At my previous school they had implemented a whole school strategy called 3B4Me to start creating independent learners in all classes. Essentially, students need to skills to be able to problem solve and seek information from a variety of sources, freeing up the teacher to work more effectively with groups or individuals. I am sure, all teachers can empathise with many students with their hands up waiting for help, calling out for assistance or becoming behaviour issues because they aren’t able to problem solve an answer themselves.
The 3B4Me Poster provides a clear structure and catchy acronym for students to follow.
Implementation
At your morning class meeting:
- Ask your students if they have heard of 3B4Me – where, what does it mean etc.
- Clarify any answers to explain that 3B4Me encourages students to become independent learners – to enable them to figure out (or at least attempt to figure out) answers for themselves before asking their teacher. This will help them to fully understand problems and help improve their knowledge and study habits later on… without simply expecting the answer from teachers.
- Explain to students that the list is there for ideas – depending on the subject the students are doing, there may be other things which they feel will suit them better – they should discuss this with their teachers. Lists will be located in every classroom.
- Student should attempt three strategies before asking the teacher for help.
- Advise students to be careful with asking a peer all the time – they may not know the correct answer and they are more likely to learn if they try to figure it out themselves. If they simply get the answer from someone, they are not learning ‘why’ or ‘how’…they should ask their peer to explain if they use this option.
- Ask for any questions