Some describe four “Cs” of essential skills for this 21st century – traits such as: Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Creativity.

Some list five or six “Cs.” Five: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Character. Six: the list above plus cultural competency.

Other people and organizations talk about seven “Cs.” Here is one version of seven “Cs”:

1. Communication
2. Connection
3. Collaboration/Cooperation
4. Creation/Contribution
5. Community
6. Continual Learning
7. Culture

All of those C-words are great. Definitely essential.

And I believe there is an underlying “C” that provides the necessary foundation for student learners to develop all of the above C traits.

CONTROL

Control in the sense of ownership, investment and engagement, degree of agency and autonomy. Control to exercise choice. Control to pursue curiosity.

For student learners to develop deep degrees of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, cross-cultural competency, computational capacity, etc., don’t we need to facilitate them having more control over their learning?

Less sitting and getting. More choosing and doing.

Don’t we know at least that much about motivation, relevancy, cognitive commitment, heartfelt conviction, grit, and perseverence?

If adults migrated their traditional varieties of control (content, curricular, lesson plans, demonstration, delivery, etc.) to reflect more coaching, then space and time and opportunity could be created for student learners to be more in control.

I am reminded of sports and arts. When student learners play a sport, they are more in control over what they do on the court, on the field, in the water, or on the course. When musicians and visual artists engage in their activities, there is also much doing – high degrees of control. Coaches and directors orchestrate and advise. But the athletes and players are much more in control than is the case with our stereotypical classrooms and curricula.

I am more and more convinced that a single “C” – CONTROL – may prove the bedrock for the development of all those other “Cs.” For in the giving of control, I believe we provide student learners with more opportunities to practice the skills organically and authentically than if we assign them work organized into the seven “Cs.” Through the autonomy of control – motivated by the control of choice – we naturally invest ourselves in those seven “Cs.” When we feel in control, we learn to take control, and we develop our capacities to maintain good control.

What does offering more control to student learners look like? Below I provide some examples – patches to a quilt of sorts. My examples are by no means exhaustive. But I think seeing examples helps.

• Students being more in control lies at the heart of Dewey – “learning by doing.” On such a foundation, the progressive education movement grew. The posts coming from Tom Little (@ParkDayTom) provide numerous exemplars.
• Caine’s Arcade
• Gever Tully’s Tinkering School and Brightworks School
• MVPS 1st Graders designing and prototyping better bus stops (here, here, and here)
• King’s Ridge Christian School – 5th graders control full operations of Tiger TV
• Trinity students design and prototype better running gear for a faculty member
• Hacker Scouts and Hackschooling
• Katie Salen of Parsons, Institute of Play, and Quest to Learn (Gaming School)
• Design thinking to create solutions instead of waiting for a knight on a white horse
• Any of the examples from Suzie Boss’ book, Bringing Innovation to Schools
• The Independent Project
• Triangle Learning Community
• Imagining Learning, listening sessions, and student voice
• NuVu Studio at Beaver Country Day School
• Brittany Wenger and cancer detection
• Emily Pilloton and Project H
• Connie Yowell and Interest Education
• Geoff Mulgan and the Studio School
• Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School – School as Expedition
• John Hunter and the World Peace Game
• The Nueva School iLab
• Riverside School
• Leadership + Design Summer for Educators
• Solving America’s Innovation Crisis
• Sugata Mitra and Hole in the Wall
• Khan Academy Projects could inspire some ideas for learner exploration
• Student Experience Lab at Business Innovation Factory
• The Case for Curiosity
• Beau Lotto + Amy O’Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included

I could continue this list indefinitely. There are virtually countless examples. What examples would you add?

But are there many schools – whole schools – where a core tenet of the school’s purpose, operations, and daily practices allow the students to be the primary controllers of their learning?

This morning, I asked my eight-year old son, “PJ, what are you looking forward to in school today?”

His first reply: “I don’t know dad. The teachers are in control and decide what we’re going to do and learn today. I won’t know until I get there.”

Hmmm.

What if school taught students how to learn from a position of personal and interpersonal control? What if school remodeled and renovated based on this premise of student “locus of control?”

Hmmm.

What if we controlled kids less and let kids control more of their learning?

My hypothesis: those children would develop all of those “Cs” more quickly, deeply, and meaningfully.

= = =

This post was cross-posted to Connected Principals and Inquire Within on 3.22.2013.