Learner Agency and Student Voice

Learner Agency: Move from being passive to more active control of the learning process

Needs personal sense of agency- belief that it will make a difference

Not about handing control over- about creating context- active involvement

Initiative or self regulation/ interdependent in classroom/ awareness of responsibility of actions on environment and others- acting with agency/ agentic in their learning/ IEP’s for ownership?? Student voice in day to day decisions

1.Today’s Reality What exists today that will continue to be a focus in the short term? Keep developing strong programmes for all students. Inquiry model Tool kit Curriculum Working on literacy Working on Teacher Inquiry Variety of agency throughout the school - in different teams and classrooms Student voice reflects the toolkit Learning to understand their own behaviour Inquiry model- team focus Student council	4. Transformative Innovation What do we need to start doing in order to pave the way to the vision? Research the area- learner agency/ student voice Move from the hunch to the learning develop the ability to let go Possible next steps -   student voice in current reading intervention -   student involvement in conferences - what does this look like for other schools Parent involvement Capacity building	2. Future Vision What do we aspire to? What is our preferred future? Student voice incorporated in all parts of school: Toolkit, curriculum, structures of HES Use of learner agency to impact development of specific curriculum areas Student: Chn talking about their targets, how they have achieved their targets- and be able to show /prove  how they’ve achieved this. Learner agency will be part of  all classroom practice- throughout the school. Clear understanding by teachers  of what Learner agency looks like at HES and how to talk about it Clear guidelines for everyone( teachers, students, parents) that identify  curriculum steps Teacher conversations that encourage student discourse. Use the language: I don’t know. Who knows? Who wants to know? Classrooms more learner-centric than teacher-centric Checks to ensure no falling through gaps Learner Agency continuum End point Chn talk about learning using specific curriculum language Chn can follow pathways Understand curriculum steps use the language who to go to for support what help is needed can help others discuss with peers full participation in conferences Boundaries between home and school broken down class blog ongoing and taken with them Breakthroughs? Learn create share? Timetabling- more open and fluid Students running their own inquiry Co-constructing learning opportunities and knowledge www.soundout.org/framework.html
		Beginning continuum: Choice of activity in junior classrooms. Developing agency of behaviour- and conversations around this Putting in language to express self and own needs- having conversations e.gs What are you learning now?  What is your next step? What are you learning when you play? Talking explicitly about behaviour and learning- putting in the language. Is that a growth mindset? Is that a fixed mindset?
Extend/ Defend/ Challenge Assumptions/Core	Grow the emerging ideas. Complexity, transitions, conflicts	Create viable options
3. Pockets of the future embedded in the present.  Hope and encouragement from the present system HES Toolkit and Inquiry Learning Model Play is children’s sacred work. (Te whariki) https://teachosaur.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/play-is-the-work-of-children-j-piaget/ Next steps and goals Share assessment results with students . ALiL GAFE Chromebooks Blogs	6. Decommissioning What exists in the current system that has no place on your future vision? Stationery? emacs negativity?	5. Keepers What key aspects of the current system are so important we want to keep? Next steps Criteria Self assessment of key competencies Use of the Toolkit Rubrics Language for Success Digital Tools Stand Tall! Reach high! Student participation in assembly/ student council SAMR model with more learner agency

Links

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-strategies-more-voice-choice-students-rebecca-alber

http://mrkempnz.com/

How Might We…

1. …enable our senior students to have more choice in their subjects?

2. …create partnerships that enable online visits, sharing of knowledge & collaborative projects?

3. …engage with parents in ways that excite them about new opportunities in learning?

4. …develop teachers who are creative and willing to prototype new ideas, across the whole school?

Trello- https://trello.com/

So this is where the Leadership Team got to with the help of and leadership and challenge from Cheryl Doig Cheryl Doig

After some challenging weeks of day to day challenges (students!!! ), I was reflecting on how we could ever find the time and intellectual energy to pursue this.

Over 2 days we had 2 events organised and inspired by students .

1. A Paper Plane competition from an idea contributed by a 9 year old J (boy) and organised by 7 year old K (girl). Reflective discussion with them included. J- "well it was good idea but it got a bit boring organising it. " "would you say you were more of an ideas person J?" "J- "Well Yes "

K -"There were lots of things to think about and organise.. and J was quite ummm what's that word ? irritating/infuriating because he wasn't helpful !" Sharing the poster written independently

Student Council PMI

P- lots of people, positive cards, enjoyed, well organized, prizes, lots of kids helping each other, lots of people wanted to make a paper plane

M-  a variety of types of planes, lots of people- out of hand, too crowded, hit by paper planes,  some on the roof, paper cuts, sorting out places, didn’t know how many people would turn out and lots did, Every should name them first

I- - how many people showed up, I wonder  how high they went,  Everyone that entered showed resilience, most people ended, we didn’t use all the positive cards, a 7 year old organized it, quite tricky to organize it,

Keen Participants

Teachers Cross country