Educational systems, authorities and organizations worldwide regularly discuss the goals of education, these being changed from time to time according to the world challenges, needs and developments.
The European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, institutions and organizations, together with a great number of researchers agree that agency should be in the priorities of the educational agendas. It has been developed both theoretically and practically as one of the key principles that should inspire the strategic reforms towards enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the EU and around the world.
There is no global definition for agency. Agency has been studied under various frameworks.
According to Albert Bandura, ‘agency refers to the human capability to influence one's functioning and the course of events by one's actions.’ According to OECD ‘agency implies a sense of responsibility as students participate in society and aim to influence people, events and circumstances for the better’. In a few words, when people practice agency, they reveal a sense of initiative to change things for the better.
Student agency relates to the development of an identity and a sense of belonging. In certain frameworks it is connected to the role that the student develops within a procedure (either a lesson, a programme, a volunteering activity or else). Agency is based on motivation, hope, self-efficacy and a growth mindset to navigate towards well-being (OECD, 2018). This enables the students to act with a sense of purpose, which guides them to flourish and thrive in society.
Throughout their education path, students should be able to find a sense of purpose in their own lives and uncover the way to fulfil that purpose by setting their own goals and their goals towards common good and taking action to achieve those goals.
For this to happen, the students should be placed in the centre of the educational procedure. They should learn how to learn and take the responsibility of their own learning. This has an even better result when the teachers co-create with their students and their families. Andria Zaphirakou, the winner of the 2018 Global Teacher Prize extensively advocates on the value of co-agency, as the way not only to learn but also to overcame adversity and socioeconomic barriers. It becomes even more vital in the case of disadvantaged students as research reveals that children who had faced adversity in childhood, tend to have lower aspirations for their future, less of a sense of achievement and less motivation (Duckworth and Schoon, 2012).
When students were asked to co-create the levels of agency, together with a group of OECD researchers they brought to surface the degrees of co-agency (Figure 1). According to their opinion, students can be all silent – when others decide on their learning, and get up to co-agency higher level when they co-create and co-initiate shared decision with adults.
Figure 1
At LevelUp, all our courses are designed to empower teachers to place the students in the heart of their everyday teaching. They are inspired to empower their student to act, shape, make responsible decisions and not just being determined by others. They co-design their everyday teaching and learning to develop collaborative agency towards achieving their common goals.
You can find out more about agency in the below links:
Educational systems, authorities and organizations worldwide regularly discuss the goals of education, these being changed from time to time according to the world challenges, needs and developments.
The European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, institutions and organizations, together with a great number of researchers agree that agency should be in the priorities of the educational agendas. It has been developed both theoretically and practically as one of the key principles that should inspire the strategic reforms towards enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the EU and around the world.
There is no global definition for agency. Agency has been studied under various frameworks.
According to Albert Bandura, ‘agency refers to the human capability to influence one's functioning and the course of events by one's actions.’ According to OECD ‘agency implies a sense of responsibility as students participate in society and aim to influence people, events and circumstances for the better’. In a few words, when people practice agency, they reveal a sense of initiative to change things for the better.
Student agency relates to the development of an identity and a sense of belonging. In certain frameworks it is connected to the role that the student develops within a procedure (either a lesson, a programme, a volunteering activity or else). Agency is based on motivation, hope, self-efficacy and a growth mindset to navigate towards well-being (OECD, 2018). This enables the students to act with a sense of purpose, which guides them to flourish and thrive in society.
Throughout their education path, students should be able to find a sense of purpose in their own lives and uncover the way to fulfil that purpose by setting their own goals and their goals towards common good and taking action to achieve those goals.
For this to happen, the students should be placed in the centre of the educational procedure. They should learn how to learn and take the responsibility of their own learning. This has an even better result when the teachers co-create with their students and their families. Andria Zaphirakou, the winner of the 2018 Global Teacher Prize extensively advocates on the value of co-agency, as the way not only to learn but also to overcame adversity and socioeconomic barriers. It becomes even more vital in the case of disadvantaged students as research reveals that children who had faced adversity in childhood, tend to have lower aspirations for their future, less of a sense of achievement and less motivation (Duckworth and Schoon, 2012).
When students were asked to co-create the levels of agency, together with a group of OECD researchers they brought to surface the degrees of co-agency (Figure 1). According to their opinion, students can be all silent – when others decide on their learning, and get up to co-agency higher level when they co-create and co-initiate shared decision with adults.
Figure 1
At LevelUp, all our courses are designed to empower teachers to place the students in the heart of their everyday teaching. They are inspired to empower their student to act, shape, make responsible decisions and not just being determined by others. They co-design their everyday teaching and learning to develop collaborative agency towards achieving their common goals.
You can find out more about agency in the below links: