#IMMOOC Week 5 – Empower

One of my biggest takeaways from the #IMMOOC is the importance of empowering learners, not just engaging them. I’m going to be taking this on board and really thinking about how I can empower each and every one of the 22 young students in my care to create, innovate, and change the world. Not asking much, am I?!

I believe that content creation is key to this. This is not something new to me and is one of my core beliefs as an educator. In 2013, I undertook some action research directly related to content creation:

I will continue to seek ways for learners in my classroom to be empowered through creating their own content, with or without technology, in order to deepen their understanding of the concepts we are focusing on. I know that this will take time and it will take solid collaboration with other educators. While the perfectionist in me would love to fix everything permanently overnight, I know that this is not a quick fix. I also know that there is no endpoint to this quest. Which might make some people give up. But not me.

Another of my big takeaways was the idea of strengths-based leadership. We’ve just had a week off school for our mid-term break. On Wednesday I am back in my classroom with the students. While I think I have a pretty good handle on their individual strengths, I am going to make a concerted effort to focus on their strengths more. Bring individual strengths to the forefront. By the end of the year, I want every child in my class to have experienced success at a level that enables empowerment.

Time to think deeper…

Boy superhero image found here: https://flic.kr/p/6q9Ywd

#IMMOOC #empower #Learning