SXSW 2014 Heather Staker & Jennifer Keys Adair, Ph.D

Tear Down the WallsIf, When and How To Give Students More Agency

Is AGENCY an important component of high quality education?

Should students be able to make decisions and generally influence how something is learned or taught in a classroom? Some say that if students control their learning, they will be inefficient, waste time, and miss out on key skills and knowledge. Others say that giving students agency can help them progress faster through basic skills and then practice in creative ways for important 21st century capabilities. Is there some middle ground worth pursuing?

Jennifer: Yes because of developmental and equity reasons

Heather: Yes because of the idea-based, global economy

Audience Ideas

Blood & Bones Example

✤ Video of first grade students teaching one another in open-ended work on the differences between humans and animals.

✤ First grade students are mostly children of immigrants.

Surprising Effect of Allowing Students to DecideStudents evidence remarkable changes when experiencing ownership and control

How can schools pivot to empower students to control more of their learning experience?

If agency is important, how can schools pivot to empower students to control more of their learning experience? Is project-based learning the answer? How about digital learning, where students use online software that answers to their individual goals and preferences? What are the odds of any of these approaches being realistic at scale? How can schools make sure that the kinds of agency implemented connect with communities and families?

Jennifer: Project based learning helps increase agency in classrooms

Heather: Digital learning pushes students to gain skills on their own terms

Audience Ideas

What does Agency look like?

✤ Example #1: Project Based Learning

What does Agency look like?

✤ Example #2: Digital Learning

What should schools do first?

Some say that teacher training matters most because change begins at the classroom level. Others argue that it's more a matter of organizing the right high-level design team. There are multiple cultural, linguistic, racial and societal interpretations of what agency is and looks like.  

Jennifer: Teacher training and community involvement with students, teachers, parents and communities working together on projects and inquiries

Heather: Organizational shifts at the district and state levels for major changes in instructional design

Audience Ideas