Who Plays a Role in Student Learning...

When it comes to maximizing student learning it is a combination of effort from the student, the teacher and the student’s parents. I think the amount of effort and the person who is most responsible for learning depends on the child’s age and learning abilities. Younger students depend more on their teachers and parents to guide them through their learning activities. Young children still do take part in their learning. For example, my young cousin is just learning how to read. The teacher helps her in school and her parents attempt to get her to read at home, but she has little motivation to learn how to do it. She finds it difficult and this deters her from trying to learn. This is an example of where the young student is taking more control in their learning. In this case it is important for the teacher and my aunt and uncle to recognize this and be patient with her when teaching her to read. I think it depends on the temperament of the person, young or older, when it comes to learning. For young children I would say the teacher plays a 45% role in learning, the parents play 35% role in learning, and the young student plays 20% in their learning.

As students get older they become less dependent on their parents and more dependent on themselves for learning. Teachers still play a part in learning process, but not as big of a role for younger children. Teachers still have to present their students with information and have to come up with some way to get their students to pay attention. In middle school and high school the student becomes the main factor in their learning. Their willingness to listen to their teachers and do their homework will help them become better students. This is also when some students will not pay attention in class and not to the assigned work causing them to not learn at their maximum level. The more effort put in by the older student, the more they will get out of the learning activities. Even when students are struggling in a class, those who seek help from teachers, parents, or other students will become better learners then those who do not do any of this. I think at an older age, middle school and high school, the teacher plays a 30% role, the parents play a 15% role, and the student plays 55% in their learning.

Overall, it is important for teachers to know that all students learn differently. Teachers need to appeal to all of their students when teaching different activities or lessons. The temperament of the student also plays a big role in his or her own learning potential. Parents play a larger role in learning when students are young and less of a role when students are older. Each student is different so it is hard to define a specific percentage to each of the roles that affect student learning.