Teacher Reflection Tool

You may just be getting started in your work to help students develop as empowered learners. It’s important that you feel comfortable in your practice, so you might start with looking at the classroom environment and reviewing some of the instructional strategies that could help you more purposefully develop empowered learners. The important thing is that you are reflecting and thinking about your work in relation to student empowerment. Learn more, try a few things out and see where you can go!

Things to keep in mind as you continue learning…

Remember that voice and choice are important elements to developing empowered learners. Classrooms that empower learners through voice and choice might have students help design rules and expectations that are age appropriate, they might also provide flexibility in where and how students learn. Further classrooms that support voice and choice give students input into the process of learning, where their voice is apparent in the choices they are making to demonstrate learning. Classrooms that use voice and choice to empower learners are carefully designed so that students can ask questions, seek feedback from others, and work collaboratively towards individual or shared goals.

Classrooms that empower learners go beyond focusing on content alone. The learning environment is designed to help student use technology tools creatively, productively, and responsibly. Students in these classrooms do not just consume information and synthesize findings. Rather they produce and create demonstrations of learning that hold meaning to themselves and others. In classrooms where digital age skills empower students you will observe the development of abilities, confidence, and mastery of strategies that lead to individual ability to evaluate tools and resources, solve problems, and work with others to achieve common goals.

In classrooms that empower learners instruction is designed, facilitated, and assessed differently. The result is an active environment where students are engaged, teachers are comfortable with students working on different tasks and being mobile as they work to answer questions, produce products, and demonstrate learning in unique ways. Students in these classrooms help to design the learning environment and create spaces for collaboration, individual work, and creation freely as they are needed. While the teacher is not the center of these classrooms, he or she is actively participating, monitoring, assessing, and conferencing with students as needed.

Classrooms and schools hold students accountable for their education and expect them to be active partners in their learning. Teachers carefully construct a learning environment that promotes trust and respect, where students can acknowledge needs and strengths openly and receive guidance as they set personal learning goals to overcome needs and engage in new challenges. Teachers collect data that is used to support learning. This data may include learning preferences and interest surveys among other sources. Classrooms that personalize learning document their thinking using digital tools and give students the opportunity to grow their own networks that can support their long-term goals. While these classrooms might not always be quiet and still, they celebrate interests and encourage celebrations of success.

You are developing a solid foundation that will help your students be empowered. As you reflect on your own practice, think about what might be holding you back, what questions you have, what limitations (such as time, support or other elements of your school climate) that you or your students have. Also, identify what you have in place to build on, and leverage your successes as you continue to work toward fully developing your students to be empowered learners.

Things to keep in mind as you continue learning…

Remember that voice and choice are important elements to developing empowered learners. Classrooms that empower learners through voice and choice might have students help design rules and expectations that are age appropriate, they might also provide flexibility in where and how students learn. Further classrooms that support voice and choice give students input into the process of learning, where their voice is apparent in the choices they are making to demonstrate learning. Classrooms that use voice and choice to empower learners are carefully designed so that students can ask questions, seek feedback from others, and work collaboratively towards individual or shared goals.

Classrooms that empower learners go beyond focusing on content alone. The learning environment is designed to help student use technology tools creatively, productively, and responsibly. Students in these classrooms do not just consume information and synthesize findings. Rather they produce and create demonstrations of learning that hold meaning to themselves and others. In classrooms where digital age skills empower students you will observe the development of abilities, confidence, and mastery of strategies that lead to individual ability to evaluate tools and resources, solve problems, and work with others to achieve common goals.

In classrooms that empower learners instruction is designed, facilitated, and assessed differently. The result is an active environment where students are engaged, teachers are comfortable with students working on different tasks and being mobile as they work to answer questions, produce products, and demonstrate learning in unique ways. Students in these classrooms help to design the learning environment and create spaces for collaboration, individual work, and creation freely as they are needed. While the teacher is not the center of these classrooms, he or she is actively participating, monitoring, assessing, and conferencing with students as needed.

Classrooms and schools hold students accountable for their education and expect them to be active partners in their learning. Teachers carefully construct a learning environment that promotes trust and respect, where students can acknowledge needs and strengths openly and receive guidance as they set personal learning goals to overcome needs and engage in new challenges. Teachers collect data that is used to support learning. This data may include learning preferences and interest surveys among other sources. Classrooms that personalize learning document their thinking using digital tools and give students the opportunity to grow their own networks that can support their long-term goals. While these classrooms might not always be quiet and still, they celebrate interests and encourage celebrations of success.

You have some great things in place that will help as you work to develop the ideas of the Empowered Learner with your students. Leverage your current successes to expand and continue to develop opportunities for students to be empowered. Dig deeper into the foundational knowledge to understand what the research says about the Empowered Learner or take a look at the scenarios or mini-vignettes to help get a feel for how student empowerment can be achieved in a classroom setting.

Things to keep in mind as you continue learning…

Remember that voice and choice are important elements to developing empowered learners. Classrooms that empower learners through voice and choice might have students help design rules and expectations that are age appropriate, they might also provide flexibility in where and how students learn. Further classrooms that support voice and choice give students input into the process of learning, where their voice is apparent in the choices they are making to demonstrate learning. Classrooms that use voice and choice to empower learners are carefully designed so that students can ask questions, seek feedback from others, and work collaboratively towards individual or shared goals.

Classrooms that empower learners go beyond focusing on content alone. The learning environment is designed to help student use technology tools creatively, productively, and responsibly. Students in these classrooms do not just consume information and synthesize findings. Rather they produce and create demonstrations of learning that hold meaning to themselves and others. In classrooms where digital age skills empower students you will observe the development of abilities, confidence, and mastery of strategies that lead to individual ability to evaluate tools and resources, solve problems, and work with others to achieve common goals.

In classrooms that empower learners instruction is designed, facilitated, and assessed differently. The result is an active environment where students are engaged, teachers are comfortable with students working on different tasks and being mobile as they work to answer questions, produce products, and demonstrate learning in unique ways. Students in these classrooms help to design the learning environment and create spaces for collaboration, individual work, and creation freely as they are needed. While the teacher is not the center of these classrooms, he or she is actively participating, monitoring, assessing, and conferencing with students as needed.

Classrooms and schools hold students accountable for their education and expect them to be active partners in their learning. Teachers carefully construct a learning environment that promotes trust and respect, where students can acknowledge needs and strengths openly and receive guidance as they set personal learning goals to overcome needs and engage in new challenges. Teachers collect data that is used to support learning. This data may include learning preferences and interest surveys among other sources. Classrooms that personalize learning document their thinking using digital tools and give students the opportunity to grow their own networks that can support their long-term goals. While these classrooms might not always be quiet and still, they celebrate interests and encourage celebrations of success.

You are ready to go! You are clearly empowering your students! Learn more about strategies and the language of empowerment to help your students grasp the language and other stakeholders understand how your practices are supporting the ISTE Empowered Learner standard.

Things to keep in mind as you continue learning…

Remember that voice and choice are important elements to developing empowered learners. Classrooms that empower learners through voice and choice might have students help design rules and expectations that are age appropriate, they might also provide flexibility in where and how students learn. Further classrooms that support voice and choice give students input into the process of learning, where their voice is apparent in the choices they are making to demonstrate learning. Classrooms that use voice and choice to empower learners are carefully designed so that students can ask questions, seek feedback from others, and work Collaboratively towards individual or shared goals.

Classrooms that empower learners go beyond focusing on content alone. The learning environment is designed to help student use technology tools creatively, productively, and responsibly. Students in these classrooms do not just consume information and synthesize findings. Rather they produce and create demonstrations of learning that hold meaning to themselves and others. In classrooms where digital age skills empower students you will observe the development of abilities, confidence, and mastery of strategies that lead to individual ability to evaluate tools and resources, solve problems, and work with others to achieve common goals.

In classrooms that empower learners instruction is designed, facilitated, and assessed differently. The result is an active environment where students are engaged, teachers are comfortable with students working on different tasks and being mobile as they work to answer questions, produce products, and demonstrate learning in unique ways. Students in these classrooms help to design the learning environment and create spaces for collaboration, individual work, and creation freely as they are needed. While the teacher is not the center of these classrooms, he or she is actively participating, monitoring, assessing, and conferencing with students as needed.

Classrooms and schools hold students accountable for their education and expect them to be active partners in their learning. Teachers carefully construct a learning environment that promotes trust and respect, where students can acknowledge needs and strengths openly and receive guidance as they set personal learning goals to overcome needs and engage in new challenges. Teachers collect data that is used to support learning. This data may include learning preferences and interest surveys among other sources. Classrooms that personalize learning document their thinking using digital tools and give students the opportunity to grow their own networks that can support their long-term goals. While these classrooms might not always be quiet and still, they celebrate interests and encourage celebrations of success.