Student Agency and the Implications

When a curriculum comprehensively defines what, when and how learning will take place, it takes away initiative from the learner.

Such a curriculum has building blocks of knowledge, which may be useful or redundant, but are determined by others.

Such a curriculum rewards conformity over exploration, rote learning over self-directed learning and summative assessment over ipsative assessment.

Such a curriculum is why students sit not participating in lessons.

Such a curriculum is why students demonstrate inappropriate behaviour as an alternative to engagement with a knowledge set which has little relevance or interest to them.

Such a curriculum forms a quality control mechanism which actively seeks to fail children.

What part do you play in this curriculum?

How much latitude do your students have to choose, work independently and determine the success criteria for their learning?

The infographic above suggests a different way which engages all learners and makes their learning more relevant and challenging to them.

Source: The Epic Guide to Student Ownership | AJ JULIANI

See the RSA’s Opening Minds Curriculum as one avenue of exploring greater student engagement.

 

About educationalist04

I'm convinced we can, as a species, do much better than this if we set our minds to being much more positive and productive towards our fellow humans. The solution is learning - creating independent and autonomous learners who can problem solve, innovate and create a better more equitable and sustainable world. My books, Future Proof Your School and Re-Examining Success together with this blog, explore how better learning outcomes for all can be achieved.

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