ERIC Number: EJ868683
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1253
EISSN: N/A
Student Ownership of Education: Practicing Democracy in Schools
Scott, Jonathan
Education Canada, v49 n2 p36-38 Spr 2009
To succeed, students need to do more than pay attention in class. They need to flourish. Although "engagement" has recently become an educational buzz-word, creating engagement is not enough. It is important to inspire a sense of ownership. If students do not feel they own their education--that they can open the horizons of their own futures--student engagement, as envisioned by the educational community, cannot exist. To truly empower students, there is a need for a fundamental shift away from the concept of education as a service that adults provide for students to the concept of education belonging to students, as co-providers of the "service package". A school that values student leadership, opinion, and contribution establishes something of a social contract among all members of the school community. By promoting the concept of ownership in education, such schools can do much more than engage students in their studies; they can inspire them to flourish--to become citizens who seek to improve the world around them. (Contains 7 notes.)
Descriptors: Democracy, Student Motivation, Student Leadership, Student Participation, Learner Engagement, Active Learning, Educational Strategies, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries
Canadian Education Association. 119 Spadina Avenue Suite 705, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9, Canada. Tel: 416-591-6300; Fax: 416-591-5345; e-mail: publications@cea-ace-ca; Web site: http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A