8 Strategies for Creating Independent Learners

From http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/trends/putting-students-in-the-drivers-seat-an-interview-with-kim-cofino/

I was once told by a High School Science teacher that 'you should always stay conscious of what you do because it can become too easy to spoon-feed students'.  Teachers who offer excessive help and will drop everything to ensure the student has all the tools necessary for success, actually rob them of one of the most desirable skills they can develop - independence.  Thus, when we as educators carefully plan our units and lessons, we should always keep in mind that one of our main goals is to prepare students to become independent learners. 

Independent learning is the gateway to the development of other lifelong skill sets such as thinking skills, conflict resolution, leadership, resource-management, time-management, focus, and so forth (QuEST, n.d).  It has also been found that students learn best by 'doing' (Petty, 2002).  Thus, finding ways to make students more independent in their learning is key to helping them reach higher levels of understanding.  Here are 8 great strategies I've found that can be used to create independent learners in your classroom:

Offer Effective Formative Feedback

When students are given useful suggestions on how to improve on a specific task, they are indirectly encouraged to take control of their own learning.  This should be done formatively as to give them a chance act on that feedback prior to being assessed summatively (Mike Gershon's Blog).  Ready my post on Giving Effective Feedback to Students to learn more.

Give Students Checklists

By giving students checklists to follow when completing a task, they are being given the opportunity to independently work using established success criteria.  As a result, they learn to self-regulate and plan their work effectively (Gershon, 2014).

Use Written Instruction

During practicums, I have noticed that several of my students repeatedly lost marks in quizzes, tests and lab reports due to not answering the questions as required.  This indicates to me that some students lack the ability to follow instructions independently, especially when written.  One great way to solve this is by giving them opportunities to practice via written outlines.  This can be accomplished by giving students a written outline explaining the instructions of an independent activity which they can complete during class time.

Teach That Failure is OK

Many students, especially in the high school age range, do not like to participate in class or expose their answers to a question unless they know for sure that it's correct.  This can become a problem because it prevents students from learning from their mistakes and improving their learning.  One great way of showing students that failure is good, is by showing examples of successful people who have failed, or telling a story about one's own experience in failure.  Read my post Why We Must Encourage Students to Fail to learn more.

Integrate the 7 Monkeys

This activity involves having students develop a deep understanding of a concept by completing 7 different tasks independently through 'The 7 Monkeys'.  Students learn to follow instruction, explain a concept, interpret the information learned, and demonstrate their learning through a written assignment.  Peer assessment is the last stage, where students practice giving their peers effective feedback on their work.  This is a great activity because it follows at least two of the Six Facets of Understanding.  For instructions on how to create this activity, read the article Developing Independent Learners - The 7 Monkeys by the Class Teaching blog.

Use E-Portfolios

E-portfolios are an awesome way to get students to self-direct and independently gather and classify a collection of their own work, do demonstrate their learning over time (ECU, n.d).  Additionally, the process of collecting artifacts for one's e-portfolio has a purpose of "generating new and deeper learning by [allowing a student to] reflect on their own existing learning" (University of Waterloo Blog).  This process also gives students a choice and a voice in their final grade by allowing them to pick and choose the assignments in which they feel best represent their learning.

Learning Journals

The use of learning journals is another great way to have students develop independent learning skills.  Through their use, it has been found that "students who analyze and reflect on their learning are more effective learners; that is, they are more able to acquire, retain, and apply new information and skills" (ECU, n.d).  Thus, by reflecting on what they've learned by recording their thoughts, questions, impression and concerns, students are better able to understand the big ideas behind the lessons, assignments, activities, and materials used in class (Carleton University Law).  It also gives them an opportunity to discover the reasoning behind certain concepts and ideas discussed and how their learning has grown over time.

Teach by Asking

Another great way to have students learn independently is by teaching by asking a question at the beginning of class, rather than lecturing.  This activity allows students to pair up or work in groups in order to answer the question prior to a more elaborate class discussion about the topic learned.  This gives students the opportunity to refine their communication as well as research skills in addition to independence.  After the activity is complete, students are to give their answers to the teacher who can elaborate on the topic, as needed (Petty, 2002).

What other ways do you promote independent learning your classroom?