Growing independence

Growing independence is hugely important for all learners. Fewer things feel better than when we have been able to achieve something on our own, or with reduced help than before.

Encouraging your child to be increasingly independent in their learning is key in helping them to learn things and achieve things for themselves. Of course, we all need support and help along the way, and your child will depend on you and others to help them learn and achieve. However, if we give too much help, we are taking away the chance for the child to demonstrate what they are actually capable of.

Psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, stated that there is a 'Zone of Proximal Development' (ZPD). In the diagram below, the green 'zone' is the gap between what a child knows and what they do not yet know.

Acquiring the missing information requires skills that a child does not yet possess or cannot do independently, but which they can do with the help of a more knowledgeable other.

Once the child has received the help and support, they will be able to show more independence than before. This all, of course, depends on the age of the child and the nature of the skill or task. For example, we might be able to teach our child how to sing a song in ten minutes, but teaching them how to solve algebraic equations may well take much longer.

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We should aim for the skills, knowledge and understanding that we want the child to acquire to eventually end up in the centre of the circle. Over time, that centre section will get bigger and bigger, as they learn to do more and more for themselves.

TIP 1 (audio clip):

To help with encouraging independence, we can use different approaches. Usually, children will need a model / example to start with.

STEP 1: I do it.

STEP 2: We do it.

STEP 3: You do it.

For example, if we are teaching them how to carry out column addition, they won't know what that means unless they see it - a model, first (STEP 1), so perhaps you do the first one to show them what to do. Then, they will probably need someone to help them do it for their first go (STEP 2), and, finally, they might be able to have a go by themselves (STEP 3). Of course, STEPS 1 and 2 may well need to be repeated a few times, even with some unsuccessful attempts at STEP 3, too, before the child has mastered the skill. And that is what learning is all about: being shown, having a go, and trying to master it independently.

TIP 2 (audio clip):

Promoting independence at home

In the learning setting at home, it is important to promote independence as much as possible. Here are some practical ways to do so:

Encourage your child to take ownership of their belongings, e.g. have labelled drawers and pots in the learning space so your child knows exactly where everything 'lives'.

Encourage them to own their day to day learning by, e.g. printing out their lesson resources from Canvas and collecting any relevant resources that they will need.

Expect your child to help out with daily chores and tasks around the home. This promotes a sense of responsibility and enables problem solving skills to develop.

Set an 'I can do it by myself' task in every lesson. In this part of the lesson, expect your child to work by themselves without any help. The amount of time for this can change from lesson to lesson, depending on what you expect them to do.

Have some independent activities available in your child's learning space, perhaps kept in a special folder / wallet / drawer, that they can complete. These could be, e.g. spelling games, mental maths games, research projects, etc.

Have independent strategies (editable) displayed around your child's learning space, e.g. What do I do if I'm stuck? Look back at previous work. Use a resource which might help. Come back to the problem later on. Sit and think for another minute.

Use a reward chart which tracks how long your child has worked independently during the week / day. Set a goal of how long they need to work independently for. At the end of the week / day, if they have achieved their goal, allow them to choose a small reward.