Rights of the Learner: An Introduction

It was in my process of learning to teach elementary math methods that I also learned about the Rights of the Learner. Olga Torres, a well-known and respected bilingual elementary teacher and teacher educator in Arizona, wanted to create a space for her third grade students to feel safe when learning math, but she needed a reminder for them each time they stepped into the risky space of knowing that you don’t yet know everything. So Torres came up with the Rights of the Learner. Initially, I learned the rights were: 1. to be confused, 2. to make mistakes, 3. to say what makes sense to you, and 4. to write what makes sense to you.