Ownership of Learning

Thoughts from Chris Utrata:

I know that personally I cared a heck of a lot less if I had

no input in the path of my learning. This is not to say that

the student should ever, in “a million years,” have the

final say in his or her learning, but rather, the student,

coupled with a majority input of the instructor should be

permitted to have input on how he or she will actually

arrive at the same ends as the rest of his or her peers. The

particular school where I am observing at this moment

actually has a class which is particularly challenged. This

is specifically his 6th period Spanish class. This is

largely due to behavioral problems, as opposed to mentally

developmental challenges. While Mr. Moreno seems to use the

concept of constructivism as it is related to ownership in

learning with all of his classes, he seems to especially use

it with this particular class. He is constantly asking them,

both as a group and as individuals, where do you want to be

by the end of November? Where do you want to be by second

semester? Where do you want to be by the end of the year?

Etc. He is establishing goals with them and he is even using

a reward system to motivate them to learn. Currently, he is

offering each one of the students who achieve an 85% or

better by the end of the school year a Chivas Mexico soccer

jersey. He has told me they are actually responding to it

quite well. I actually have requested that this be the class

I present my mini lesson to, as I like the idea of the

challenge it will present for me. Mr. Moreno has similar

goal oriented ownership in learning activities going on in

every one of his classes but this, by far, is the one which

has had the biggest impression on me personally, “Students

are not likely to become autonomous thinkers and learners if

they lack and opportunity to manage their own learning.”

Thus, it is important to facilitate student ownership in

learning” (Driscoll pg. 399 via Duffy and Cunningham, 1996;

Honbein, 1996; Hannafin, Land and Oliver, 1999). In short,

the “adult world” is based on ownership of work and a

rewards system. If we are not challenged and we are not

rewarded based on hard work in an academic setting, we will

never be able to transfer our academic skills into the real

world.

-I like the idea of goal oriented ownership in learning

activities and I want to incorporate this into my teaching.