ENCOURAGING STUDENT INITIATIVE IN A 4TH-GRADE CLASSROOM

Although much has been written about empowerment in the educational li terature, few studies have examined the development of student empower ment in elementary classrooms. This study focused on understanding a t eacher's and researcher's collaborative efforts to empower a class of 17 fourth-grade students in a suburban public school. A number of ques tions guided our explorations. How would students respond to opportuni ties to initiate their own learning? How could we create opportunities that would bridge the present teacher-centered approach to more stude nt-centered, empowered learning experiences? Would students respond fa vorably to our invitations or resist the opportunity to play a stronge r role in their school life? Student empowerment through both democrat ic practices and service projects is discussed. Findings point to the critical role of the teacher, the centrality of students' ownership of their learning, and the importance of understanding contextual influe nces on student empowerment.