Ownership
"Look, Mom!"
"Mrs. Chenault! Check this out!"
"Can I show the class?"
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word "ownership?" This is what I asked my 4th grade students and here where some of their responses...
- It means I own something.
- It means it belongs to me.
- It means it is all mine.
- It means to have something in your possession/
- It means to have something you are proud of.
As you can imagine the majority of the responses were predictable... however, the last one had a twist that made me smile. The questionable looks from the peers of the students captured the room as this child responded. Of course, my first reaction was to have her explain her thinking. She continued...
Well, I know when I am proud of something and someone asks who did this or made this, I speak up quickly. and when i am not proud, I feel like I want to hide. I know if I am proud or not, if it is mine, I still own it, but there is a difference.I wish I could have frozen the moment, bottled it, and gave it away to spread the importance of giving our students opportunities of ownership.
We followed this conversation with a read aloud of The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant. In the book, the Old Woman shows ownership by naming the things that are important to her, or she is proud of...
Why is Ownership Important?

Kids associate things with feelings. Things tell stories, show memories, contain moments, represent attachments, give purpose. We all want time to "showoff" our things because we own them... they are ours.
Ownership---To the Next Level

Students deserve the opportunity to create things they are proud of... and want to show the world! We, as dream builders, must give the students the opportunity to present to the world. Reaching out beyond our classroom wall is more accessible than it has ever been with Facebook Live, Google Hangouts, Twitter...
I was recently at a EdTechTeam Summit, where I hear Dr. Chris Craft speak about The Hand Challenge. To sum up this challenge, students all around the world are creating prosthetic hands for children using their 3D printers. His students then are able to package them up (at no cost) and send them to children in need. You can get the full story at www.handchallenge.com.
An Ownership Environment

An environment of safety must be created for all students to show true and powerful ownership.
A safe environment must include...
- a growth mindset
- support
- a teacher and students full attention
- acceptance
- creativeness
- failure
- non-negotiables
- vulnerability
If we want our students to step up and show ownership, we must provide them a safe place.
What opportunities are you providing for your students to be owners of more than "things?"
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