ABSTRACT
Successful lessons and courses avoid making pupils passive and dependent and help them be responsible for what they do and how they approach learning. This chapter examines ways of collecting pupils' views about the running of their school and lessons and their suggestions about what could be improved. Pointers are given about how teachers can help pupils play an active part in significant decision-making. A sample format for surveying pupils' perceptions is also provided. Albert Bandura showed that successful learners control what they can: things such as their attendance, attention and perseverance. They are motivated to do so when their feelings and thoughts are expressed in decisions they take about their activities. For pupils to be engaged in their activities, they must have a sense of what they are trying to do, why they are doing it, how they can set about it, how well they do and how they might develop their skills and understanding.
