Backwards into the Future: Seven Principles for Educating the Ne(x)t Generation

By Helen Sword and Michele Leggott

I really enjoyed this article. Although it looks at recasting students as researchers and even fellow teachers (through shifting authority towards them) at its core the article centres upon the learning benefits associated with the student creating the educational content.

“We know much more than our students do. But they also know much more than we do. When we renounce our own exclusive status as erudite experts, placing our students in the role of teachers and ourselves in the role of students, not only do we model for them the benefits of life-long learning, but we allow them to experience firsthand what every seasoned teacher already knows: If you really want to master a subject, teach it. While direct responsiveness to student input might not be practicable or indeed advisable in all teaching situations, instructors can find many ways of granting increased intellectual authority to their students, even in large, highly structured lecture courses.”

The 7 principles are:

1. Relinquish Authority
2. Recast Students as Teachers, Researchers, and Producers of Knowledge
3. Promote Collaborative Relationships
4. Cultivate Multiple Intelligences
5. Foster Critical Creativity
6. Encourage Resilience in the Face of Change
7. Craft Assignments That Look Both Forward and Backwards

I do recommend looking at the paper which describes how they achieve each of the above principles.

Web Link