Is your child independent in their learning?

Do they take responsibility for thinking about themselves?

Many pupils would benefit further from taking more authority in their learning. For these pupils we want to help them to develop a greater sense of independence in challenging themselves. The overall goal in educating young people should be to develop greater ambition and drive to better prepare pupils academically for the future and to ensure that they have the best opportunity to fulfil their desired outcomes.

At times, parents and even teaching staff do not have the time to evaluate their responses, towards theses pupils, adjust their reactions or seek alternative, more helpful ways of giving these pupils greater ownership over their learning.

Teaching our pupils to “think forward” will not just enable them to improve their ambition and drive; as they begin to succeed, their belief in themselves will increase as they notice the impact of achieving their outcomes. By helping pupils to plan and measure their own academic progress, they are developing independence and learning to take responsibility for their future.

We believe that the skill to think forward is not just something for pupils who are already doing well. Having the ability to take ownership, plan and organise their own work is something that is incredibly valuable to academically disadvantaged pupils too.

By helping pupils, parents and teachers to identify triggers that disengage pupils, the school can ensure that they learn ways to maintain motivation instead of complacency about their education. Pupils who have greater educational needs can be supported by working with them to set achievable goals and breaking down their work into smaller tasks than may be set in the classroom where the information is delivered in a way to suit the ‘average’ pupil. This means that they will have a greater chance of achieving their learning outcomes and therefore maintain a higher level of engagement in their education.

The longer term implication of these pupils being motivated is that they have a better chance of succeeding in other educational challenges (such as important exams in the future) and a positive economic future beyond education.

The impact of helping pupils to be self driven in their learning could be that their commitment to learning increases and the gap between pupils reduces. When we see many pupils thriving and doing their best, the pay-off for their self esteem and confidence can be huge.

By Gemma Bailey
www.nlp4kids.org