Author: Deb Avery | Published on 1 July 2022

 

Question: How can you encourage your learners to make decisions in the classroom?

Answer: By letting them say what they think about their leaning.

It is important to allow space for learners’ voices to be heard.

They need to

  • make connections between learning and their own experiences
  • express these feelings in a space where they feel safe

This helps learners to

  • take responsibility for classroom management
  • help make decisions about behaviour, routines and values
  • develop social skills like empathy, respect, and support for others’ learning
  • develop co-operative and peer-learning skills and work successfully in groups

You can encourage learners by:

  • providing more time for discussion
  • allowing learners to make suggestions about class activities and rules
  • scheduling regular group work 
  • encouraging creative expression through writing, creative and performing arts
  • creating an atmosphere of trust in your classroom 
  • being approachable

How will you allow your learners’ voices to be heard? 

Glossary

learners’ voices: the individual and collective perspective and actions of students within the context of learning and education

classroom management: the process by which teachers and schools create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings

routines: a set of procedures for handling both daily occurrences and minor interruptions of instruction

values: the behaviours and attitudes which you want your learners to demonstrate

empathy: the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling

co-operative learning: an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal under the guidance of the teacher.

peer-learning: a learning technique that promotes collaboration and teamwork to gain knowledge

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