Supporting Student-Driven Learning

Abstract

Within an information driven society, knowledge is no more limited to a given source, context or pace of time. Indeed, the 21st century demands have called for more skills and competences which go beyond drills and memorizing. Learning is, indeed, not merely a process of accumulating and processing information, but it has to do more with constructing and negotiating meaning, problem solving, reflection and creativity. This chapter intends to clarify these skills, focusing more on students' reflection, collaboration, and creativity in learning. In addition to defining these skills and discussing their importance to students' learning, one's concern is to help teachers enhance them. This is through clarifying the teacher's role and putting forward a set of teaching techniques that can help develop students' reflection, collaboration and creativity. Besides, since “assessment frames learning, creates learning activity and orients all aspects of learning behaviors,” this chapter also suggests assessment activities targeting that objective (Gibbs, 2006, p. 23).