Once teachers are willing to shift their mindset from being a teacher to being a facilitator of learning, they will be able to provide their students with voice and agency over their learning.
Professor Feuerstein, the late cognitive psychologist who studied the most effective student thinking saw educators not as 'sages on the stage, but rather as a mediator of learning. this is true for the family and in the classroom. and he identified three important elements. There are three elements to mediation.
First, there has to be intentionality and reciprocity. As a teacher, you can be as intentional as you like, but if you don’t have the students on board reciprocating with their energy,m motivation and commitment, they won’t be internalising the information.
The second is ensuring they know the meaning of the work. Not as in a definition, but they need to know the purpose and understand why should they get involved.
And finally, you want the learning to be so meaningful that the kids can transfer it to other contexts. The learning needs to be so significant it transcends the 'here and now'. One of these skills that is infinitely transferable is the ability to collaborate with others. Another is to put together a good plan.
Students who have ownership over their learning, have voice and agency at school, are more engaged, learn better, and are happier. This ownership also means your students have the right environment to develop their thinking capabilities. This type of learning environment also brings benefits for teachers; it means fewer behaviour issues in the classroom and better academic outcomes. Plus, it's all around more fun!