A student-driven classroom is the one where students regularly take part in the process of their own learning. Teachers prepare the lessons after analyzing the needs of their students both as group and as individual and they inspire students to take charge of their own leanings.
In a student-driver classroom students are motivated to study or work in a group to cultivate certain set of skills like mutual respect, cooperation, and value by helping each other in their work. Here, teacher plays the role of facilitator, she assists, guides, directs in the learning process.
Characteristics of a Student-Driven Classroom
A student-driven classroom enables students to become a vital part of the assessment growth process.
It does not mean that every assessment is designed by the students but should be collaborative of teachers and students. Students who have assisted their teachers in designing and creating assessment can understand it more perfectly and will take the assessment more seriously.
A student-driven classroom is about what students are doing and can do in future.
The model of a student-driven classroom focuses on what students are doing or is that doing a result of teacher’s doing in the classroom.
A student-driven classroom holds the thought that there are various ways to complete an individual task.
A student-driven class always encourage and allow students to embrace the idea of multi task to solve given problem. It also enables students to understand their strength and follow their interest.
A student-driven classroom runs on partnership and trust between students and teachers.
In a student-driven classroom, teacher is not the only smartest person in the classroom. And which is why, students and teachers partnership is important in the classroom. This partnership is made on trust, and only trust happens when teachers and students are open and vulnerable to learning with each other.
Tips for Teachers: How Teachers can Achieve a Student-Driven Classroom
Divide the lesson
Divide students into groups and allow them to divide the lesson. In the beginning of the classroom, present the topic and tell them to jot down what they assume that they will learn from the topic. After the lesson, see the list prepared by the students in remaining last 10 minute. Rather you repeat the wish-list ask students from each group to pick a topic on that list and explain to the class what he or she learnt.
Organize Q and A Session
Divide the students in the group, separate the lesson content and instruct them to go through their part of material. You can also ask your students to formulate answers from the content, once all the answers are prepared, you can play Q and A session. This way class will go to the entire content through this session.
List it
Ask students to list down information and facts that they have learnt from new lesson or any other queries. With this, students share their knowledge and what they have learnt from the lesson.
Conduct discussions and debates
Debates and discussion are yet another strategy to make classroom student-driven classroom. Create many topics and put students in pair so that for every topic there is for and against.
Scrutinize the lesson
Encourage students to ask questions in five W and one H like who, what, when, where, why, how, etc. Such type of questions will help you to analysis what they understanding from the topic.
To know more on how technology can be used in student-driven classrooms, visit:
How Technology Can Improve Learner-Centered Teaching
Integrating technology with student-centered learning
A Student-Led, Flipped, Inquiry-Based Learning Classroom Doing Authentic Work
