Transforming Underachievers as Independent Learners

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it within himself". 

Galileo

 Teachers’ Role:

The role of teachers to assist students in becoming independent learners is extremely critical as pupils do not become successful independent learners by themselves. To change students as independent learners, the role of teachers becomes one of leader rather than controller of learning. 

Teacher as facilitator: 

Leaving the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ approach of teaching teachers require to have a greater access to knowledge and skills in order  to respond the students, needs and interests. Most importantly the teachers must sharpen the students’ skills of learning and rather transferring the knowledge to them, enable them to learn how to know the unknown?  

How teachers can facilitate students? 

There are countless ways of facilitating students to encourage independent learning and these vary with every lesson and every student. Following are some of them.

• Provide resource materials to learners
  
• Encouraging group work so that learners can learn from each other
• Sharpen learners’ desire of  learning
• Collaborate with pupils to set shared learning goals
• Integrate (Information Communication Technology) in your lessons
  
• Provide opportunities of self assessment to learners for their learning
• Give feedback on learners’ progress and encourage self and peer editing before the final draft of work.

 I hope you will find this list helpful. Share your reflections ones you practice these in your classrooms.