Learner Agency

In January 2018, the elementary teachers in our district's two PYP schools set out to explore the enhanced PYP content that make up the document "PYP: From principles into practice." Many thanks to elementary principal and guest blogger, Mike Fugazzi, for authoring this post on concepts in the PYP.

In an effort to further support PYP schools, the IB released additional resources through the digital, “PYP: From principles into practice”, this past fall. The online resource is designed to help learners (adults and children) foster a deeper understanding of the PYP’s framework and how to implement the program.

The PYP: From principles into practice, organizes the PYP under the concept of Agency, which is directly in support of the self-efficacy of learners. The concept of Agency is not new to the PYP, nor the world of education. It has always existed in the PYP as what we’ve usually referred to as student “voice, choice, and ownership”. Agency and self-efficacy are also at the forefront of Visible Learning research, underpinning Collective Teacher Efficacy and Self-Reported Grades, the top two influences on student learning (Hattie 2017). The strong research backing of the impact of Agency and self-efficacy further reinforces their importance to learning in the PYP.

Agency, as supported by the PYP, “enables people to play a part in their self-development, adaptation, and self-renewal with changing times” (Bandura 2001). Self-efficacy in the PY is described as an individual’s belief in their “capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce give attainments” (Bandura 1997). These two are interconnected, as a strong sense of self-efficacy directly influences the agency an individual will engage in.

Students are able to show agency when they:

• are aware of their learning goals
• direct and adjust their individual learning
• express interest
• make decisions about their learning
• are able of voice opinions
• ask questions

Students who use their own initiative and will, and take responsibility and ownership of their learning are demonstrating agency. The impact of doing as such is a strong sense of identity and self-belief. This can fosters a community and awareness of global citizenship.

Teachers are able to support agency when they:

• Build relationships
• Personalize learning based on student interest and need
• Extend student voice
• Provide open ended tasks
• Allow student to be creative and take risks
• Use assessment data to inform teaching and learning
• Reflect on student needs and provide feedback and intervention 
• Help students set high expectations for their learning
• Help students set and monitor goals for their learning

Recommendations for educators:

• All members of the school community should be familiar with agency and self-efficacy.
• Learning leaders should shift to more coaching and less teaching. Teachers can help guide and coach students to take agency over their learning.
• Educators should look for ways to include student voice and choice in the classroom community. This can, and should be, supported in partnership.
• Students should understand their current levels and work with teachers to determine goals and next steps to reach them.

Action that I will take:

• I will help design professional development for staff that promotes adult agency and self-efficacy.
• I will work with teachers to understand assessment data and how that can be used with students to raise self-efficacy and agency.
• I will foster a school culture of agency where staff can be risk-takers, just like the students.
• I will find additional ways to include student voice in decision making for the school.

Learner agency in physical education

In January 2018, the elementary teachers in our district's two PYP schools set out to explore the enhanced PYP content that make up the document "PYP: From principles into practice." Many thanks to PE teacher and guest blogger, Jen Friedges, for authoring this post on learner agency.



What I learned from this project is that I already do a lot of this that I don’t give myself credit for but it was a good reminder to make sure that I can continue to do this.

• Have a respectful welcoming culture.
• Kids know it is okay to fail, better to try and fail then never try at all!
• I establish routines and all classes K – 5 know and can demonstrate them whether I am present or not.
• I do let students make some of the decisions but need to get more comfortable with going farther with this.
• Continue to let them know expectations and why we are doing what we are doing.
• I also learned I am not very creative or patient and that I should’ve done a presentation instead of a mind map.

How I plan on adding more agency into Physical Education.

• Empower students to select environment they learn in as P.E. is performance based by letting students decide in some sport related units if they want to be at the recreational level or competitive and tailor their experience to what fits them best.
• Consider make some changes to the units that are taught that encompass state standards as well as students interests.
• Be mindful of students comfort level when “performing” in Phy. Ed. particularly in sports (volleyball, basketball, hockey, soccer and football) as well as the dance unit which is scary for most including myself as it is WAY out of my comfort zone.

Resources:

• Will Vreugdenhill, International School of Brussels, Belgium. July 2018. “Student Agency in Middle School Health and Physical Education.”
• Learner Agency, PYP From Principles into Practice

Learner Agency in 7 different ways

At the end of October 2018, the IB's Primary Year's Programme released the much-anticipated new digital resource, "PYP: From principles into practice" (available on My IB's Programme Resource Centre). This digital document helps educators working in PYP schools better understand the PYP's framework for international education, full of the PYP enhancements.

Reading through this new document and exploring the teacher support materials will be an essential first step in deepening PYP teachers' understanding of the enhanced PYP.

When I hear, read or experience something for the first time, if I have the chance to create something, I find I understand the new content better. To better understand the contents of "PYP: From principles into practice", I thought it would be a good idea to create digital content in response to what I read.

To begin, I read the first section of the new digital resource on Learner Agency (IB, 2018). Afterward, I created different forms of digital content, using different digital media to synthesize my understanding of what I read. I ended up created 7 different digital products: a voice-over screencast, a podcast, a vlog, an infographic, a mindmap, a presentation, and a blog post. All the same content, just presented in different ways. Thumbnails and links of each are below, along with notes about what digital tool I used to create each.

Creating these gave me the opportunity to explore ideas about learner agency and in sharing them with you, I hope you're able to grow in your understanding of learner agency, a new term, yet familiar concept to the PYP.

Voice-over screencast

created using Google Slides & Screencastify

Podcast

created using Anchor.fm

Vlog (Video blog)

created using Flipgrid

Infographic

created using Google Draw

Mindmap

created using Creately

Presentation

created using Google Slides

Blog post

created using Blogger

After reading different sections of the new digital resource and exploring the teacher support materials, "PYP: From principles into practice", what will you create?

Learner Agency in the Enhanced PYP

Learner Agency isn't a new concept in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Those of us who have been teaching in the PYP for some time might not recognize the word "agency" but the idea of centering learning and teaching around learner voice, choice & ownership is one that we should all be familiar with.

from "Learner Agency" a section from "The Learner" in "PYP: From Principles Into Practice"

Learner agency can be remembered as "voice, choice and ownership" which Bandura says "enable[s] people to play a part in their self-development, adaption, and self-renewal with changing times" (in Learner Agency, IB 2018).

The idea of agency is closely connected to self-efficacy, a belief in one's own ability to succeed. When learners believe in themselves and have a strong sense of identity, they are more likely to exercise agency.

When students are agentive, they:

• Take initiative, responsibility & ownership
• Express interest
• Make choices
• Are aware of their own learning goals
• Monitor and adjust their learning
• Voice opinions
• Influence and direct their own learning
• Develop approaches to learning & dispositions

They also work collaboratively with teachers to:

• Make decisions together
• Create shared agreements
• Create shared routines
• Set up learning spaces
• Reflect together

It is important to recognize that teachers cannot give learners agency, but rather they can create opportunities in which learners can exercise agency. They can do this by:

• Working in partnership, building relationship
• Actively listening
• Respecting and responding to learner ideas
• Noticing learners’ capabilities, needs and interests
• Reflecting on when students need help, intervening & giving feedback
• Establishing a welcoming culture
• Modeling desired behavior and language

So what should PYP schools be doing, now that there is an increased emphasis on learner agency in the PYP? If you walked into a PYP that is dedicated and focused on giving students the chance you exercise learner agency, you would see:

• Students and teachers collaboratively creating learning engagements and assessments.
• Students setting learning goals and monitoring progress.
• Students fostering their own belief in themselves and their own ability to succeed.
• Students being active, engaged participants in thinking and learning.

After reading the Learner Agency section of the IB document "PYP: From Principles Into Practice", I'm inspired to take ACTION!

• I will ADVOCATE for learner agency in my school by
• Modeling what learner agency looks like for teachers during PD
• Celebrating agentive learning when I see it by documenting it through pictures and videos on Twitter
• Asking reflective questions in situations when learners are not exercising agency

The question is, now that you know more about what learner agency is, how it is connected with self-efficacy and what teachers can do to provide students opportunities to exercise agency, WHAT DO YOU FEEL INSPIRED TO DO?