It’s Time for Student Agency to Take Center Stage — from gettingsmart.com by Marie Bjerede and Michael Gielniak
Excerpt:
Jason took ownership of his class project, exhibiting agency. Students who take ownership go beyond mere responsibility and conscientiously completing assignments. These students are focused on their learning, rather than their grade. They are genuinely interested in their work and are as likely as not to get up and work on a project on a Saturday morning, even though they don’t have to (and without considerations of extra credit.)
They complete their homework on time and may well go above and beyond, and they have interesting thoughts to add to classroom dialog. For many teachers, they are a joy to teach, but they are also the ones who may ask the hard questions and they may be quick to point out what they see as hypocrisy in the authority figures.
“Responsible” students, on the other hand, are compliant. Most teachers think they are a joy to teach. They complete their homework without fail, and pay attention and participate in class. These are the kids typically considered “good” students. They usually win most of the academic awards because they are thought of as the “best and brightest.”
Responsible students are concerned about their grades, and can be identified when they ask questions like::
- “Will that be on the test?”
- “How many words do I have to write?”
- “What does it take to get an A?”
Students who take ownership, on the other hand ask questions like:
- “There are several different viewpoints on this subject so why is that, and what does it mean?
- “Is what you are teaching, or what is in my textbook, consistent with my research?”
- “Why is this important?”
Compliance or agency? We need to decide.
The past decades have been the age of the responsible, compliant student. Students who used to be able to get into college and then immediately secure a good job. But the world and the workforce have changed.