The prospect of giving students agency and control in the classroom is widely discussed in educational literature and professional development. The idea of fostering collaboration between students and educators to establish rules and norms is often suggested as a way to create a stronger classroom community.
While a lot of educators can see the obvious benefits of this idea, the prospect of implementation is more dubious. Many of these same educators find the practical implementation of collaboration challenging, often wondering, 'Do they see the students I have?' While the concept of student-generated policies is appealing, the realities of the classroom can make it seem unrealistic.
I was one of those educators who found the idea inspiring but was hesitant due to the specific challenges in my classroom. However, my viewpoint changed at the end of one semester when I was overwhelmed by the amount of late work my students submitted. Desperate for a solution, I asked my students to create a late work policy that would benefit our collective mental health. I wrote an article about this experience for Edutopia, which can be accessed here. While this group of students had given me input on policies I suggested in the past and helped to adapt them, this was their first attempt at developing them themselves.
From this experience, I learned that students can be partners in designing classroom policies and procedures. This collaboration doesn't have to be overwhelming and should be modified to each group of learners’ needs. Some groups may handle more complex policies, while others might start with simpler ones. The key is to engage in these discussions, understand the reasoning behind various procedures and find workable solutions together.