The Importance of Raising Students with a Sense of Responsibility
Responsibility means acting from inner motivation without expecting an outside reward. We explore the principles of instilling a sense of responsibility, with examples from our school.
Building behaviour through inner processes, without waiting for an outside prompt, in other words helping our students act with a sense of responsibility, is the most fundamental principle for us teachers as the Gökkuşağı family. So how is a student raised who knows their responsibilities first to themselves, then to those around them, to nature and to other living beings? That is what we explore in this article.
The Three Principles of Responsibility
How Responsibility Develops
Age-appropriate tasks
A child should be given responsibilities that suit their level of development.
Volunteering
The student should have a choice; they should take on the task willingly.
Learning by doing
They should see the results of their behaviour for themselves.
Being Able to Act Without a Reward
With the weekly test-tracking charts we hand out, we both prepare our children for the exam system and expect them to solve questions without any sanction. Without external reinforcers such as rewards or grades, we aim for our students to fulfil their responsibilities through inner motivation.
A person who knows their responsibilities respects the rights of others and does not say "as long as it doesn't touch me, all is well".
Projects Carried Out Through Volunteering
We run the social responsibility projects at our school on the principle of volunteering:
- Our visual arts teacher, together with our volunteer students, builds and paints animal shelters.
- At the Pi Day event, our students raise donations by selling products they made of their own accord.
- They learn the importance of using glass instead of plastic through an activity performed with a "plastic monster" costume.
- We carry out habitat studies, clean-and-dirty hand experiments, nature trips and bird feeders.
In brief
- Responsibility develops through age-appropriate tasks, volunteering and learning by doing.
- Inner motivation should be the goal rather than external rewards.
- Voluntary social projects turn responsibility into a concrete experience.
You can explore our values education approach in our Values and the Child article, or take a look at our guidance unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use rewards to give a child responsibility?
External rewards may work in the short term but create dependence. The goal is for the child to fulfil their responsibility through inner motivation.
Which responsibility should be given at which age?
The task should suit the child's age and level of development. A responsibility they cannot manage damages their motivation.
Gökkuşağı Koleji · Taking responsibility from within.