http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/content/view/44/1/I think I can add a brief something to the likely benefits of self-ownership. Ownership would mean that the child has unrestricted access to a biography of self as learner and to specific learning experiences and achievements.
Research in academic and clinical psychology shows that access to autobiographical memories is critical for personal and social development. We know that compared to older adults, younger adults most frequently consciously draw on their autobiographical memories to maintain a sense of self-continuity, in other words they consciously reflect on their memories to shape a stable self identity. We also know that the ability to access autobiographical memory predicts good social problem solving skills and high levels of empathy and assertiveness.
So, it has been shown that the type of knowledge required for successful self-development and social interaction is a continuous ownership of and reflection on past experiences. If we apply all this to education it suggests that children and young adults who have a tangible ownership of their learning past will be more likely to possess an ongoing identity of themselves as competent learners, stay engaged, and be better equipped to porduce solutions to learning challenges.
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