• View students as co-creators of their learning rather than just recipients of knowledge.

2. Physical Shifts for Student Agency & Exhibition

• Provide accessible technology (laptops, tablets, robotics, makerspace tools) to support inquiry.

• Design a visible thinking space (whiteboards, digital portfolios, or bulletin boards) where students document their learning journey.

3. Challenges & Opportunities in Making These Shifts

Challenges:

• Teachers may feel a loss of control transitioning to student-led learning.

• Managing diverse student projects with different timelines and needs.

• Ensuring equitable access to technology for all students.

Opportunities:

• Increased student engagement, ownership, and motivation in learning.

• More meaningful technology integration, empowering students as creators, not just consumers.

Here at ECA to foster student agency, we must shift from our teacher-directed instruction to a collaborative learning environment where students take ownership of their learning. We need to ensure we create essential agreements based on the IB learner profile attributes and the things they have previously learned to make them relatable to all students. There also needs to be a partnership between teacher and students and goal-setting to empower learners to make choices, develop a growth mindset, and engage in meaningful reflection through feedback, ensuring voice, choice, and responsibility.

What physical shifts would you need to make to create a learning environment that invites student agency or the
process of the exhibition?

To foster student agency, we must rethink our learning spaces. Moving from rigid desks to flexible seating allows students to collaborate, make choices, and take ownership of their learning. Providing diverse group settings, encouraging self-directed paths, and prioritizing feedback over grades create an environment where students develop autonomy, responsibility, and engagement in their learning journey. A student-centered space strengthens partnerships, reflecting a true shift in educational philosophy.

What challenges and opportunities do you see in making these shifts in the learning environment?

As we shift towards a PYP learning environment, we need to rethink how we communicate and move away from traditional classroom structures. This change brings challenges, such as redefining teacher roles and supporting colleagues in this transition. However, it also opens opportunities for student ownership, collaboration, and meaningful feedback. By embracing this shift, we create a space where students develop agency, voice, and responsibility in their learning.

Shift from a teacher-driven model to one where students take ownership of their learning. This involves viewing students as active participants rather than passive recipients of knowledge.

• What physical shifts would you need to make to create a learning environment that invites student agency or the
process of the exhibition?

Move away from rigid, standardized curricula toward open-ended, inquiry-based approaches that allow students to explore their interests and questions.

• What challenges and opportunities do you see in making these shifts in the learning environment?

Shift from summative assessments (e.g., tests and grades) to formative assessments that focus on growth, reflection, and feedback

What philosophical shifts would you need to make to create a learning environment that invites student agency?

According to the results of our student agency chart we will need to make shifts in the areas of setting rules in the classroom, trusting that students are capable of making meaningful choices, driving their learning environment and making good choices about how they relate to each other. We currently act as facilitator but perhaps guiding students in the direction of preconceived content.  We would need to move from being the source of information to allow them to explore and discover what they are curious about. We would need to foster ownership of their own learning allowing them to develop autonomy, choice, voice and a sense of purpose, thus moving from a rigid curriculum to allowing students to explore their own interests, questions and talents and also let them express in their own way. We believe in making mistakes as a path for learning and that each learner is unique so we would need to challenge the current expectations of assessing students at the same standard and the same expression of learning. 

What physical shifts would you need to make to create a learning environment that invites student agency or the process of the exhibition?

Several aspects should be taken into account when shifting into a learning environment in which student agency is taken care of. These are:

1. Flexible seating: offering a variety of seating such as mobile desks, bean bag chairs, high top tables, quiet corners.

2. Dynamic classroom: have an inviting collaboration zone for group projects, quiet zone for moments of reflection, presentation zone for students to share work.

3. Students centered design: in which students can display work for showcase, have natural elements having plants, natural light to have an inspiring environment.

What challenges and opportunities do you see in making these shifts in the learning environment?

Challenges:

Teachers might feel uncomfortable to step back as a leading person and to trust student agency. It can be difficult to change into student centered learning because it requires more time for planning and flexibility. Another challenge could be assessing students and reporting. Traditional grading systems do not align with inquiry based learning, such as Standardized Testing. 

Opportunities

• When students have a voice they often go beyond expectations:

• Opportunity to develop real world skills

• Stronger relationships because teachers will develop deeper and more meaningful relationships.

• Creativity and innovation by promoting student agency we are encouraging creative thinking and innovation because students will explore unique solutions.

• Inclusion, individualized learning wll meet the different strengths of students. 

• Every student will feel valued.

Concerning to Physical shifts to create more meaningful environments.....

Create more meaningful places for them to learn while playing. Like more outdoor games/ activities and also more hands on projects.

Related to the challenges and opportunities I see in making these shifts part of our learning environment....

Commitment to change from the current Early Learning Guidelines to the IB PYP , which is what this training workshop is for, as a fisrt step, through the 6 transdisciplinary themes.