This online guide provides: ideas, resources, and stories illustrating how NZ secondary schools use digital technologies to extend and enhance learning in the NCEA years. Dispositionality, as an orientation to action, aligns with attributes that have been deemed important for lifelong learning (Carr, 2008). This leads to greater agency. Teachers are provided with invaluable insights into how students are making sense of their learning, and how comfortably their identities sit within their learning context. In this article from NZ Journal of Teachers Work author, Jennifer Charteris examines how learners take up agentic subject positions within and across differen learning areas through developing key competencies. Students share their experiences of increased learner agency, the role of the teacher, course planning, and the need to balance agency and expectations. In a learner-centred environment, learners have agency over their learning and classroom systems serve the needs and interests of the learner. Students talk about how they now have more responsibility and ownership of their learning. Karakia Kia hora te marino Kia whakapapa pounamu te moana Hei huarahi mā tatou i te rangi nei Aroha atu, aroha mai Tātou i a tātou katoa. Netsafe For the past 10 years, the school’s Impact Projects, where each week students work on real world projects with mentors and partners, has been a mechanism for developing learner agency at Albany Senior High. Teachers, Sara and Emma, talk about the biggest changes they have seen in their teaching since they started using flipped learning. Are you teaching someone how to drive or helping them get ready? The camping ground could have several different “loop tracks” that lead to a variety of different learning experiences. They need to be active participants in their learning. Learner agency; Print. Personalising learning can involve shaping students’ learning pathways in ways that support their needs and interests and provide them with agency to make choices about their own learning. Vimi Chandra explains her teacher inquiry aimed at raising the writing levels of targeted students. Student 7: The modern learning environment and student agency is revolutionary, Take me for example, I used to really hate working and coming to school was the downside of my day. Digital technologies in senior secondary school, Using Storybird to improve literacy skills, Fraser High School curriculum integration project – students reflect, Student agency in an innovative learning environment, Enabling student ownership of learning by providing a differentiated programme for a learner with ADHD, Student led inquiry supported by e-learning tools, Passionfruit – a curriculum integration project, Students put learning to the test as part of learning phenomenon Genius Hour. Teacher, Vicki Pimenta shares her approach to using the literacy progressions and raising student achievement in reading. They describe the flexibility and the independence that it offers. articulate the learning and the purpose of learning? The UDL guidelines She aimed to find out: how teachers integrated self-regulated learning strategies; how could self-regulated learning strategies be introduced during the learning cycle; and how different groups of students develop these learning strategies. Teams are reflecting on the roles of ‘teacher’ and ‘learner’ and inquiring into the ways they keep learners … Goal setting and reflection: Literacy learning supported by Google docs, Students inquire into innovative learning environments, Students take ownership of their learning, Using e-portfolios to record the learning process, Students communicating beyond the classroom using digital technologies, Authentic learning experiences facilitated through a wiki, Māori achieving success as Māori – changing teaching approach, Year 5–6 learning in an innovative learning environment, Transition to an innovative learning environment, NE–Y1: Creating a connected and innovative learning environment, Extending learning through virtual reality, Beginning to use ICTs to enhance learning, Virtual reality supporting student learning, Flipped learning: Changes to teacher practice, Benefits of a flipped classroom for student learning, Raising student writing levels using Google docs, Language learning supported by technology, Setting up virtual reality at Pakuranga College, Distance learning activities at Newbury School. Daniel, who has ADHD and his teacher talk about how having a must-do/can-do list and an ipad enable him to have ownership and control over his learning. Utilise a range of technologies that provide flexibility and adaptability for students. By utilising a rich set of tools and resources to elevate and differentiate teaching, teachers can be a content provider and the classroom’s most experienced and savvy teacher/learner, a model of the kind of expert learner students can emulate. Provide tools such as e-portfolios that enable students to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways. The strategy is aligned with New Zealand ’s commitment to the United Learn the NZ road code. New Zealand Road Code Resources. Deputy Principal Claire Amos talks about fostering learner agency at Hobsonville Point Secondary School. Students from Pakuranga College, along with their deputy principal, Billy Merchant, share how using their digital devices to access online resources supports their learning styles. This sense of ownership leads to increased motivation. Identify and provide scaffolds and supports, which can be adjusted, to meet the the changes in skill and development students develop as they move toward independence. Teach students how to become safe, responsible digital citizens so they are aware of how to: Consider the tools you and your students can use to collaborate and share their work and agree how these will be used. Provide online information, games, videos that are easily accessible and can be revisited so all students can have access and control over their learning. Support students to learn through authentic, relevant, real-world contexts, where their interests, skills, and the issues and opportunities within their own communities can form the basis for learning. Learner agency spotlight Use our third spotlight to explore learner agency and find strategies to help you build greater agency in your own classrooms. “I think for me the biggest changes that it’s had are it’s more individually centred and it’s changed my position within the classroom.”. Plan activities that involve cooperation and collaboration, utilise online collaborative tools that facilitate this such as: When space is opened for agency in the classroom, a unique window into what the student thinks and feels about their learning also opens. challenging needs of todays learners. Year 7-8 students, Ruby and Harriet explain how their innovative learning environment allows them to have control of their learning at Halswell School. Within these approaches, use digital technologies to remove barriers to learning, support student engagement, provide authentic hands-on activities, and support collaboration. Kim Baars describes the learning taking place in Maker classes at Taupaki School. This is an important sense for learners to develop. What’s happening in the Environment? When learners have the power to act in the learning process, they become agents of their own learning. Whose voices help to shape your local curriculum? In this, practical and powerful workshop James Anderson defines learner agency in terms of your student’s attitudes and capacities in five […] Sam Cunnane, head of the arts faculty at Fraser High School, talks about Passionfruit Magazine, which is completely written, designed, produced, by students. Year 13 student Daniel Cowpertwait describes a "mod" he has developed for an online game Portal. Dr David Parsons, Associate Professor Massey University, explains the need to teach higher level thinking skills and develop key competencies using technology to prepare students for the 21st century. News page It suggests ten strategic priorities for 21st century skills and digital competencies. For cars, there are over 200 possible questions in 8 sections covering road signs, giving way and rules at intersections, parking rules and road position. The Learner Agency Initiative is made up of 5 schools: Meadowbank, Remuera Primary, Maungawhau, Parnell and Epsom Girls Grammar. Teacher Shelley Blakey and e-learning facilitator Sandy Bornholdt describe the inquiry process they went through with the students to develop this successful conference run by students for students. To build learner agency in a student-centred classroom, focus on: Providing access to information is essential to learning, but it is not enough for success. The ‘Learner Agency’ project is part of a broader Ako Aotearoa strategy designed to ensure all New Zealand adults have the skills to engage successfully in ‘lifelong learning’ (Ako Aotearoa, 2019 ). Provide students with a platform or space for online discussion about their learning that doesn't rely on you. The opposite of a learner with agency is a passive learner. Student voice emerges: When learners are able to make authentic contributions to their school, environment, or community through their learning, their voice finds expression leading to greater empowerment. When the Ministry of Transport took over driver licensing, renewal was five-yearly from 1953 and a coupon was fastened inside the book at every renewal. Specifically, it focuses on learner agency as an important and undertheorised dispositional element of the key competencies. What opportunities do you provide for students to: Are all learners needs catered for? Learners need to be able to access and understand assessment criteria, and use these for their own critical self-reflections in order to become agentic learners. One of the ways that we are growing this active learning culture is through the development of providing our learners the opportunity to act and have more input into the decisions that surround their learning - this is called agency. "The capacity to continuously learn and apply/integrate new knowledge and skills has never been more essential. We need to cope with complex lives, and social, economic and 1 A Statistics New Zealand 2011 survey of innovation in New Zealand identified a lack of appropriately skilled and experienced personnel as a significant barrier hindering innovation. Identify specific technologies to support all students fully engage such as: When learners co-construct work with their peers, their learning has the power to reshape their social context, giving their work more meaning. The central goal is to develop certain competencies in everyone, to use – and build on – people’s strengths and interests, while also ensuring that everyone has the basics, via a system that allows people to follow personalised learning pathways. The NZTA website is a great resource to guide you through the process of getting your motorcycle licence. The nature of learning: Practitioner guide. Grouping students in mathematics... more than just mixed ability, Innovative learning environments and student agency, Tapasā – Cultural Competencies Framework for Teachers of Pacific Learners, Connections between the NZC and Te Whāriki – Part 2, Exploring the connections between the NZC and Te Whāriki – Part 1, Spiralling into collaboration at Otago Girls' High School, Learning design principles in future focused schools, Innovation to transform curriculum design and teaching practice, Growing te reo Māori at Henderson Intermediate, Great expectations: Embedding a growth mindset in our school culture, Graduate profiles – a vision of future-oriented learners, Financial capability in New Zealand schools, My journey with Universal Design for Learning, Involving your community in curriculum design, Introducing Universal Design for Learning, Ownership and Independence – The Keys to Learner Agency, Scott McKenzie (senior syndicate leader) and Don McLean (principal), Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Capable kids: Working with the key competencies. Give students choice about how to record or process their learning – paper and pen, written notes, images or voice recording. A range of studies highlight that agency is embedded in key Each time you complete a unit or a chapter we'll update your progress. Plan realistic challenges that support students to develop rigour and persistance. The NZ Transport Agency Learning Portal provides learners with a simple and intuitive user interface. As students build skills in areas such as managing self, they are able to make plans, establish personal goals, manage projects and set high standards. support student equity and access to information. T his year, the Auckland school instigated a three-phase learner agency strategy to equip its students with skills including adaptability and self-directed learning. The New Zealand Curriculum key competencies are about developing the dispositions and sense of agency that empower the individual, and help them better understand and negotiate the perspectives and values of others, contributing towards more productive and inclusive workplaces and societies. Year 5 and 6 students at Hampden Street School talk about the positive impact student agency is having on their learning, how it’s changing their interactions with teachers and classmates, and the resulting lift in their motivation, engagement, and achievement. This blog post by Edna Sackson explains how the design thinking model is an excellent way to approach the issue, forcing us to think about this from the learner’s point of view first. She shares these with students based on a "must do/can do" process. Mā te pā harekeke te rito ka tipu - Everyone nurtures the growth of a child. Successful learning requires the means for learning – the pedagogical goals, methods, materials, and assessments of instruction – to be accessible. Watch this short video to hear James explain exactly what the Learner Agency Partnership is about: Utilise technologies to remove identified barriers such as screen readers, IWordQ so students can focus on learning. Embedding learner agency in school systems, curriculum. Student, Lucy talks about her genius hour project and what she has learnt from it. Learner Agency and a Growth Mindset In partnership with Learning Network New Zealand Developing Learner Agency, especially in our underachieving students, is about teaching students how to engage more effectively in the Learning Process. Students construct new knowledge when they are engaged in constructing personally meaningful products. You must be at least 16 years old before you can apply for your learner licence. Help students to be aware of and manage their emotions and stress. Connectedness is about having a sense of being part of something that is bigger than one’s self. recommend teachers use options that develop students’ self-assessment and reflection skills as a way to promote self-regulation. “Our teachers are still very much there to lead the learning, we also see that we're in partnership with our students to co-construct the learning and to share the ownership of their learning with them. Student, Ruby says, "I like it because we have lots of freedom of what we would like to choose.". Utilise tools such as Google docs to give feedback in ways that scaffolds students into solving their own problems. Mike Crawford, teacher at Woodend School, discusses how his students are using Twitter as a vehicle to raise awareness of local environmental issues. Effective customisation requires paying attention to aspects of the tasks that are construct relevant for learning and assessment. A blog post explaining learner agency with links to useful videos and readings. Students can choose to work independently or collaboratively, while also having access to the variety of skills that each teacher can offer. Students are split into cooperative work groups, not necessarily structured on reading or maths ability. Build learner agency by creating a truly learner-centred environment, which is supported by applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and utilising digital technologies. Where are students exercising their agency? Students from Pakuranga College describe the VR game they created as a collaborative project, and the skills they developed through the process. Teachers at Pakuranga College explain their process for introducing virtual reality (VR) and how they are encouraging students to be comfortable with new technologies. Be sensitive to individual differences. encourage and respect students’ perspectives. Learners: • … NZ Learner’s Practice Test 2020. Sustaining community-linked real-world learning opportunities often requires time for new partnerships and relationships to form between schools and people/groups, and teachers and learners need to become comfortable in new roles in order to support learners to have more agency and ownership of the direction and outcomes of their learning work, Supporting future-oriented learning and teaching: A New Zealand perspective. Year 13 student Daniel Cowpertwait describes his Portal Unity Project – a "mod" for the online game Portal he has developed along with three other students as part of the Impact Project at Albany Senior High School. Use digital technologies to flip learning and enable students to revisit information as often as needed. Identify specific technologies to remove barriers for students experiencing learning difficulties; this may include applying for, share information and protect their rights, for example using, connect with others safely, for example using the. By providing well-chosen options we can create learning environments that are student-centred for all students.".