What actually student empowerment is?
“Student empowerment mean encouraging a student to do what they want not what they have to do”
Or You can say it mean “Giving a freedom to student to learn what they want not what they have to learn”.
But unfortunately, In our india we hardly find a school whose motive is to empowering students. Now the question is why that’s so?
What stop Student empowerment in india?
The main reason behind this is motive of schools/colleges / and any other teaching institutions.
In india, almost every school aim is to improve overall performance record of school in the city. And they do this by sharping memory of students so they get good marks in exam which result in increasing school performance record.
The second reason which stop Student empowerment is lacking of creative teachers in schools.
I’m also student and i have experienced that most of teachers aim is to complete syllabus and after that they take written tests again and again just to increase student memory. In schools, most of students cramp things not learn them. Teacher always ask questions but they never encourage students to ask questions.Student never get permission to do things out of the box. They were bounded by number of rules.They are punish by teachers when they commit a mistake. Just tell me how we will learn if we didn’t commit mistakes.
Well it’s enough now to talk on what stop Student empowerment…..
Now, let’s talk on ideas through which we can empower students.
Give Your Students a Voice Through Forums for Student Feedback
You may remember from your own school days how much students sometimes complain about teachers (“she gives so much written work,” “he gave me a D just because I turned it in a day late!”). Now that’s only amplified through social networking. What if you could use that to your advantage? Teacher will getting constructive feedback from the students if teach via video conferencing. Setting up a forum for students to provide constructive and timely feedback — criticism or praise — through mediums like a group Google Doc, Twitter hashtag, Edmodo site, blog, etc., helps you improve your teaching. It also helps students, emphasizing that learning is about partnership and working together.
The second way is give Students Decision-Making Power in an Area of Curriculum
This might seem like an unrealistic idea in an age of common core standards and high-stakes tests — what if students veer drastically off the required course? However, this is actually entirely possible to incorporate with existing curriculum. For instance, if you teach language arts and the goal of the unit is teaching students how to write an effective response to literature or a literary analysis essay, who says everyone has to write about the same book written by some ancient dead writer (no offense, dead writers)? Besides, if you’re already scared of writing your very first response to literature, having to decipher ancient syntax isn’t going to help. So instead, why not have students pick a book of their own choosing — a novel This student-directed curriculum idea is applicable to many other subjects. Giving students the power to choose creates a sense of ownership over the learning.
The third way is Encourage Meaningful Technology Use in the Classroom
Many teachers tell students to turn off their devices when they walk into the classroom. However, it can be incredibly empowering to do just the opposite. By having your students bring their own devices, you open up a world of new learning opportunities (like the flipped classroom model, web quests, podcasts, virtual field trips via Skype, livestreaming with classes across the world, etc.), and you reaffirm that learning can happen anytime, anywhere. When students use their devices during class time to access learning resources that they can also get at home or on the go, we see that learning doesn’t just happen within the four walls of a classroom. Plus, it literally puts learning power in our hands. I know some teachers who have expressed concerns about rolling out any kind of technology they themselves didn’t know how to use that well. However, if that’s the case, don’t be scared to let your students teach you a thing or two about technology. If you’re worried about students slacking off on digital devices, it’s worth checking out the #pencilchat