Empowering Students Archives - Page 4 of 5

Jun 26 2017

What’s Your Legacy as a Teacher?

By John Spencer Empowering Students 4 Comments

On Saturday afternoon, I felt my phone buzz. It was a message from George Couros. "Congratulations guys, your book is up." Our new book Empower was officially live on Amazon. Terror set in. What would people think of it? How would people respond? Would they like…

Jun 22 2017

Teachers Need a Roadmap, Not an Instruction Manual

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Innovation 2 Comments

Last October, A.J. Juliani shared an idea for a book we should write together. After we had talked about student choice, voice, and ownership, he said, “I want to do a follow-up to Launch called Empower. Let’s make it a why book. Let’s make it a book about a…

Jun 17 2017

7 Things That Happen When Students Own Their Learning

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students 13 Comments

A few years ago, I co-wrote the book Empower with the driving question, “What happens when students own their learning?” As a middle school teacher, I had seen how the biggest challenges I faced with student engagement were actually challenges with student self-direction and self-management….

Jun 14 2017

Why Science Says the Average Student Doesn’t Exist (And What This Means for Student Ownership)

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Student Choice 2 Comments

For years, we have set up a tiered system of differentiation to go beyond the one-size-fits-all model. But what if there's another way? How can we redesign the systems so that student ownership becomes a reality? The Problem with Average The notion of average is…

Jun 02 2017

The Five Biggest Fears that Kept Me from Empowering Students

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice 4 Comments

Moving Toward Student Empowerment s I Wanted to Empower My Students But I Was Afraid Show Visuals I'd like to explore some of these fears a little more in-depth. Fear #1: Classroom Management Might Suffer I was terrified that students would turn their freedom…

May 27 2017

Fidget Spinners Aren’t the Issue (The Real Issue Is Student Ownership)

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice 3 Comments

The debate about fidget spinners often misses the bigger issue of student ownership. When we focus on student distractions and student engagement, we miss out on student empowerment and student ownership. Listen to the Podcast Just click on the audio below to listen to this…

Aug 16 2016

As Much Freedom As Possible

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast 2 Comments

When I was a kid, I loved learning but I hated school. That's not entirely true. I loved my teachers. I liked some of my classmates. I even enjoyed some of the assignments. However, I hated the non-stop sense of compliance. Things like: Binder checks,…

Aug 13 2016

What Three Ice Cream Shops Can Teach Us About Choice and Differentiation

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice One Comment

Baskin Robbins offers 31 flavors. The rotation changes each month, so I'm guessing there are probably hundreds if not thousands of flavors that they create. If you're looking for choice, this is place is it. And there's a good chance you'll find something that you…

Aug 05 2016

What happens when kids struggle with student choice?

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice One Comment

When I first transitioned from using writing prompts to doing thematic blogs, I attempted a middle ground. I offered a list of three writing ideas and a fourth described as "free choice." To my surprise, only a few students chose the free choice option. Students seemed…

Aug 03 2016

Ten Ways to Leverage Student Choice in Your Classroom

By John Spencer Empowering Students, Podcast, Student Choice 10 Comments

Subscribe to YouTube Channel My kids participate in an amazing hands-on learning experience every summer. It's called home. It's where they write stories, paint pictures, go on expeditions, visit parks, read books, and build things with duct tape and cardboard. For the entire summer,…

Dr. John Spencer

As a former middle school teacher and current full-time professor and best-selling author, I’m a big believer in empowering students (and teachers) through the power of creativity. Whether you sign up for one of my online courses, enroll in one of my cohorts or invite me to spend time with your staff, I promise you’ll walk away with a fresh perspective and new ideas to transform your classroom.

Empowering Students

What’s Your Legacy as a Teacher?

Teachers Need a Roadmap, Not an Instruction Manual

7 Things That Happen When Students Own Their Learning

Why Science Says the Average Student Doesn’t Exist (And What This Means for Student Ownership)

The Five Biggest Fears that Kept Me from Empowering Students

Fidget Spinners Aren’t the Issue (The Real Issue Is Student Ownership)

As Much Freedom As Possible

What Three Ice Cream Shops Can Teach Us About Choice and Differentiation

What happens when kids struggle with student choice?

Ten Ways to Leverage Student Choice in Your Classroom

Dr. John Spencer

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