Agency Alive
Own your learning
What is Agency?
Academic agency is a skill all students can use. When students are empowered daily to make important decisions about their learning experience, how they will create and apply knowledge and how they will demonstrate learning.
When you work hard you go places.
How do you teach students about agency?
This is a standard continuum for reading.
Most teachers keep this tool to themselves, but in Mrs. Seely's class students use it. This standard shows when you're in beginning , developing , approaching mastery , or mastery level in understanding . The standards are broken into parts of learning. In this example we were learning about history and making connections between events. " After I work it is my job to check for my understanding. I can use the standard continuum to help see what I have done and to see the skills I need next to reach Mastery".
Agency helps drive your own decision while learning.
Agency Meetings:
An Agency Meeting is a special time where everyone in class shares their Agency for the day. You can reflect on yourself and highlight Agency seen around the room. This time is sacred and is not disturbed. All people in the room participate, even the teacher. Sometimes the teacher drops her agency and we can reflect on it too!
How did you see Agency in yourself today?
Who did you see practicing Agency?
Did you drop Agency today and how?
The Profile of a Graduate can help hold you accountable for your learning.
This is a Profile of a Graduate and this is something that can come alive within you when you practice Agency .
A responsible collaborator means when you're working with someone you don't just ignore them and go talk to other people, you need to be professional with the person you're working with . Agency helps you collaborate because it helps you know the right thing to do.
Another part of the Profile that is supported with Agency is a Lifelong Learner . Agency can help you become a Lifelong Learner because it will help up on your journey to mastery. When you reflect on yourself and your mistakes you can make the right changes to move forward. Agency is there for you when you are trying to learn something. You can use your Agency skills to help you learn ANYTHING!
Another part of the profile is an Effective Communicator. An Effective Communicator means your voice is heard by other people in your community and you're not showing rudeness or disrespect to one another. Agency helps you be aware of yourself and allows you the practice to write and speak clearly while staying on the topic.
One of the biggest and most important parts of profile of a graduate is a Global Citizen. Practicing Agency can help you be a Global Citizen by knowing how to focus on what is important and make decisions that help the world. When you're a citizen is does not matter if you're at home, at your job, or a student you can still help
An inspired innovator is when you're inspired to innovate others or your self. You can be an inspired innovator at school home and work it does not matter where you are.
A Critical Thinker can also be supported by agency. When you live in Agency you can start to ask the right questions to drive your learning. When you think back on your experiences you can use what you have learned to generate new ideas. Solving problems and thinking flexibly can be hard at first but with Agency is the key that will help you push yourself harder through a challenge.
Student Testimonials
Student #1: "Agency is something you own and helps you make the right choices. If you think that you don't know how to practice Agency, you can because you have it in you already ".
Student #2 : "Agency is doing the right thing without anyone telling you to ".
Student #3: "Agency can help with problems you have and solve them as well ".
Student #4: "Agency isn't something given to you it is something you own"
Student #5: "Agency doesn't have to be taught to you. You don't have to learn it to be a specific way. It is all about making your own version. Making your own decisions and thinking before doing, and creating your own agency".
Student #6: "Agency is important to teach to kids because it is something that will help you in the future, even when you are old. Agency is such a strong word and it helps you innovate other people."