Student voice and choice - Student Voice and Choice

Direct learning is the opposite of self-directed learning. With this pedagogy, students are viewed as empty vessels that need to be filled with knowledge. The teacher fills the vessels. Although there is a place for direct instruction in the classroom, our aim should be to develop our learners into knowledge builders. Reaching this objective might seem like a tall order, but there are small steps you can take to bring SDL into your classroom. Before we unpack these elements in the following modules, let's understand the concept of student agency.

🔅WHAT IS STUDENT AGENCY?

"Surendra is in his final year at Kwamandu High School and hopes to study engineering at university. He needs help with his English presentation skills, finding it challenging to develop exciting topics and describe them clearly. He decides to watch Ted Talks on YouTube while reading along with their transcript, underlining keywords and taking notes on how the presenter structures their talk. He then records himself as he presents a summary of the topic. He watches the recording and compares it with the original presentation. At first, it takes him a long time to prepare, and his speech could be more precise, but he tells himself that such a problematic skill takes time to develop, so he keeps trying. After a few weeks, he starts to see an improvement and rewards himself with a nice meal with friends."

What did you notice when you read Surendra's case? Was it that he decided how he would master the skill (yes, SDL) or the choice of resources he could use and that he chose the resources? Did you notice any habits of mind linked to a growth mindset, such as grit?

Although we can discuss several aspects of this case study, let's focus on his choice of resources. He chose to use resources to help him learn how he wanted to. This choice is referred to as student agency.

HOW DOES STUDENT AGENCY TRANSLATE TO A HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM?

Choice

Students can choose what they learn, how they learn, and how they will show what they've learned. This could include choosing project topics, which tasks to complete, or deciding the format for a final presentation or paper.

Voice

Students are encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas, and feedback about their learning and the learning environment. This can include input on class rules, contributions to discussions, feedback on teaching methods, and the ability to advocate for their learning needs.

Self-direction

Students can direct their learning, often through inquiry-based or project-based learning. This means setting their own goals, monitoring their progress, and adapting their strategies as necessary.

Responsibility

Students take responsibility for their learning. They are actively engaged in their learning, take ownership of their successes and challenges, and understand the consequences of their actions on their educational outcomes.

Growth Mindset

Students understand that effort and practice can lead to growth and improvement rather than believing that abilities are fixed.

Collaboration

Students often work with others, learning to negotiate, compromise, and work effectively in a team.

When students have agency, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated and take more responsibility for their learning. This can lead to better academic outcomes and greater skill development. It can also contribute to students' self-efficacy and ability to succeed in tertiary education, the workforce, and life after school.

Including student agency in the classroom means a changed way of teaching and learning. But don't be alarmed! You don't need to accomplish all the abovementioned aspects in one big step; in the next two modules, we will look at two quick methods to bring student agency into the classroom.

HOME