinking skills, be enquirers beyond the classroom and be able to solve problems in real life situations. Student led education allows students to use the world around them to experiment, to enquire and discover new paths. It is our role as educators to guide students through this process of discovery and allow them mistakes and support them when needed. Allowing students to make mistakes are important life lessons that makes students reflect on their work. A grown mindset is formed from these mistakes.

One con for student directed education may be that certain content might not be taught which is the cost in order to have students use critical thinking and problem solving to solve a problem or make a discovery through their research. Giving ownership on ones learning builds confidence in their abilities as well as allowing them to follow their passions and interests. This process is when learning is happening providing students with positive results.

Today’s education system should be more student orientated and driven. Students are not all the same, they have different personalities and aptitudes. Students’  abilities vary greatly so it is important for them to express these strengths and abilities. Let them make connections according to their personality and aptitude. A one size fits all teaching style is dangerous for students because they are expected to learn in a specific way (usually by the teachers preference), instead of letting them working through it by themselves through different paths of understanding.

Through their in-depth study, students become experts on their chosen topics and then teach others what they learned. This ensures that students meet district objectives but also become proficient at researching information, interviewing experts, making real world connections while demonstrating their knowledge and understanding. More importantly they lead their own study making them more acｃountable and responsible for their learning which is an important life lesson.

Here a few pros for student directed educaton:

* Stimulates creativity
* Leads students to enquire into wondering why and looking for alternative paths of finding the answer. That, together with conferring with the other students leads to increasing the confidence into themselves along with teaching the other students about the specific topic or gather more information from them.
* Plants the “seed” of curiosity. Once they start asking themselves why and how, it will teach them not to give up and to research more by asking more
* Once they start becoming interested in something which motivates them, or working for a project that they chose and wasn’t chosen by others, they will start to know themselves better. They will learn to establish long term goals for themselves.

Engaging students in the learning process and engaging them in education has more pros than cons. Opening them up and guiding them to ask questions but not giving them the answer should be the new way of learning. Making mistakes is good. This is how we are all learning and this is how our brain becomes stimulated.

Students need to struggle and accept the challenges. Through effort, practice and guidance from teachers they will continue improving their skills. Getting students out of their comfort zone will extend their learning.

The world is changing but what will always stay the same is the foundation that the school provides in order for us, them and everyone to be able to face life’s challenges and apply their skills that gain in the school, our day by day reality.

Article Source: https://www.openeducationeuropa.eu/en/article/student-led-education
Image Source: http://bigbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/STUDENTS-300x235.jpg

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Aptitude (n.) ~ a natural ability to do something
2. Mindset (n.) ~ the established set of attitudes held by someone
3. Proficient (n.) ~ competent or skilled in doing or using something
4. Confer (v.) ~ have discussions exchange opinions
5. Stimulate (v.) ~ encourage development of or increased activity in (a state or process)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What is student-led education?
2. What are pros and cons of it?
3. The St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju (SJA Jeju), the newest international school on Jeju Island, was built on the idea that students should take the lead in their education. What is your opinion on this plan?
4. Do you think a student-led education system can be successful in your ｃountry?