Are you letting your students do the thinking?
In many classrooms, teachers unintentionally take on the bulk of the cognitive load—planning, deciding, explaining, and solving problems for students. While this might feel like the best way to ensure everything runs smoothly, it often leads to disengagement and a lack of ownership from our students.
What if the key to deeper learning wasn’t in doing more for students, but in doing with them?
One simple strategy can change everything:
Track who’s doing the thinking.
Ask yourself:
Who talks more—you or them?
Who asks the questions?
Who decides what to do next?
These moments of reflection help us identify where we might be taking over and give us the opportunity to step back and let students take charge. Pausing to let them think, question, and struggle makes the learning process more meaningful and, ultimately, more effective.
Let’s make our classrooms places where students do the thinking and own their learning.
How do you create space for student ownership in your classroom? Share your tips!