THE POWER OF AUTONOMY
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and students accept this system of external control because they have no choice. We know, and they know, that our grades will at least partially determine their futures.
Perhaps there’ s an argument to be made for the value of grades as measures of learning and mastery. By the same token, assessments and the data they generate are indispensable to the records we must keep for report cards and ultimately transcripts. Barring some radical transformation, these essential currencies of nearly every educational institution are here to stay. So what can educators do if we also think that student autonomy and well-being really do matter?
In the past few years, many schools have begun a shift toward Competency-Based Learning( CBL), which focuses on mastering and receiving actionable feedback on transferable skills like oral and written communication. This approach to teaching and assessment can empower students to feel more agency and self-direction in their classrooms( GOA). Especially when integrated with group projects that address real-world problems students must work together to solve, it also makes learning feel more relational, collaborative, and fun.
We all know that competence follows from experiences where we feel engaged in the task at hand, and also like we’ re improving at what it entails. All the better if we can do so alongside people we trust, including
“ Even if we are simultaneously motivated by an external reward, like getting a good grade on an assignment, feeling aligned and self-directed toward the outcome we’ re working toward changes the dynamic of who is in control.
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mentors we feel supporting us. What is equally important is the sense that we are driving the learning process – that our engagement comes from an inner source. Even if we are simultaneously motivated by an external reward, like getting a good grade on an assignment, feeling aligned and self-directed toward the outcome we’ re working toward changes the dynamic of who is in control.
In this way, CBL can help facilitate a transfer of power where students experience more competence, relatedness, and autonomy at school. Of course, just as grades in some form are inevitable, there will always be an empowerment gap between teachers and students, and this is necessary in part to keep students safe in our classrooms.
Page 4 Summer 2025 CSEE Connections