Diverse group of four smiling high school students.

Develop Student Agency: Allow Students to Manage Their Daily Learning

Inflexion February 9, 2021

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Personalized learning is not what is done to the learner or about tailoring the learning. It is about helping each learner to identify and develop the skills they need to support and enhance their own learning so that agency and self-advocacy can be realized.

– Kathleen McClaskey

INTRO

Give students the opportunity to envision how their daily school experience should change to allow students to better manage their own learning.

ACT skills and behaviors help students take ownership and successfully manage their learning. These skills include the ability to be self-directed, collaborate, set and meet goals, persist through challenges, learn to take notes effectively, and manage time well.

OBJECTIVES

Include students in structuring their learning experience

Encourage student agency of their learning

RESOURCES

PDF: ACT

ACTIVITY

Give students the opportunity to envision how their daily school experience should change to allow students to better manage their own learning.
Ask students to identify barriers and offer practical solutions.
This could be done on an annual basis, and then be used in a continuous improvement process to modify curriculum across the school, the master schedule, the physical environment, or the student services offered.

TIPS

Big Plays are substantial efforts that take 6-18 months to fully accomplish.

Like this activity? Check out Inflexion’s full-page ACT document for more ideas.

Categories: Evaluation, Instructional Practices, Organizational Structures, Student Activities, Student Surveys

Tags: 21st Century Readiness, Inclusive Practices, School Leaders, Shared Vision for Readiness, Student Empowerment, Student Experience, Student Outcomes

Case Study: Merced Union High School District

Through its work with Inflexion, MUHSD is seeing strong results in student outcomes and in closing the opportunity gap for underserved students. California School Dashboard data show College/Career Indicator scores for African American, Hispanic, English Learners, students with disabilities, students who are homeless, and students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are 16 to 29 points higher than the state average.

Inflexion June 9, 2020

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Passion. Pride. Promise. Two Leaders Help Pave the Way for Their Students & Communities

Tucked away in the hills of rural western Oregon, the Vernonia and Gaston school districts defy many of the stereotypes most of us hold when we think of rural schools. Their communities face both common and unique challenges. Vernonia Elementary Principal, Michelle Eagleson, and Gaston Superintendent, Summer Catino, share how their small schools and communities achieve greatness.

Vanessa Brazil October 25, 2022

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Build Unity Through Change: Engage Staff in Continuous Improvement Processes

Continuous improvement should be embedded in day-to-day work, in a systemized, organic way. You can think of the cyclical process as a formative assessment of the ideas being tested.

Inflexion June 7, 2023

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Snapshot of What’s Working: Multi-Tiered System of Support

Few large-scale policy initiatives speak to the potential of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) more so than the California Scale-Up Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Statewide Initiative—simply referred to as California MTSS.

Inflexion February 15, 2019

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Family And Community Engagement (FACE): How To Get Started with Community School Development

So you’re familiar with community schools. You’re interested. But getting started can feel like the hardest part. While your own school/district’s path may ultimately differ from Anaheim Union School District’s, their example can help you begin mapping out where to start.

Inflexion April 19, 2023

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Implementing PBIS: 6 Challenges and 7 Supports to Consider for Your Schoolwide Program

Effectively implementing a schoolwide PBIS system that is equitable and meets the needs of all students may feel like a fairy tale. But by understanding the barriers to successful implementation and the supports needed to overcome them, school leaders can better prepare for and modify PBIS at their sites.

Inflexion May 17, 2023

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Roosevelt Middle School: Using Artful Learning and Community PRIDE Statements to Define Student Readiness Outcomes for All Students and Staff

Roosevelt’s leadership team identified two opportunities that were already part of their community that they would be able to leverage to create a more cohesive school experience for students: the schoolwide Artful Learning curriculum, and the Roosevelt PRIDE Promise statements developed by the school staff.

Inflexion July 26, 2018

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Your School’s Identity is More Important Than You Think

Like it or not, the cultural identity of your school drives everything else you do. Who you truly are and what you believe about yourself at the core is defined by what you do. In an increasingly competitive climate, it’s more important than ever to clarify who you are and what you value.

Rachel Phillips March 16, 2018

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Elementary teacher and students sit in a circle smiling and laughing.

Incorporate SEL in the Classroom: Engaging Strategies for Brain Breaks and Transitions

Educators and OST providers understand and believe in the power of SEL, but often seek clarity about how to demonstrate and observe SEL in action.
The Engaging Strategies and Brain Breaks are practical ways to introduce and broaden the use of SEL practices in classrooms, schools, and even workplaces.

Inflexion March 3, 2021

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Professional with dark shoulder-length hair points to a computer screen with graphs on it. A second screen shows a calendar.

Rethinking Master Schedules: Build a School Day That Prioritizes People

An effective master schedule is so much more than making sure the bells ring on time. It not only sets the pace for the school and community, but it can directly impact students’ access to equitable learning, opportunities, and holistic well-being. It also impacts the well-being of your staff as well as their opportunities for meaningful collaboration, preparation, and professional development. An equitable and effective master schedule can lead to a healthier school community overall.

Inflexion March 20, 2023

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INTRO

OBJECTIVES

RESOURCES

ACTIVITY

TIPS

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