How to Teach Students Responsibility
Teaching students responsibility will help them to develop the self-discipline to become better students, self-motivated learners and constructive members of society. Chores, classroom pets, open-ended assignments and the opportunity to participate in class decision-making will help your students become accustomed to greater responsibility.
Instructions
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Assign class chores to the students. Have them sweep up, empty the trash, take out the recycling and anything else you can think up. Direct the activity at first, but gradually back off. Soon, your students will learn to do their chores without the need for supervision.
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Get a class pet. Having to care for a rodent, lizard or other small pet will provide a great opportunity for your students to learn responsibility (see Resources below).
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Give your students desks and cubbies, but require them to keep their personal spaces clean. Don't supervise them all the time, but check occasionally. That way, they will learn to keep their possessions in order whether an authority figure is looking or not.
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Allow the students to make class rules. Engage your class in a discussion about what problems the class faces, and what rules are needed to correct them. Then decide on rules as a class. You can vote or decide by consensus.
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Combine regular class assignments with more open-ended assignments. Allow your students to do directed studies, tailoring the amount of supervision you give and the amount of flexibility in the assignments to the maturity level of each student.
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Tips & Warnings
Open-ended assignments can't be too open-ended. Most students will probably need some guidance about how broad the assignment should be and whether they have chosen an appropriate topic.
