Next steps for me following this initial research is to continue to strengthen our practice as a team by building on what we heard from students and becoming more purposeful in naming and noticing when the students either use their agency or not. Both teachers and students had trouble answering the question, “What does the teacher do for you that you could do for yourself?” I think we need to be more creative in our thinking about what constitutes agency, voice, and choice in the classroom. I actually observe it happening more than I think teachers are even aware. One of the things that I’ve learned from the students is that given the opportunity they are really thoughtful not only about their own learning but how they can support their peers as well. We need to keep exploring these concepts and deepening our reflection.
I am anxious to share the results of the student interviews with our team which I will do next week. In addition to learning a lot about the relationship between teachers actions and language and how students see themselves, there have been a number of other outcomes from the interviews. For the most part, students were able to express the things that help them most as a learner and in some cases what gets in their way. They had definite opinions about virtual vs in-person learning and how it has affected them over the last year. They were eager to share their experiences with me. Much of my research was prompted by our concerns over students losing their independence and stamina as learners. But it was so clear how much they recognize their need for the structure and safety of school and being supported by their teacher. It was also really moving to hear them talk about how they can exercise agency to help others and to take action in the world. Since this is our mission as a school, I was so appreciative of their reflections about what they can do to make a difference. We need to continue this work and I need to continue to gather this kind of authentic data to really know where our students are and how we can help them in becoming more.