[Weekly Inspiration] The Shift from Engaging Students to Empowering Learners

Teachers spend a lot of time developing lessons and content to engage their students. Many spend hours finding the perfect video, the ideal lesson, or the right activity to get students interested. But what if we shifted away from engaging students by telling them what they should learn and instead empower learners to figure out what they want to learn? Check out John Spencer’s video below that explores this shift:

Empowering your learners means letting them take some control in the learning process. Rather than guiding them along the path of learning, let them explore and figure out their own path to understanding.  

While you can’t let your students take full control of what they want to learn, John Spencer reminds us it is possible to create a classroom environment of more curiosity and exploration by offering different ways for students to consume lessons. Shifting students towards ownership over their own learning helps develop creative, critical thinkers who change the world.

Looking for a place to start building student curiosity? Check out these four specific strategies for implementing inquiry-based learning!