Student Well-Being Video

Student Motivation: Why Autonomy Matters

By Larry Ferlazzo & Emma Patti Harris — December 9, 2019 4:51

Studies show that giving students a role in deciding what their educational experience looks like can help motivate them. This input may include having a say in their classroom environment, being able to choose their homework assignment, or even letting them develop ideas for their own assignments related to what is being studied in class.

Larry Ferlazzo is an English and social studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif.
Emma Patti Harris is a deputy managing editor for Education Week who oversees visuals and immersive experiences.

Sponsored by Cognia
Coverage of whole-child approaches to learning is supported in part by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, at www.chanzuckerberg.com. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Video

School Climate & Safety Video WATCH: Columbine Author on Myths, Lessons, and Warning Signs of Violence
David Cullen discusses how educators still grapple with painful lessons from the 1999 shooting.
1 min read
Teaching Opinion 'We Need Help': Teaching Amid Turbulence (Video)
None of her experiences as a Black woman or her professional training prepared her for this moment, explains a high school teacher.
Mercedes Harvey-Flowers
3 min read
School Climate & Safety Video VIDEO: How Schools Can Harness the Power of Relationships
A look at the benefits of building strong student relationships, and some ways to create those bonds.
Curriculum Video A Collaborative Teaching Model to Mimic Even When There's No Eclipse
This teaching model brings together educators across grades and subjects to create popular lessons for all students during major events.
3:25
04112014 eclipse thumbnail BS
Sam Mallon