Student Autonomy and ESSA: A Voice for Choice?

Student Autonomy and ESSA: A Voice for Choice? Alice Lindsay, Karen Mahon, Mark Williams CIL Conversations with Innovators June 2017

Our Conversation How have the concepts of student agency, choice, voice been addressed in the work of CIL? What needs have been expressed by state departments, regional centers or LEAs for guidance in these areas? How do people know they’re talking about the same thing when these different concepts are discussed?

Personalized Learning in the work of CIL Personalization refers to a teacher’s relationshipswith students and their families and the use of multiple instructional modes to scaffold each student’s learning and enhance the student’s personal competencies (cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, social-emotional). Personalized learning varies the time, place, and pace of learning for each student, enlists the student in the creation of learning pathways, and utilizes technology to manage and document the learning process and access rich sources of information.

Personalized Learning in the work of CIL Student Engagement: Enlisting “the student in the creation of learning pathways” honors the student’s interests and aspirations, encourages the student’s sense of responsibility for learning, and exercises the student’s ability to navigate the learning process.

Enhancement of Personal Competencies Because personalized learning emphasizes the student’s self-direction in learning, personal competencies are especially important to the student’s success.

Student Choice Agency Voice How have the concepts of student Agency Choice Voice been addressed in the work of CIL?

Redding on Agency Agency—the individual learner’s decision to engage with learning tasks, setting in motion the interplay of competencies in pursuit of a goal (including mastery).

Redding on Agency Agency is the individual’s execution of choice of situations, challenges, and tasks among competing opportunities…when the student both assumes control over actions that lead to outcomes (internal rather than external locus of control) and takes responsibility for the efforts that produce the outcomes (attribution), he is inclined to engage and persist with goal pursuit.

Crawford on Agency Matthew Crawford calls the struggle for individual agency the “very center of modern life,” expressed in our search for meaningful work and self-reliance; even with imposed performance metrics in our work (or in school), our jobs lack “objective standards of the sort provided by, for example, a carpenter’s level, and as a result there is something arbitrary in the dispensing of credit and blame.”

Layng on Motivation Strategies for building motivation can draw upon a strong literature that has both experimental and real-world roots. What is really important to someone can be determined, and help can be provided to build the person’s life around it through problem solving and building resilience and “grit” in challenging conditions.

Layng on Motivation The term motivation may be used to describe behavior under a range of circumstances that may be quite distinct.

Layng on Motivation When choosing motivational strategies, first determine the possible reasons the learner may appear unmotivated or motivated to do something not in his or her best interest. Ask what the consequences are, both costs and benefits, of each alternative available to the learner. Ask what would make someone behave that way.

Twyman on Personalized Learning …with the competent guidance of a caring teacher armed with astute technology, true personalized learning varies the time, place, path, pace, practice, and trace of learning for each and every student.

Twyman on Personalized Learning The practice of personalizing learning can be complex, with the responsibility both on the teacher and on the student. Initially the student may help inform which best teaching practices might be needed based on his or her current level, goals, and interests. Once implementation of that practice has begun (the act of teaching), the student provides information on the effects of that practice based on his or her learning gains and motivation.

Twyman on Personalized Learning “Voice” acknowledges a student’s interests, values, opinions, perspectives, or ambitions; “choice” often refers to curriculum methods, time and place of learning, and even what to learn. While each of these are important to personalized learning, a perspective incorporating precision measurement would arm students with the knowledge and tools to speak coherently about their learning and make informed choices.

Sota on Co-designing Instruction with Students Each part of an instructional episode—from setting goals to evaluating progress and achievement—can involve differing degrees of learner choice. Although learner control over all aspects of learning may not be optimal codesigning instruction with learners can help to increase learning and motivation and learners at all levels can play some role in setting their learning goals, selecting activities to reach those goals, and monitoring their learning as they work to achieve mastery.

Sota on Personalized Learning Why would a school want to develop a system of personalized learning? A second reason … lies in its potential to increase motivation and learning. Some studies have shown that even very limited choice over seemingly irrelevant factors within a learning activity can increase motivation and learning.

Sota on Personalized Learning …learner choice related to factors affecting instruction, such as the best learning method to use or the amount of instruction and practice necessary, requires that learners know what they know, what they don’t know, and how to best go about gaining the necessary skills or knowledge—abilities often referred to as “metacognition.” This is a tall order even for adults and without well-developed self-regulation skills, learner choice is likely to have a detrimental effect on learning.

Mahon on Discouraged Methods of Personalizing Learning Student-directed learning is the practice of giving students choice in or control over their learning activities or learning materials. Student-directed learning is often touted as allowing students to take responsibility for their learning. Proponents of student-directed learning believe that this practice increases student motivation and engagement…If teachers opt to implement student-directed learning practices in their classrooms, they should consider combining them with one or more of the proven methods of personalization described earlier.

What needs have been expressed by state departments, regional centers or LEAs for guidance in these areas? Arkansas Coalition for Student Voice in Education

What needs have been expressed by state departments, regional centers or LEAs for guidance in these areas?

What need has been articulated by ESSA, if any? Personalized Learning - ESSA’s new direction for assessment opens the opportunity for competency-based models, also encouraged by the new Innovative Assessment pilot project. The multi-metric accountability systems may include assessments relative to aspects of personalized learning.

What need has been articulated by ESSA, if any? Well Rounded Education – courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education (CTE), health, physical education, and any other subject, as determined by the state or local education agency (LEA), with the purpose of providing all students access to an enriched curriculum and educational experience.

What need has been articulated by ESSA, if any? Career Preparation District comprehensive plans must include “strategies to facilitate effective transitions for students … from high school to postsecondary education.” Title IV Part A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: Providing students with a well-rounded education including programs such as college and career counseling, STEM, arts, civics and International Baccalaureate/Advanced Placement.

How do people know they’re talking about the same thing when these different concepts are discussed? Converging Qualities of Personal Competencies, T. V. Joe Layng

Student Agency:

What do these theories/terms have in common? Give more “control” or “power” to students; Hope that by giving more “control” to students, they will want to be more engaged; Rely on “intrinsic” factors to motivate students.

What challenges have developed? Focus is mostly on “belief” or “desire” of student; Simplified down to “trying hard” or “choosing”; Many have lost the thread of teaching the strategies whose effectiveness produce the belief.

Belief in Personal Efficacy (Cause) Achievement

Belief in Personal Efficacy (Cause) Achievement Strategies (Actions) Achievement (Consequences) Belief in Personal Efficacy (Outcome)

Strategies (Actions) Achievement (Consequences) Belief in Personal Efficacy (Outcome) “I can shape the world around me and influence my success.”

Student Autonomy and ESSA: A Voice for Choice?