I know. "We need to..." sounds too simple to soothe my worried teacher mind. They sound like a phrase usually followed up by the words "go" or "hurry up" or "pay our bills." However, in the classroom, this phrase has become one of the most beautiful things I can hear. In the classroom, it is usually followed with a student's idea of how to solve a problem or at least look for a solution.
The beauty is not found in the syntax or structure of the statement. It isn't found in the simplicity of the phrasing, either. The beauty, or value, of "We need to..." can be discovered by considering who is actually uttering the words - and it is easy to see that when students are voicing the phrase, it is much better. You see, when I think of the times I have had to say "We need to..." as a teacher, rarely are those times filled with happy memories of children dutifully and gleefully learning. No, when I have said this phrase it has been followed at times by "use our indoor voices" or "look with our eyes, not our hands" or (twice!) "only use the urinal one at a time."
When I hear students use the phrase, "We need to..." they usually follow it with "search for..." or "try to find..." or (my favorite) "make something." The difference between adults and students that makes this phrase the happiest one I can hear is how when students speak it they are solving a problem for themselves. When adults, especially (and unfortunately) teachers, utter these three words, they are usually either creating a problem or solving a problem for someone else. The more I hear students solving their own problems, the more these three words become music to my ears. It shows they are engaged, thinking critically, and taking ownership of their own education.
So, how can we make sure our students are solving problems and creating more than us? This idea is fresh in my mind, but I want to present three different means of helping students to own their learning and say "We need to..." more often.
1. Model a problem-solving mind set.
Gilbert Highet, a Scottish-American intellectual and professor, is attributed as saying, "A good teacher is a determined person." As adults, we often forget how much children look to us for guidance on how to navigate the world. Our worlds, personally and professionally, are filled with problems we must solve on a day-to-day basis, from "What should I do to help a student correct behaviors which are impeding her or his learning?" to "When are my data sheets due?" It's time we consider how we are solving these problems. Are we challenging ourselves to research or look up the answers? Do we ask the right people or sources for advice? Do we investigate and experiment with solutions or do we give up when we can't find the answer the first time? We ask our students to be independent. We get frustrated when they want us to simply give them the answers without trying for themselves. However, what right do we have to ask them to be independent thinkers, researchers, and problem-solvers if we do not model that thinking for them?
2. Ask questions, but don't answer them.
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Better yet, ask difficult, thought-provoking questions. Even better, ask questions that don't have clear answers. Challenge your students with open-ended questions they can't answer by simply re-typing them into Google. Make your guiding questions for research or PBLs authentic, questions whose answers might just change the world. For example, instead of asking your class what countries have the highest number of high school graduates, ask instead "Should every child receive a free K-12 education? My colleagues, Jackie Pickett (who blogs at Diary of a Crafty Teacher), Carey Armstrong, and I posed this same question to our 3rd and 4th graders last year. It led to one of my boys asking how we could help a school in Swaziland, Africa, which further led to our classrooms organizing a school-wide supply drive. Students researched, planned, and collected the supplies, ranging from crayons to binders. They even figured out how to pay for shipping them to our contact at Give Hope, Fight Poverty in Springfield, Illinois by hosting a school-wide hat day in which students paid one dollar to wear a hat at school. The results were astounding. We shipped eight full boxes of school supplies and our students positively affected the lives of kids halfway around the world.
Throughout this process, we were constantly questioning, but never providing answers. Students could ask us questions, but we would usually answer their question with, "How do you think we can solve that problem?" or something similar. Their response? You guessed it - "We need to..." Now you are really starting to see why I love that phrase, aren't you?
3. Put students in groups.
It sounds simple, but maybe the best way to develop this spirit of problem solving and release as much of the learning as possible to students is to put the "we" in "We need to..." by having students work collaboratively. Experts often tell us the jobs our students will have in the future are impossible for us to understand. What we do know, according to education gurus, is these jobs will involve creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration - which have been called the four "C"s of 21st century learning. Students can possibly develop the skills of creativity/innovation and critical thinking on their own. However, the last two "C"s are impossible to obtain without interacting with other humans. Educators can help students build their communication skills through collaborative experiences. Give your class a chance to solve authentic problems in teams. Let them go through the creative process together - bounce ideas off each other and make something the world hasn't seen - whether it is a film, fundraiser, new invention, or some other kind of product.
Let your students figure out what they need for themselves.
How do you help your students own their learning? Leave a comment below.
