Teaching Self-Determination in Alaskan Schools: A Toolkit for Educators
The mystery, really, is not that so many students are indifferent about what they have to do in school but that many of them are not.
~ Alfie Kohn
"Bureaucratic solutions to problems of practice will always fail because effective teaching is not routine, students are not passive, and questions of practice are not simple, predictable, or standardized. Consequently, instructional decisions cannot be formulated on high then packaged and handed down to teachers."
~ Linda Darling-Hammond
The Common Principles
- Learning to use one's mind well
- Less is more, depth over coverage
- Goals apply to all students
- Personalization
- Student-as worker, teacher as coach
- Demonstration of mastery
- A tone of decency and trust
- Commitment to the entire school
- Resources dedicated to teaching and learning
- Democracy and equity
- Coalition of Essential Schools
It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.
~ Albert Einstein
To be self-determined is to endorse one's actions at the highest level of reflection. When self-determined, people experience a sense of freedom to do what is interesting, personally important, and vitalizing.
~ Edward L Deci & Richard M. Ryan
Self-Determination Comic Books
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Super Plan Man takes an entertaining look at how self-determination can be taught from elementary through high school. |
Super Planners is a light-hearted tale of students learning to lead their IEP meetings and direct their own education. |
Copies of these comic books may be ordered from: |
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Reports
2008 Survey on Self Determination--Final Report.pdf (PDF 2.7MB)