Want to help people learn? Support their autonomy.

Listen, we all just want to break free.

In classrooms (and workplaces!), people do their best when they feel supported to make their own choices (break free!) and control how they engage (for more information on this, check out Self-Determination Theory). Now, of course, that doesn’t mean we let people do whatever the hell they want - there has to be structure within which people can make legitimate choices about what they do and how they do it. But, a new meta-analysis by Mammadov and Schroeder (2023) shows that good things happen when teachers and parents create an autonomy-supportive environment for students, from kindergarten through college. In particular, autonomy support in the classroom predicts positive motivation and student engagement, which in turn predict academic performance. So, how can we create an autonomy-supportive environment? Mammadov and Schroeder wrote:

“Active listening to students’ voices, allowing them

time to work independently and in their own ways, providing rationales

to explain why a particular course of action or way of thinking might be

useful, using statements to communicate effectance feedback and sustain

students’ engagement, and being responsive to students’ questions,

comments, concerns, and suggestions are among the salient practices

recommended for nurturing autonomy support.” (p. 17)

What I like about those strategies is that they work in all kinds of environments: classrooms, homes, and workplaces. Let’s help people break free (within a safe, structured environment with shared values and goals)!