Fostering Student Agency: Activities That Empower Learning I

Unit 4. How we organize ourselves. ILG School, Kosovo, 2024.

I am very grateful for the fantastic reception of my previous post. Thank you all for your messages and words of support! Given the interest it generated, in this post, I want to delve deeper into some of the activities that have helped me foster agency in my students over the past few years. As I mentioned in the previous post, the agency doesn't develop overnight; it is a gradual process that takes time, sometimes months or even years. It's also essential to consider the group context: working on agency with students already familiar with the IB system differs from those who have never encountered this approach.

Therefore, in this post, I will share activities that have worked in my classroom but may have different effects in other contexts. As I said in my first post, my goal is not to lecture but to reflect on my professional development, organize my ideas, share them, and continue growing. So, while some strategies may not work or be very effective for some other teachers, I would love to hear their thoughts. Education depends heavily on context, and we can always learn from each other. I invite you to share your comments here on the blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you read the post. And if you're one of my former students (I know many of you follow me), I’d love to hear what you think about these activities, which have been a significant part of your learning.

To keep this post short, I will divide it into three parts, each focusing on a couple of activities. At the end, I will compile them all in a single post.

PYP Board

This is one of my favorite activities and one that I consider most effective. It’s a simple dynamic that doesn’t take much time but has a deep impact. It helps students actively participate in their learning, understand the process, and anticipate what's coming in the next unit.

The process is simple but consists of several stages.

I start by presenting the transdisciplinary theme (for example, Sharing the Planet), and then I divide the students into groups to draw how they imagine the theme. I love seeing their creativity and imagination unfold in this initial phase. I remember how Daenah and Liv used to beg me to put them together, and then rolled their eyes after I grouped them with other students.

Then, I read them the central idea of the unit, and we discuss it as a group. After that, I divide them again so they can paraphrase the central idea and represent it with a drawing. This part is key because putting the idea in their own words and accompanying it with an image helps them internalize the concept. I’ll never forget Lia’s face whenever she heard the word 'paraphrase'—she hated it.

Next, we discuss the ATL (Approaches to Learning). I ask them to guess which ATL will be present in the unit and how we can work on it. Their responses are always brilliant, and they often suggest ideas I hadn’t considered. Then, I reveal which ATL or ATLs we will focus on, and I ask them to draw themselves developing those skills. The drawings are always spectacular and full of creativity. A phrase by César Bona always comes to mind when I see their work: "We will face obstacles along the way, but sharing the world of children helps us understand that nothing is impossible."

After the ATLs, it’s time to talk about the Key Concepts. The methodology is the same as with the ATLs. First, we discuss which key concept they connect with the unit and how. Then, I reveal the unit’s key concepts, explain how they relate, and how we’ll develop them in each line of inquiry. Finally, in groups, the students draw the key concepts in the context of the unit. The connections they make are always magnificent and surprise me. I remember Jackson, Cagla, Tommaso, Ben, Doga, Auri, and Vilhelm.

The final part is about the Learner Profile attributes. We use the same methodology as in the previous steps: first, we discuss which attributes could be included in the unit and how. Then, I reveal the chosen ones, and they draw themselves developing these profiles in the context of the unit. Mia, Luna, Can, Aya, Vesa, and Gabi always surprised me.

After finishing all the drawings, we vote as a group to select those that will be part of the unit’s PYP board, valuing creativity, design, and connection to the unit. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite activities and one of the ones I believe is most important. Yet, I almost always come across teachers who react in these ways when I tell them about this activity: "Do they just draw?" We tend to underestimate the power of drawing and how it helps visualize and connect ideas in our minds. Plus, all kids love it—school isn’t just for writing and doing math. Those who print everything out themselves or make the PYP Board just to make it look nice. First of all, I hate classrooms where everything hanging up is made by the teacher or just store-bought materials. Sure, it’s beautiful, but in that case, it’s your classroom, not the students'. And second, if you make the PYP Board yourself, it’s likely the kids won’t care much—it’s just another thing on the wall that magically changes with each unit. Those who think it’s a waste of time. I’d tell them the same as I would to the first group, and I’d also add how this activity helps students learn the IB concepts and how to learn—understanding what concepts form learning and how the learning process works. Some tips for this activity: always give examples from previous units—how they developed Learner Profile attributes, in which activities, and how they developed ATL skills, etc. This helps children understand the connections between the IB concepts and their learning, and also to see what skills they have learned.

Classroom Jobs

Adults can change jobs if they don’t like theirs, but children don’t have that option. Their "job" is to go to school every day for years. That’s why it’s essential for them to feel like part of the class and enjoy their educational experience. In my classroom, we create a list of jobs as a group so they feel involved and responsible.

Some of the most fun jobs we’ve come up with this year are the “Historian,” who notes down funny events that happen in class; or the “Counselors of the Wild,” who mediate conflicts and manage the suggestion box. We also have the “Material Detective,” who organizes lost items; “Don Quixote and Sancho Panza,” who remind their classmates to speak Spanish within the school; and the “mediocre artist,” who decorates the classroom and labels drawers or cabinets.

It’s important for students to feel part of this microsystem that classrooms represent. We also need to educate them with the understanding that they are social beings. This helps them come to class with enthusiasm and see that their collaboration and involvement lead to results that positively affect others. I remember Amaya, Doga, and Tristan and how responsibly they carried out their classroom jobs.

The Classroom Belongs to My Students

I’ve already touched on this topic in the PYP Board activity. It saddens me to walk into classrooms (including Early years) where everything is decorated and created by the teacher because, even though it looks nice, it’s not a space that students feel is theirs. My philosophy is simple: if we give children the opportunity to propose ideas for decorating and organizing the classroom, they will be the first to respect and take care of it.

In my classroom, I always hang up my students’ work. Not only because I value their effort, but because it’s an excellent way to recover knowledge from previous units. Sometimes I even ask them to make posters explaining concepts they’ve mastered, especially in math, like simplifying fractions, so we can have them as a visual reference in class.

Allowing children to take ownership of the classroom space creates an incredible learning environment. Here are some things that have happened in my classrooms.

“Can we make decorations for the classroom?” This is one of the most common questions my students ask me when they finish their activities or have a few free minutes. My answer is always yes, as long as what they create is related to the unit we’re working on and, of course, they show it to me before hanging it up. I love seeing how they develop their creativity and make incredible drawings about the topics we’re exploring in the classroom.

One of the most memorable moments was the day I found a "pencil cemetery" on a shelf. The students had started leaving their pencils there, sharpened down so much that it was impossible to write with them, and placed small tombstones with names and dates. It was a spontaneous gesture that surprised me and reflected their sense of humor and creativity.

I also remember students who made drawings at home to decorate the wall behind my desk. Thanks to Luna and Ana-Julia, that wall was full of color and life thanks to their contributions. Additionally, some students brought plants from home to add a green touch to the classroom, making the space more welcoming and personal for everyone. These small actions show how, with some freedom and trust, students can transform the classroom into a place they feel is theirs, full of art, humor, and life.

In my next post, I will talk about how to foster agency through lines of inquiry and classroom activities. And in the third and final post of this series, I will discuss excursions, taking action, reflection, responsibilities, and privileges. Thank you for continuing to read, and don’t forget to leave your comments!