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EDUC 5240 Unit 6 Written Assignment.

This document discusses three strategies a teacher can use to promote independence versus dependence in students. The strategies are: 1) sequencing instruction to encourage independent thinking through discovery learning, 2) allowing students to recover from mistakes to improve self-efficacy, and 3) setting goals to give students direction and motivation. These strategies help students become self-reliant, intrinsically motivated learners and create a positive classroom environment.

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259 views4 pages

EDUC 5240 Unit 6 Written Assignment.

This document discusses three strategies a teacher can use to promote independence versus dependence in students. The strategies are: 1) sequencing instruction to encourage independent thinking through discovery learning, 2) allowing students to recover from mistakes to improve self-efficacy, and 3) setting goals to give students direction and motivation. These strategies help students become self-reliant, intrinsically motivated learners and create a positive classroom environment.

Uploaded by

Chifundoh Banda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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On page 42, Ritchhart (2015) presents five beliefs that encourage setting high expectations

for students:

• focusing students on the learning vs. the work

• teaching for understanding vs. knowledge

• encouraging deep vs. surface learning strategies

• promoting independence vs. dependence

• developing a growth vs. a fixed mindset

Choose one of these areas as your focus for this assignment. Create three actions a teacher

can take to promote this area. For example, if you chose ‘promoting independence vs.

dependence’, you would create three strategies a teacher can use to promote independence

in the classroom.

• Be sure to explain each action/strategy’s educational merit.

• Lastly, explain how these actions encourage student motivation and promote a

positive classroom environment.


This paper will be talking about promoting independence vs. dependence as an area of the five

beliefs that encourage setting high expectations in students. The paper will create three strategies

a teacher can take to promote independence, and also discussing how the strategies can

encourage students’ motivation and promote a positive environment.

Students who are dependent on their teacher do not usually have a high sense of efficacy. They

are not intrinsically motivated. On the other hand, independent students are motivated, and they

have an ability to be resourceful, effective, and have internal eagerness towards achieving their

individual goals on their own and with minimal help from teachers regardless of obstacles on the

way. Independent students know how to control their behaviors and this results in a positive

classroom environment.

There are different strategies to encourage independence in students. The first one is sequencing

Instruction according to Regan (2013). Finding intriguing and interesting ways to sequence

information is one way of improving students’ sense of discovery, Regan (2013). Discovery

learning helps students to be independent. A teacher must hand students frequent opportunities to

work on small group tasks and encourage them to learn and work as a team and develop their

own ideas, rather than being dependent on their teacher for answers, (Mullings, 2019).

Encourage students to share their opinions about a topic or what was the "BEST" part of their

day or term. Encourage students to write down their opinions, questions, and ideas that they

have, and for the shy ones use journals so that they can write down their thought. Try to ask

students open-ended questions and even difficult questions. This will help to set high

expectations in them and results in independent thinking. According to Regan (2013), a science

teacher can organize a class into circus labs, this will require the students to be working on
independent investigations to teach one aspect of the lesson. As noticed, sequencing Instruction

with those that increase independent thinking will help students not to be dependent on their

teacher, and encourage student motivation, and promote a positive classroom environment.

The second strategy of promoting students’ independence is “recovery from mistakes” (Regan,

2013). Regan (2013), notes that if students learn from their past mistakes also provides capacity

for continued student learning. Recovery from mistakes helps to teach students how to improve

their academic skills. For example, by asking students to revise papers they've already written.

This improves students’ self-efficacy. The more effective students are the more independent they

become. They become more motivated and a positive classroom atmosphere will be promoted.

The third strategy is “setting goals” (Regan, 2013). Regan (2013) notes “If students can be

motivated into exploration and discovery in any subject, they will set certain goals for

themselves in the classroom. The teacher, by encouraging such goal-setting, cultivates their

focus even further.”

Goals give students a direction and destination. Goals give students something to aim for as a

result they direct their efforts towards their goals. Setting academic goals helps students to

choose the destination they want to reach. Therefore instead of disturbing learning and

misbehaving, students are able to concentrate on what they want to achieve. “Instead of

meandering through life you can avoid mediocrity and make real progress toward what is

important to you” (Chadwick, 2019).

Setting goals can help students assess their current life and help them be aware of their strengths

and weaknesses and also they can identify any challenges to their progress and begin plan to

overcome them, (Chadwick, 2019). Goals can help students to accomplish or master something
for instance a student can set a goal like ‘next term I want to get 80% in Mathematics’ (Riopel,

2021).

References:

1. Chadwick S. (2019). The Importance and Benefits of Setting Goals. Accountable2You.

https://accountable2you.com/blog/importance-of-goals/

2. Church E.B. (n.d.). Teaching Techniques: Encouraging Independent Thinking.

Scholastic. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teaching-

techniques-encouraging-independent-thinking/

3. Mullings C. (2019, January). Developing independent learning skills that improve

outcomes. IRIS Connect UK. https://blog.irisconnect.com/uk/blog/9-tips-for-

encouraging-students-to-become-independent-learners/

4. Regan M. (2013, November). 3 Strategies to Promote Independent Thinking in

Classrooms. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/3-strategies-promote-independent-

thinking-margaret-regan

5. Riopel L. (2021, April). The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting.

Positivepsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-goal-setting/

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