Learner Agency

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From Agency to Zest presents a captivating exploration of concepts integral to inquiry-based learning, skillfully penned by the esteemed educator and inquiry authority, Kath Murdoch. 

The book takes an alphabetical approach, dissecting and contemplating 26 pivotal words (alongside numerous related terms) that encapsulate the core of inquiry. 

Serving as an invitation to introspection, From Agency to Zest encourages educators to engage in meaningful professional dialogues, fostering a deeper grasp of inquiry as a teaching and learning methodology. 

Amidst elucidating these concepts, Kath generously imparts practical insights on leveraging the book to enhance and enrich professional learning endeavours within and beyond educational institutions. 

This thoughtfully crafted work serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to navigate the intricacies of inquiry-based education.

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Foster a profound connection with young learners by instilling a sense of autonomy and inclusion. Kath Murdoch wholeheartedly endorses 'A Culture of Agency'  by Lisa Burman for its accessibility, practicality, and thorough exploration. The book equips teachers, especially those in early education, with a wealth of ideas to reconceptualize even the most basic elements of teaching, nurturing learner agency. 

In a time where external forces threaten to strip children of their right to actively participate in their learning journey, books like this serve as indispensable guides, ensuring educators stay informed and inspired, holding onto the belief in children as capable, competent, and naturally curious beings.

What sets certain early childhood classrooms apart, creating that distinctive atmosphere of vibrant learning?  Lisa Burman, drawing on the research traditions of the pedagogistas of Reggio Emilia, delves into this question. Through her observations of classrooms catering to three to eight-year-olds, she identifies common threads: engagement, agency, identity, and belonging. These threads intertwine to weave a culture of agency where learners are not passive recipients but active drivers of their own learning experiences, driven by curiosity and care.

Lias Burman challenges the common misconception of agency as merely providing choices to children. Instead, she emphasizes a deeper meaning where personal agency intertwines with community agency, recognizing our strength in unity. This connection lies at the core of democratic education, valuing children's rights and fostering participation, shared power, respect for diversity, and self-efficacy.

Lisa's framework for cultivating a culture of agency comprises five pillars: Relationships, Rituals for belonging and identity, Language of agency, Environment, and Learning Contexts. By employing this framework, coupled with the book's guiding questions and goal-setting tools, educators can intentionally shape their classroom culture to bolster children's agency and enhance the learning experience.

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"I'm the Kind of Kid Who . . .: Invitations That Support Learner Identity and Agency" is a professional development book for educators written by Debbie Miller and Emily Callahan. The book provides guidance and strategies for helping students develop their identities and agency as learners.

As a professional development resource, "I'm the Kind of Kid Who . . .: Invitations That Support Learner Identity and Agency" could be used in an inquiry-based instructional setting to support the professional growth of educators and help them develop strategies for promoting student agency and identity in their classrooms. 

Here are a few ways that the book could be used in an inquiry-based lesson:

As a starting point for a discussion about student identity and agency: After reading the book, you could ask educators to reflect on their own practices and consider how they can create an environment that supports student identity and agency.

As a source of ideas and strategies: Educators could use the book as a resource for finding new ideas and strategies for promoting student identity and agency in their classrooms.

As a basis for an inquiry-based project: Educators could use the book as a starting point for an inquiry-based project focused on student identity and agency. This could involve researching best practices and developing a plan for implementing these strategies in their classrooms.

Debbie Miller and Emily Callahan believe that it all begins with choice. In "I'm the Kind of Kid Who . . .: Invitations That Support Learner Identity and Agency" they provide a framework for introducing choice making in small, medium, and large ways through "invitations" that ask children to consider:

• What if you could choose where you want to work?

• What if you could choose your own materials?

• What if you could choose to learn more about yourself as a reader?

• What if you could choose to do what readers do in the world?

• What if you could choose what you want to explore, investigate and study?

• What if you could choose how to share your thinking and learning?

Debbie and Emily use a predictable structure to describe each invitation from beginning to end, offering practical suggestions for how to fit invitations within the day and across the year.

"There are no magical programs to call upon to develop learner identity and agency" write Debbie and Emily, "because the truth is, children and their teachers don't need them! What kids really need are invitations from their teachers to discover themselves for themselves, invitations that encourage them to find out even more about who they are, how they learn and what they need to thrive."

Overall, "I'm the Kind of Kid Who . . .: Invitations That Support Learner Identity and Agency" is a valuable resource for educators looking to support the development of student identity and agency in their classrooms.