- Learner Agency

-Learner Profile

-Approaches to learning

-Action

PYP students with agency use their own initiative and will, and take responsibility and ownership of their learning. They direct their learning with a strong sense of identity and self-belief, and in conjunction with others, thereby building a sense of community and awareness of the opinions, values and needs of others. When learners have agency, the role of the teacher and student changes; the relationship between a teacher and a student is viewed as a partnership. 

(Principles into practise pg4)

-Inquiry in the PYP

-Assessment

When learners have agency, the role of the teacher and student changes; the relationship between a teacher and a student is viewed as a partnership. Students take initiative, express interest and wonderings, make choices and are aware of their learning goals. They are actively engaged, and monitor and adjust their learning as needed. Students offer feedback to others and consult on decisions that affect them. In school, students take responsibility for their learning and collaborate with teachers and other students to plan, present and assess learning needs. Teachers recognize students’ capabilities through listening, respecting and responding to their ideas. They make thoughtful considerations and decisions with an emphasis on relationships, dialogue and respect for one another.

(Principles into practise pg4)

-A community of learners

-Collaboration

-The learning environment

The learning community recognizes that agency and self-efficacy are fundamental to learning. A learning community that supports agency offers opportunities for students to develop important skills and dispositions, such as critical and creative thinking, perseverance, independence and confidence. These are vital to the learning process and the development of self-efficacy. The learning community further offers students multiple opportunities to experience the impact of their choices and opinions, which support their evolving perceptions of their identity. In return, students with a stronger sense of self-efficacy bring a stronger sense of agency to the learning community.

(Principles into practise pg5)

‘Students shared that being invited to set up the classroom at the beginning of the year helped them to have a voice in decisions about their learning and how the classroom could be set up to support their learning.’

‘The one thing that students identified as helping them experience the most agency as learners was the opportunity to plan their own day. This has been an ongoing experiment and has taken many forms along the way—but the main idea is having students write their own day plans.’

‘Students reflected that our approach to three-way conferences also helped support their sense of student agency. Being able to share their thoughts and perspectives about their own learning first—before hearing from their parent or teacher—helped them feel that the learning is theirs.’

These experiences allowed the students to engage and maintain collaborative relationships that support the wellbeing of the learning community. It also provided the opportunity to negotiate ideas and understandings and provide opportunities for student collaboration. As a learning community both the teachers and students together worked to provide and maintain an environment within which students feel safe to be responsible for their own learning make thoughtful use of resources—time, people, places, spaces and physical materials—to develop flexible and diverse approaches to learning and teaching

‘Purposefully plan their learning, based on personal learning goals, has also helped students be in charge of their learning. By taking data from the assessment of prior knowledge, and then planning what they wanted to learn, how they wanted to learn, how they were going to get feedback and how they will know if they achieved their learning goal, students were put in the driver’s seat of their own learning.’

‘...To create a culture of trial and initiative. This starts with feelings of belonging, trust and reciprocity within the classroom community. Whether it is an idea to label the garbage cans, the desire for a height poster, a proposal for a field trip or a suggestion for action, I believe that honouring and supporting students’ initiatives, both inside and outside of the classroom, has helped students notice and be aware of their own agency. Knowing that their ideas matter and are listened to is an instrumental part of this process. As a group, we consider consequences, connections and the impact of action.