JS News: learner agency
By Jo O’Brien – Acting Assistant Head of JS, Learning and Teaching
The last two and a half years have provided some difficult and unprecedented challenges for schools locally, nationally and globally. The Radford Junior School has always been a place where families, and the wider community, have been warmly welcomed onto the campus. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, our community certainly missed the opportunities and events that enable us to gather and celebrate together, and our annual Learning Journeys were no exception to this.
Term 3, 2019 was the last time parents were able to participate in their child’s Learning Journey and see in context the learning that happens in the classroom and specialist subject areas. Learning Journeys provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the concept of agency, which sits at the heart of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Agency is the power to take meaningful and intentional action, and acknowledges the rights and responsibilities of the individual, supporting voice, choice, and ownership for everyone in the learning community. (IBO, 2017)
When the enhanced PYP launched in October 2018, student agency became a major organising theme in teaching and learning engagements. The framework for agency was designed using three key aspects:
- Voice: student self-expression and perspective
- Choice: making informed decisions about learning
- Ownership: having control of the learning.
Over the last few weeks, Learning Journeys have been in full swing across the Junior School, and voice, choice and ownership have certainly been evident in and around the classrooms and specialist areas. Our students presented their learning engagements with energy and enthusiasm, and it was wonderful to see the significant adults in their lives witnessing firsthand their children:
- communicating their understanding
- reflecting on their learning
- responding to parental/teacher feedback
- participating and contributing to their learning community.
Learning takes place in a community, and a wide variety of relationships underpin the dynamic learning environment that exists at Radford College.
The nature of the community has a huge influence on the ways that students understand and carry out their activities, and therefore in turn on their agency. (Davidson p. 104)
Importantly, our Learning Journeys have also provided the much-needed opportunity for parents to reconnect with Junior School staff and each other, in person, on the campus. It was wonderful to see parents and grandparents participate in their child’s/grandchild's learning experiences, whether that was running a PE obstacle course, working out a musical rhythm or playing a maths game. The influential adults in our children’s lives were impacting the nature of our community by keenly modelling the skills and dispositions required to become active, independent, and responsible learners.
The Term 3 Learning Journeys have highlighted the powerful and vibrant learning community we have established in the Junior School. Moreover, they have emphasised how shared values, together with a shared sense of purpose, enrich our relationships and build a learning culture based on trust and mutual respect.
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Reference:
Davidson, S 2020, Agency Learners in Charge: Teaching for Success, Hodder Education, London.