[Granting Autonomy, Part One]

When it comes to showcases, something I touched on in an earlier post, I give my students the choice of what sub-topics they want to present and how they want to present them.

This sometimes leads to tussles because there are some modules that are more popular.

Nevertheless, I won’t intervene as long as there’s no physical violence or verbal abuse. And I’ve never needed to.

Disagreements and working them out is part and parcel of working together and I allow them a safe space to work out their differences.

The results of granting my students autonomy?

I’ve been repeatedly impressed by groups of students who take great efforts to research and prepare for their presentations, even scrounging up resources from I-don’t-know-where.

And I've also witnessed the less-enthusiastic students suddenly kick into high gear during Showcases.

I know that there is a certain fear of granting autonomy here, but, if you're an educator, I strongly encourage you to try it.

You will be impressed.