How Can Teachers Get Students To Think For Themselves!

Learning in the 21st century isn’t just about writings on the board, quizzes, assessments, and grades. Learning today involves using the curriculum to teach children academic and critical skills that can help them in the real world. 

These skills are critical, because not only are they useful in the real world but they also allow students to think for themselves which again goes on to affect how much they contribute to the practical world.

 The critical nature of these skills is being realized, widely. Accordingto a study, along with STEM, students are expected to have essential communication, problem-solving skills, and other critical skills by the time they graduate.

Along with learning the mandatory subjects taught by the American education system, it’s important to acquire relevant skills to produce better learners and workers.  The best Americancurriculum schools in Dubai having realized the importance of critical skills have designed a framework that allows students to gain both academic and non-academic skills.  

How Can Students Be Taught To Think For Themselves

Allow Students To Work Out Answers On Their Own

Regardless of how many times teachers study with the class, a certain part of a play, student interpretations may differ.  Teachers should encourage different interpretations of characters and passages by students.

Although teachers may spend years teaching the same thing to different classes, it's important to tell students that although there are no wrong answers, there are many right ones but the teachers don't know them all.

Asking about their thesis statement and what their next essay should be one, is a decision every student should make for themselves. This allows them to think themselves capable of making tougher decisions on their own.

Ask Questions And Encourage Them To Do It Too

It’s important for teachers to allow dialogues about issues.   It's essential to empower students to look for their answers, but it’s also important to encourage them to look for answers in the right sources. Using relevant and authentic resources can help children become well-informed citizen and students.

Encourage Making Choices On Their Own

Although its easier for teachers to dictate what needs to be done, it's important to let students work with their ideas. Whether its an activity that involves writing or reading, students are prompted by teachers to write about specific topics. However, to get children to think on their own, it’s important to provide them with an outline which they can use to think of ideas on their own.

It’s important for students to know that education is their responsibility. The teachers are merely providers of tools, framework, and advice but the students need to work on their own to solve problems.

Test Them, But Not Too Much

Learning isn't guaranteed through tests on units and chapters. Although it may be a great practice to revise through assessments whatever has been recently discussed in class. But assessments and quizzes after the completion of each chapter isn't as good an idea as it may seem.

It's important to understand that students need to learn and not repeat whatever has been taught to them. It works to have an alternative plan for taking tests and assessments to ensure understanding for students.

Encourage New Learning

With books and a fixed curriculum, the creativity in children may get hindered.  Although creative writing isn't an obvious skill for the present times, however, expanding children's comfort zone by encouraging them to try new things is critical. Writing poems and plays with well thought of dialogues, it becomes easier for them to incorporate creativity when it's required. 

Parting Words!

Creativity and innovation are attributes, all children are born with. Although their way of expression may be difficult, the innovative ability takes them a long way ahead in life. If you're a teacher and you believe in the power of student's creativity and innovation, opt for American curriculum schools in Dubai, that focus on encouraging children to think for themselves, learning the rightvalues and on letting out their unique abilities.