Agency & Engagement
Agency is one of those terms often bandied about in school and I admit that it is one that I struggle to define. Reflecting on the term, though, it seems to me that student agency is something that I encourage - albeit intermittently, perhaps - in my classroom.
For me, agency is about student taking ownership of their learning. By developing their capacity to do things, giving them choices and control over their learning.
There are different ways that I try to do this with my students, and I can certainly see even more ways to be effective in empowering it. I want my students to be more self-directed in their learning. In the past, when I've given students the opportunity to work collaboratively to construct knowledge of a text, for example, I have had concerns about the amount of work some students did, as well as the quality of their work output. I think that this concern has become an obstacle for me, too, because it makes me reluctant to transfer further control for their learning to students.
I've experimented with Google's 25% time, getting students to choose projects that interest them. They did need to have an English curriculum connection, but as the New Zealand English strand covers listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and presenting, it's not actually hard to assess anything in this context. The major obstacle I found for the success of this initiative was the time allocation and pressures to meet department expectations.
However, it did empower learners, particularly those who previously found little connection between what we studied in English and their own lives.
Other ways that I've trialed developing student agency is through the use of choice. This has included students choosing texts, presentation tools and learning activities. This combination of what students learn with how they learn it, engages students.
The increase of technology in classes obviously enables student agency by giving students the opportunity to work any time, in any place and at their own pace. The phenomenal amount of resources and apps online is empowering, if at times overwhelming.
So when I say I think that student agency increases engagement, what do I mean by engagement? For me, it's about being actively involved in learning. This means doing work (and talking about the work), asking questions, connecting ideas to their lives, having fun. It's about being invested in what's happening in the classroom.
So, I'm definitely on the journey to increasing student agency in my classroom. I've made positive steps, and am looking forward to where the road takes me.
For me, agency is about student taking ownership of their learning. By developing their capacity to do things, giving them choices and control over their learning.
There are different ways that I try to do this with my students, and I can certainly see even more ways to be effective in empowering it. I want my students to be more self-directed in their learning. In the past, when I've given students the opportunity to work collaboratively to construct knowledge of a text, for example, I have had concerns about the amount of work some students did, as well as the quality of their work output. I think that this concern has become an obstacle for me, too, because it makes me reluctant to transfer further control for their learning to students.
I've experimented with Google's 25% time, getting students to choose projects that interest them. They did need to have an English curriculum connection, but as the New Zealand English strand covers listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and presenting, it's not actually hard to assess anything in this context. The major obstacle I found for the success of this initiative was the time allocation and pressures to meet department expectations.
However, it did empower learners, particularly those who previously found little connection between what we studied in English and their own lives.
Other ways that I've trialed developing student agency is through the use of choice. This has included students choosing texts, presentation tools and learning activities. This combination of what students learn with how they learn it, engages students.
The increase of technology in classes obviously enables student agency by giving students the opportunity to work any time, in any place and at their own pace. The phenomenal amount of resources and apps online is empowering, if at times overwhelming.
So when I say I think that student agency increases engagement, what do I mean by engagement? For me, it's about being actively involved in learning. This means doing work (and talking about the work), asking questions, connecting ideas to their lives, having fun. It's about being invested in what's happening in the classroom.
So, I'm definitely on the journey to increasing student agency in my classroom. I've made positive steps, and am looking forward to where the road takes me.
Comments
Post a Comment