Student Mental Health: What’s Autonomy Got to Do with It?

The article reveals four shifts or practices that schools need to make to offer students more autonomy, reduce stress and support their mental health. Topics include the basic human needs identified by self-determination theory, the advantages of shifting from a teacher-prescribed learning to student-designed learning, the importance of having student autonomy in grading and assessment, and ways teachers can give students more control over their grades and reduce grading and assessment stress.