How Teaching Styles Change with Student Maturity

I believe the best way to teach high achievers is to let them achieve it by themselves by co-planning the class with them. After all, they earned the right to take off the training wheels and do something that matters to them.

Because kids are kids, sometimes it is difficult for the teacher to trust them with their own learning. However, what's the lesson when a student fails to complete something?

Is it chemistry? Or is it accountability? Is a teacher morally obligated to sit students down and have them complete everything in class because that's the only way for them to practice and learn? Would a teacher be wrong with just setting a realistic goal, and handing out consequences for those who reach or do not reach the goal?

If we give irresponsible students a way out by sitting them down and giving them another chance, does this breed more negative behavior?

I believe it does. I believe the moment we 'do the job for them' is the moment we set them up for failure. This idea is transferable.

Parents can't teach their children the value of money if they keep letting them spend money that they didn't earn. Managers can't build up their teams if they micromanage their team's actions. Leaders can't build organizations if they don't trust their managers to do their jobs.

We help kids out as adults because they can't fend for themselves. Young children have a less developed social identity than their older peers. Therefore, it's important to have measures in place for them to learn socially acceptable behavior and internalize them as habits.

However, the moment we as adults recognize that the building process is over and the moment we realize that kids can demonstrate maturity in their interactions, we aren't helping them by making it easier.

This is why the best kind of learning is the kind of learning initiated by the learner. The student is given a goal. They decide what they need to learn to reach the goal, and they learn it themselves.

This is why for high-achieving students, teachers just need to design a meaningful project or set a meaningful goal and then get out of their way. It's fascinating to see what they're capable of once you relinquish control.

It also turns out to be a lot less work because you're now collaborating with the students to create a class. You're teaching the content, accountability, and metacognition at the same time.

How can you collaborate with your students?