Creating Student Autonomy

Susan Morris recently "retired" from Portland Public Schools where she taught grades 3-5. She now works as a Math/RTI Coach at Forest Park School. She shared this tip while participating in a Grade 4 Bridges Getting Started Workshop:

Although I like to give small groups the autonomy to set their own norms and form their own ground rules, there is one caveat...I get to add a rule. A student may not ask me a question unless everyone in his/her group has the same question. I always ask, "Is this a group question?" If not, the student must return to the group for clarification and brainstorming of possible solutions. My goals are self-reliance, respectful discourse, and teamwork. They quickly learn to turn to one another first. This frees me to move among the groups, listening, observing, taking notes, etc., without "tag-alongs."

This rule is one I adopted from the Small Group Rules we use as Marilyn Burns consultants--it works well with all ages.

Thank you Susan for this tip!