1
EDUCATING for AUTONOMY
with PSYCHOLOGY really WORKS!
(45 seconds)
EDUCATING, from the LATIN educere:
to lead out the student from within
so students can lead themselves more AUTONOMOUSLY.
WE CAN'T FORCE STUDENTS TO MAKE WISE CHOICES. (It wouldn't be THEIR choice.)
We CAN LEAD students through exercises to ask and better hear the wise part within.
WE CAN'T FORCE STUDENTS TO FOCUS LONG ENOUGH TO LEARN.
We CAN LEAD students through exercises that strengthen attention span.
We CAN'T FORCE A STUDENT TO BE HAPPY.
We CAN LEAD students through re-framing exercises to shift attention to gratitude.
We MUST EDUCATE for AUTONOMY.
WHY?
IF we SKIP STEP 1
EDUCATING for AUTONOMY
AND go directly to STEP 2
GRANT AUTONOMY to ACTIVATE MOTIVATION
THEN in STEP 3, INSTEAD of learning IN THE ZONE,
too many "GOOF OFF", text, talk, jump on the internet.
We MUST GRANT some FREEDOM to use AUTONOMY.
WHY?
So students can PRACTICE AUTONOMY!
Only WITH AUTONOMY can students learn in THEIR OWN ZONE.
A SMALL SAMPLE OF INNER SKILLS AND EXERCISES,
which COMBINED develop HEATHY & WHOLE human beings,
able to AUTONOMOUSLY learn AND lead their OWN LIVES.
BASIC EXERCISES
- Guided imagery
- Feelings and re-framing
- Setting and achieving goals
- Neuro psychology informed exercises
- Trauma reduction
- Disidentification
- Seeing the good in oneself
- Seeing the good in others
EXERCISES FOR STRENGTHENING MODES
- Listening, inquiry
- Decision making
- Planning, detail oriented
- Vision, big picture
- Imagining, opening up to
- Awe, inspiration, beauty
- Gratitude
- Leading
BOTTOM LINE
Students are MORE and MORE READY
for MORE and MORE AUTONOMY
to LEARN JUST RIGHT FOR EACH.
2 EXERCISING AUTONOMY
to ACTIVATE learning MOTIVATION.
GREAT!
Students are MORE READY
for MORE AUTONOMY.
NOW:
USE the SCIENCE of MOTIVATION
and STUDENT-BASED PLANNING
to ACTIVATE learning MOTIVATION.
Three conditions are SCIENTIFICALLY proven
to ACTIVATE the DRIVE to LEARN.
AUTONOMY, MASTERY and PURPOSE
See Daniel H. Pink's 2009 book,
DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
AUTONOMY
Not control. Not "Learn this. Now stop. Now learn that."
Autonomy
MASTERY
Mastery is a challenge, not TOO EASY, not TOO DIFFICULT, but JUST RIGHT, in the zone, AND with rapid feedback.
PURPOSE
A good reason to learn something,
or an inner interest in the subject.
STUDENT-BASED PLANNING
There are MANY approaches to use and combine
from INDIVIDUALLY-focused to SMALL GROUPS to WHOLE CLASS.
One technique we really like is SCRUM,
a lean/agile technique widely used in Silicon Valley.
Start by DIVIDING the class (grades 3+) into small groups of 3-6 students each,
THEN follow the process below.
On DAY ONE of a TWO WEEK SPRINT:
use AUTONOMY to activate MASTERY.
EACH student CHOOSES challenges from the OFFICIAL CURRICULUM
not TOO EASY, not TOO DIFFICULT, but JUST RIGHT, IN THE ZONE,
maybe ABOVE grade level, maybe BELOW grade level.
Still on DAY ONE :
use AUTONOMY to activate PURPOSE.
Students HELP EACH OTHER tie these challenges to THEIR OWN INTERESTS as much as possible.
Next students HELP EACH OTHER bite-size these challenges.
Now we go HIGH TECH, and place the tasks onto
STATE-OF-THE-ART YELLOW STICKY NOTES.
On DAY ONE of a TWO WEEK SPRINT:
use AUTONOMY to activate MASTERY.
EACH student CHOOSES challenges from the OFFICIAL CURRICULUM
not TOO EASY, not TOO DIFFICULT, but JUST RIGHT, IN THE ZONE,
maybe ABOVE grade level, maybe BELOW grade level.
Still on DAY ONE :
use AUTONOMY to activate PURPOSE.
Students HELP EACH OTHER tie these challenges to THEIR OWN INTERESTS as much as possible.
Next students HELP EACH OTHER bite-size these challenges.
Now we go HIGH TECH, and place the tasks onto
STATE-OF-THE-ART YELLOW STICKY NOTES.
For the rest of the TWO WEEK SPRINT:
use the MOTIVATION that has been ACTIVATED.
TO DO
Students move the TASKS, the YELLOW STICKY NOTES,
FROM the TO-DO column
IN PROCESS
to the IN-PROCESS column,
where students learn IN THEIR OWN ZONE,
TESTING
to the TESTING WHAT IS JUST RIGHT FOR ME column
versus WAITING six weeks to find out that I never learned it,
DONE
to the DONE column!
CONGRATULATIONS!
All three conditions of MOTIVATION are activated.
Students are using AUTONOMY.
MASTERY is ACTIVATED as students are learning in THEIR OWN ZONE.
PURPOSE is activated as they ARE LEARNING,
and INVOLVING their own INTERESTS.
SCRUM is just ONE EXAMPLE
OF HOW TO ACTIVATE MOTIVATION.
and INVOLVING their own INTERESTS.
BOTTOM LINE
Students are MORE and MORE READY
for MORE and MORE AUTONOMY
to LEARN JUST RIGHT FOR EACH.
3 BEAUTIFUL RESULTS
EDUCATING for AUTONOMY
at the LEVEL of the SCHOOL SYSTEM
is the MISSING BASIC REQUIRED to get these BEAUTIFUL RESULTS.
THIS IS WHAT A BONA FIDE SCHOOL SYSTEM SOLUTION ACCOMPLISHES:
Solves a ONE and MANY problem
Even with ONLY ONE EDUCATOR
and students are ALL DIFFERENT
EACH student learns IN THE ZONE
because students are POWERFULLY using more AUTONOMY.
ACTIVATES MOTIVATION
Today, too many students are bored or discouraged because the challenges are not in their OWN ZONE.
Only by ALLOWING students to EXERCISE AUTONOMY, can each student get challenges IN THEIR OWN ZONE. That activates learning motivation.
READINESS for REAL LIFE
Today, too many students leave high school UNREADY for real life.
Now, having had a great deal of practice EXERCISING AUTONOMY
students emerge READY for the REAL LIFE after high school.
BOTTOM LINE
Students are MORE and MORE READY
for MORE and MORE AUTONOMY
to LEARN JUST RIGHT FOR EACH.
HOW THE LEAD OUT METHOD
GETS BEAUTIFUL RESULTS
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION AND A BONA FIDE SCHOOL SYSTEM SOLUTION BECOMES CLEAR.
THE CORE IDEA
ENABLE students to use MORE AUTONOMY 
and ACTIVATE MOTIVATION in THEIR OWN ZONE.
1 HOW TO
EDUCATE for AUTONOMY 
2 HOW TO
ACTIVATE learning MOTIVATION