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This article illustrates the importance of listening to students' voices and the powerful learning that can happen when allowing them take the lead. Planning for inquiry
As we made our way through the first year of our Primary Years Programme (PYP) journey, teachers at Summerhill International School shifted their focus from planning a unit of inquiry with their teams to a collaborative process that included the learners' voices in the planner.
Listening to the students' voices
Our five-year-old class was exploring the central idea, Members of a community can cooperate to achieve their common goals under the transdisciplinary theme How we organize ourselves. During circle time, the students discovered that their teacher had gotten engaged during the break and were excited to hear about her wedding plans. Upon hearing that their teacher had not yet had the time to plan for her wedding, one learner said, "It's ok; we can help you plan". Everyone was very excited about that idea and the Wedding Project was born.
Letting students lead

One way of thinking of learner agency is when learners have the 'power to act'. When learners move from being passive recipients to being much more active in the learning process, and actively involved in the decisions about the learning, then they have greater agency.
~ Derek Wenmoth, CORE Education 10 Trends

The students started by thinking about what they needed to plan for the wedding. As they started to share their ideas, they decided that they needed some way to record and remember their thoughts. They recorded their ideas on cards and stuck them on the wall. A system to organize all the ideas and everyone's roles and responsibilities soon emerged as the students were readying to put their ideas into action. After a group discussion, the students decided to organize their ideas into categories and delegate who would be doing what.

As they got started, they began to take on roles within their wedding plan. The students negotiated their responsibilities with their friends, managed their own materials, and then chose a space to store their on-going project. They also used the calendar to manage their own time by counting how many days were left until the wedding party.
Putting it all together
After all of the wedding preparations for the bride, the students turned their attention to the ceremony and celebration events. They had decided that since they would not be able to attend the actual wedding, they would have a class wedding party with their teacher. This launched a new query into how people celebrate their weddings. The children took on roles as wedding planners by planning and organizing the schedule of events, the guest list, what to wear, and how to set up and decorate the room. They even found a way to make sure that the groom was present at the wedding!
What we learned
Throughout this unit, we witnessed the power of learner agency when we involve students in the planning process. Both students and teachers learned a great deal during this inquiry. With reflective dialogue the teachers realized the power of following the students' lead and how empowering this is when students have ownership over the direction of the inquiry, and are truly invested in what is going on. As teachers became more comfortable with the capacity of young learners to steer the inquiry, the depth and quality of the inquiry rose substantially.

At the beginning of our PYP journey, we tried to plan for student-led inquiry by filling in all the boxes in the planner without leaving room for the learners' voices in the planning. As a school that is new to the IB Primary Years Programme, we felt comfort in knowing that the unit was planned for and in a sense, "completed" before we began the learning. Now we have shifted our thinking to a having a planner that starts off with just a few good provocations and an inviting environment. This means that there is space for children's ideas in the planner. Student-led inquiry can only happen when we listen to and honor the children's ideas and take the time to plan the unit together.

Reference:

Wenmoth, D. (2014) "Ten trends 2014: Agency ". Edtalks. http://edtalks.org/#/video/ten-trends-2014-agency
Jenny Yan is the PYP Coordinator at Summerhill International School, and IB candidate school. She has been a PYP educator for seven years and is passionate about supporting the development of critical and creative thinking in learners.

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Supporting learner agency in the early years

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This article illustrates the importance of listening to students' voices and the powerful learning that can happen when allowing them take the lead. Planning for inquiry As we made our way through the first year of our Primary Years Programme (PYP) journey, teachers at Summerhill International School shifted their focus from planning a unit of inquiry with their teams to a collaborative process that included the learners' voices in the planner.

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Instead of trusting kids with choices - small at first, but bigger as adolescence progresses - many parents insist on micromanaging everything from homework to friendships. For these parents, Stixrud and Johnson have a simple message: Stop. Instead of thinking of yourself as your child's boss or manager, try consultant.

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East Taieri School in Mosgiel has a roll of around 300 children in Years 1 to 6. Most are European/Pākehā; approximately one-tenth are Māori.

The number of children achieving success rises as children move into the upper primary school. In reading and writing, about 60 percent of children achieve at or above the expected levels in Year 1, while around 90 percent reach or exceed the expected levels by Year 6. Leaders explained the positive trajectories occurred as they focused on:

increasing learner agency

examining the effectiveness of curriculum and pedagogy

developing teacher evaluation and inquiry systems.

In this narrative, we look specifically at how the school has gone about increasing learner agency.

The initial inquiry

"At East Taieri School learner agency is about using pedagogical approaches that enable students to take change of their own learning. A positive and structured environment is created to enable students to develop the skills and attitudes to become active learners. Through choice, reflection, goal setting and assessments, learners will be empowered to take ownership of their own learning."
School statement

The leaders of the middle and senior syndicates were participants in the National Aspiring Principals' Programme. During a weekend course, they heard leaders from another school talk about their collaborative teaching and learner agency practices. Subsequently the leadership team (and later, other staff) visited the school and saw some of the practices in action. As part of their involvement in the programme, the two syndicate leaders then initiated a joint leadership inquiry in which they sought to further their understanding of collaborative teaching and learner agency.

The school already had a culture of continuous improvement. Teachers had high expectations of themselves. They continually looked for ways to make a difference for their learners. They willingly helped each other and shared strategies they were using with children who needed extra support. They enjoyed opportunities to inquire into areas they were passionate about and would share their findings with others. Through honest and open conversations in syndicates and staff meetings, they acknowledged each other's efforts, while at the same time, scrutinising them to evaluate their impact on student outcomes. A natural next step was to develop collaborative teaching practices that would support the implementation of new teaching and learning strategies.

The changes were led by the two syndicate leaders. Their inquiry gave them the opportunity to research further the relationship between learner agency and improved student outcomes, and to consider how they could lead implementation of new practices. They found Julia Aitken helped clarify their thinking about the 'why' of change while Simon Sinek gave them ideas on how they could enlist the cooperation of their colleagues to bring about far-reaching change.

Recognising experience and knowledge were prerequisites for significant change, the syndicate leaders decided they would start with teachers who were keen to be involved. There were four in this category, plus a fifth who wanted to limit their commitment to the reading programme.

Knowing and reflecting on achievement and progress

Leaders and teachers identified that, to have agency, students must understand the learning progressions, be able to recognise what they have mastered, and know what to do next. So they broke the curriculum into bite-sized portions and progressions and then introduced 'learning pathways' for use in reading, writing and mathematics.

Using the pathways, the children identified and then highlighted in yellow what they had already accomplished, in purple the steps for which they had proof of capability and in green their next steps.

Teachers and leaders also examined their own assessment beliefs and practices to make sure they supported learner agency. They identified the following as key principles:

teachers and children gather and analyse information and then use the findings to adjust their teaching or learning

assessment involves a collaboration between teacher and student, with the purpose of determining what the student knows and what their next steps should be

where possible, children should be involved in decisions that relate to assessment. They will value assessment results as pointers to their next learning steps

assessment, both formal and informal, helps teachers and students identify trends in achievement and progress.

Following the introduction of this more collaborative approach to assessment, the children became familiar with and understood the learning progressions, and they used them with some confidence to develop goals. Children also reviewed how they were going with the Key Competencies and set goals in relation to them. They spoke knowledgably about the 'testing' they did 'to see where we are'.

"There are different types of assessments. Snapshots tell teachers where we are; they are about strategies we know. Snapshot tests are also used to find out how we are coping with a new strategy. After a test we go into our guidebooks and put in our goals for maths, writing and reading. After every knowledge test our goals change and we highlight more in our learning pathways. Our goals come from this pathway tracking."

"PATs [ Progressive Achievement Tests] are painful to do, but it's good to see the results. We talk to the teacher about our results."

"Our writing samples are 'marked' by teachers using a code and a 'score', e.g. 3B, which shows us where we are at. The teacher told us where we should be, e.g. 3A. She said to not to freak out - it tells her where we are at so she can push us along."
Students

Children in the middle and senior syndicates had assessments from earlier years in their learning journals (portfolios) and could refer to these. These included exemplars with teacher feedback as well as PATs and other diagnostic tests.
The extensive use of Google Docs ensured that each child's achievement and progress was visible and could be discussed, analysed and monitored by the class teacher, in syndicate meetings, and by leaders.

These two children are tracking their progress
The learning journals were also extensively used by the students and their parents.

"We have two to three years of learning in our learning journals now. We can look back and see how we are going. We use them in our reports and three-way interviews. We are in charge of them."

"I can look to see what I've done. I noticed I had been two years on the same stage. In the third year I moved up to the next level because I tried. I tried a new strategy because I was always getting the same score and was doing the same thing. Plus we had freedom to choose and have more control of our work, so that helped."

"Our learning journals help us make decisions about our own learning. We can go back and see what we need to work on and we choose an activity to do this. The pathways let us know what we are strong at and what to work on."

"Our journals help us doing reports with parents. Our parents work on things at home - things we are not good at. We take them home after our interview so we have more time to show them and talk about the things in them."

"We have mentor buddies. They help us by talking with us about what we can do and help us decide our goals. We also role play parent interviews. Our buddies help us improve what we share."
Students

Understanding the learning processes

Classrooms displayed vibrant looking learner prompts and checklists to encourage independent learning and reflection.

Each week children monitored their progress and identified their next steps with the help of curriculum overviews. They were supported to take risks with their learning and were open to feedback that would improve their work.

Systems and processes, often formalised as in the example following, provided structure and support for independent learning. (Note the influence here of the Key Competencies.)

In classrooms, we saw children working independently, in small groups, and with the teacher. Children revised earlier learning, did lots of work in pairs, and quickly completed critiquing activities before beginning their own writing. The teachers worked collaboratively and seamlessly; when the one leading the activity needed to work with individual children, another would take the lead.

Joint planning and shared expectations gave teachers the confidence to move into shared teaching. We noted too, that teachers had a deep understanding of how to tap into each child's interests and engage them. They used approaches that promoted inferential thinking, expanded comprehension, and highlighted connections across the curriculum.

Classrooms provided rich environments where children were able to learn where, how, and with whoever they wished. Children talked about the fun, creative activities they were involved in. They felt their teachers pitched their work at the right level. They particularly enjoyed using information technologies for research, e-ako maths, and contributing to their own website.

Monitoring and evaluation systems highlighted improvements, while cycles of inquiry were well embedded, sustaining and increasing student agency and wellbeing.

Developing agreed expectations

For any new development to succeed, leaders and teachers need to develop shared understandings about what is wanted or expected. In this case, they developed shared expectations about effective pedagogy and more detailed expectations for teaching reading, writing and mathematics. The following table lists some of their shared understandings about effective pedagogy.

Effective pedagogy at East Taieri School

WE CREATE A SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT BY:

encouraging risk taking

giving positive feedback

positive relationships between pupils teachers and parents

encouraging children to take responsibility for their own learning

peer-support systems within classes and across the school

having confident, happy children

staff collaboration, syndicate/school-wide planning and activities

having an inclusive, caring, sharing culture

drawing on strengths.

WE ENCOURAGE REFLECTIVE THOUGHT AND ACTION BY:

having an inquiry approach to learning and teaching

encouraging children to articulate their learning

modelling reflective practice

questioning/discussing/feedback

encouraging students to self assess and set goals for themselves

involving students in parent-teacher interviews in Years 4 to 6

WE ENHANCE THE RELEVANCE OF NEW LEARNING BY:

ensuring students understand what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will be able to transfer their new learning

challenging children to take their new learning further

making links to prior learning

sharing students' learning with the community and celebrating new learning in a variety of ways

using open question

exploring wonderings

encouraging students to apply new learning in real life situations.

WE FACILITATE SHARED LEARNING BY:

learning together - teachers seen as learners as well as students

respecting each other's views and opinions and accepting differences

using a range of thinking tools

involving students in peer teaching

using a wide range of assessment tools

having collaborative discussion about results and asking 'Where to from here?'

providing a range of support/extension programmes.

The school's organisational structures, processes and practices allowed two leaders to develop their interest in new teaching approaches. Collaborative learning and decision making made sure the new approaches were well known and were implemented for an increasing number of children.

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9. Developing student agency and motivation through effective teaching as inquiry

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East Taieri School in Mosgiel has a roll of around 300 children in Years 1 to 6. Most are European/Pākehā; approximately one-tenth are Māori. The number of children achieving success rises as children move into the upper primary school.

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It took me years to transform my instruction toward a more student-centered approach. This is my story where I share my journey toward student ownership through student choice. Note that this is a revision of a post I wrote last year. I'm taking a few weeks off to work on a novel (which I can't wait to tell you about).
It was my first year of teaching and this was supposed to be my greatest lesson of the school year. I had planned it for hours, revising every element until it looked flawless. On paper. But now, in the third period of the day, the reality sunk in. My lesson sucked. Students weren't engaged. They didn't want to create Civil War newspapers. They didn't want to follow scripted directions. They didn't want to follow the prompts I had written.

A few students looked engaged on the surface. They were listening, answering discussion questions, and participating. A few of them even got excited about drawing Civil War political cartoons. Still, I knew something was missing.
My students didn't own the learning.
At the time, I viewed teaching as a content delivery system. I worked tirelessly to create content that would be meaningful, fun, and challenging. When students seemed disinterested, I would try and dress it up with more humor or a pop culture twist.

But still, it was always content and I was always the person delivering it. Don't get me wrong. Students completed projects. However, these were culminating projects at the end of a unit. And they weren't really projects. They were more like crafts. Our classroom projects looked nothing like the kinds of projects people do outside of school. I had strict rules on everything from formatting to strategies to pace to style. I handed students project papers that were essentially paint-by-number instructions. It never occurred to me that students could paint their own pictures.

Looking back at it, I realize that these projects had always been about me. Here's what I mean:

I chose the resources

I chose the content

I asked the questions

I wrote the instructions

I managed the project progress

I chose the tasks

I wrote the objectives

I picked the standards

I decided on the format

I determined whether or not the work was any good

They were working for me.

Even though I wanted my students to have creative control, I was afraid. Questions swirled around my mind: What if they don't choose the right thing? What if they check out and don't care? What happens if they make too many decisions? Will I be a weak teacher? What will this look like for classroom management? What will the principal think of too many people are doing things differently from each other? Won't students get lazy and selfish if they get to choose? How will I even know what's going on? What about the ones who don't know how to handle choice? What about the test? Will I be allowed to do this? What if I don't have the right materials? What about the curriculum map?

Looking back on it, I was a tour guide leading my students through the content. Each lesson was a carefully packaged presentation, where I would entertain my students and point out areas of interest. A few students might ask questions and, on a good day, we would have a discussion.

But we never left the tour bus. We stuck tightly to the route spelled out by the curriculum map, stopping every few days to take on a new standard and tackle a new objective.

When students were bored, I doubled down on the entertainment factor. When they were confused, I simplified my explanations. But we were all going in the same direction at the same pace in the same way. And I was the one driving instruction.

Here's a picture that illustrates my approach at the time:

Then everything changed.

It was a "lame duck" week during state testing. I had one social studies class for 3 hours each day and we didn't have a curriculum map.

So, I asked my students a simple question, "What do you want to make?"

After a short class discussion, we landed on a documentary project about immigration. Students formed small groups and began researching the topic. What happened next was a mess. I gave mini-lessons on how to conduct interviews, how to shoot video, and how to tell a non-fiction story. I met with students one-on-one to go over how to find more credible sources. We shared scripts back and forth on a shared document.

But things didn't go smoothly. A few students didn't finish their parts. We never launched it to a real audience. Some of my "highest performing students" were more frustrated and more afraid than ever before. They had never faced failure before. A few kids were in tears when they couldn't get something to work.

Still, something emerged from the mess.

My students were different. Students who had never turned in homework before began voluntarily shooting videos on their free time. They were interviewing immigrants in their families and in their neighborhoods. Suddenly, students who had never asked questions in class were asking hard-hitting interview questions. Students who had once told me, "I'm not very creative" were setting up storyboards and editing videos.

They were making history - literally, by recording interviews, adding their own scripts, finding visuals, and then working collaboratively with other teams to create one larger documentary.

They were also empowered. They were excited. They were passionate. They were makers.

But the secret ingredient wasn't a new maker space or a fancy studio (my students shot the videos on their cell phones). It wasn't a new program or a district initiative. No, the secret ingredient was ownership. Without the curriculum map, we were forced to go off-road. And, although the road was rocky (hmm . . . rocky road) it was also an epic adventure.

Going Off-Road (The Power of Student Choice)

I spent the next summer analyzing every part of my classroom with a single, driving question:

What decisions am I making for students that they could make for themselves?

It was humbling. I realized that I was working like crazy while my students were bored - or, at best, entertained. That's when I revamped everything - my class rules, procedures, instructional strategies, lesson plans, projects, and assessments.

Everything.

I decided we would go off-road.

Students decide on the destination: Instead of sticking to the same rigid routes, I would let students explore the content. They would decide on the topics the sub-topics based upon their own geeky interests.

Students asked the questions: Instead of answering a set of predetermined questions, students would ask their own questions based on their own curiosity. Sometimes they would go out on their own and chase a question. Other times, they would ask questions of one another and explore ideas as a group. But they would own the inquiry process.

Students set the pace: The tourist approach requires everyone to stay together in a group. But off-road, students can work at their own pace. Some blaze a trail quickly. Others take their time as they learn the new terrain. But nobody has to be "left behind." It's not a race or a contest. It's an epic adventure.

Students select the tools: Instead of requiring students to finish specific activities, they would have the option of using whatever tools they find helpful. So, maybe one student needs notecards. Another prefers a spreadsheet. They would own the tools and decide on the strategies as they engage in the projects.

Students decide when they need help: All scaffolding would be optional and students would have to self-select it. I realized that I had created more and more scaffolding not realizing that I was really creating a cage and boxing in my students.

I was afraid that students would be lazy. Instead, they worked harder, because they cared about their work. I was afraid they would get confused and give up. Instead, they took more creative risks. I was worried we wouldn't get to all the standards. Instead, students spent more time on the skills they needed to hone and less on the ones they needed to master. I was terrified of the test but we always remained in the top half of the test scores.

It didn't always work perfectly. I had projects that tanked. I had moments when I over-edited and acted like one of those parents who gives too much help in a project. We had moments when students were rushed and didn't finish at all. We had too much structure and then not enough structure. And, even on the best days, there were some students who were feeling unmotivated.

Even now, I'm still on this journey of student choice. I still talk too much in class. I still make too many decisions. I still have a hard time letting students self-manage.

But I'm convinced that the answer is to empower students with more voice and choice in their learning. When that happens, they become the creative, life-long learners we know they can be.

This Isn't Easy

These shifts are not always easy. The journey toward empowering students can feel confusing and even scary. But as we move toward the end of the year, this might just be the hidden opportunity to choose one area where students could own the learning. The testing is over. The high-stakes environment is starting to dissipate.

Now is the time.

Maybe it's a maker project. Perhaps it's a design thinking challenge. Or maybe you want to move toward student-centered assessment. Maybe you want to pilot a Genius Hour project. Or perhaps you want to let students own the research process.

But if you're waiting for permission, it might never happen. Sometimes, you just have to take the leap.

Empower Your Students with Voice and Choice

Want to get started with student ownership? Check out this page with free articles, videos, and resources. Also, check out the Empower Blueprint and Toolkit below.

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Who Owns the Learning in Your Classroom?

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It took me years to transform my instruction toward a more student-centered approach. This is my story where I share my journey toward student ownership through student choice. Note that this is a revision of a post I wrote last year.