Work gets done much quicker when adults do it, that is a fact. It is much easier to hand out printed notes, for instance, than dictate each word to students in the class, which could be aggravating and a test of patience. But encouraging students to do their own work from a very young age teaches them to not be dependent on relying on anyone, an imperative life dexterity. 

Independence, self-reliance is a virtue that needs to be taught to kids, which is as important as education. Independence includes doing things for your own self and taking up responsibility.  At CBSE schools, where we believe that education is not just literacy, we take a child’s overall development very seriously.

 Here are a few ways by which we try to foster the independence of our students.

1. Provide written or oral feedback –
Just giving and marking assignments is not enough for anyone to know what exactly a kid is doing whether it is wrong or right. Constructive feedback, oral or even better, written goes a long way to help the learner assess for themselves where they went wrong, made mistakes, and be sure to make improvements the next time. This helps in promoting self-regulation.

2. Encourage them to collaborate –
In the real world, people do not work by themselves. They work together, exchange ideas, and co-operate with each other. In schools too, we encourage students by giving them tasks or activities where they require each other’s help. By collaborating, they learn new skills and it also teaches them that they do not need adults to guide them always.  

3. Encourage leadership and group activities –
As we are growing rapidly in the fast-moving world being a team player and having leadership skills is going to be important to be a team player. They learn to do their work by themselves, and by meeting individual and collective goals, they are owning up to their mistakes or achievements becomes a habit.  

4. Let students teach and ask a lot of questions –
We encourage asking questions because that is how you understand the concepts even in-depth and exercise your thinking ability. It gives students the independence to be able to deliver a message in a way they wish to convey.  

5. Encourage an environment to experiment –
We believe order does not necessarily always get out the best results. Sometimes the mind should be allowed to bend a little and try new things.

Maria Montessori once said, “The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say,’ the children are now working as if I did not exist’.” This is something CBSE schools strive to achieve, empowering our students to be capable enough to not depend on anyone.