Amplifying Student Agency

January 11 (Saturday), 2025 | 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Nanjing International
Hosted by Andrew Friedle & Scott Corbett

This participant-driven gathering is an opportunity to connect in-person, share practices, and explore common professional inquiries.

Join our “Amplifying Student Agency” event to explore ways to empower students. Dive into sessions on creating inclusive classrooms with Universal Design, encouraging young learners, motivating students, and building equity with JEDI principles. Share ideas and strategies to help students take charge of their learning in supportive, engaging environments.

Peer Sharing and Learning Topics:

Universal Design and Student Agency
Student Agency & Choice in Primary
Agency and Motivation
Nurturing Equitable Spaces and Practices Through Identity-Conscious Teaching: JEDI & Agency

Hosts

Scott Corbett

Scott Corbett is the Deputy Secondary Principal with a passion for wellbeing and a commitment to empowering both staff and students to thrive. With a background as a theatre director turned teacher, Scott brings a creative and dynamic approach to education, while embracing opportunities to meet new people, learn about different cultures, and explore the world.

Andrew Friedle

Andrew serves the NIS community with a focus on IBDP Economics/Business Management and MYP Humanities. Andrew is an aspiring education leader who is keen to take on any task that helps him contribute to the community and learn more about leadership in international schools.

Agenda

12:00 – 12:30 – Registration and Connecting

12:30 – 12:45 – Welcome address

13:00 – 14:15 – Break-out sessions (Participants will choose one of the topics below)

Room #1: Universal Design and Student Agency

Room #2: Student Agency in Primary

Room #3: Agency and Motivation

Room #4: Nurturing Equitable Spaces and Practices Through Identity-Conscious Teaching: JEDI & Agency

14:15 – 14:45 – Break

14:45 – 15:30 – Demo Slam/Market Place: Brief presentations of tools, tips, and tricks gleaned from the breakout sessions, shared with the larger group.

15:30 – 16:15 – Panel Discussion – Student Voices Around Agency

16:15 – 16:30 – Closing Address

Breakout Rooms

Universal Design & Student Agency

This session invites educators to discuss the transformative approach of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create more inclusive and effective classrooms. This session may explore how setting clear, firm goals while offering flexible means of achieving them can significantly enhance student choice and agency, leading to deeper engagement and personalized learning experiences. Through the sharing of resources and ideas, participants will grow their student agency tool kit in meaningful ways.

Essential Questions:

How might we leverage the notion of “firm goals, flexible means” to unlock meaningful student choice?

Agency and Motivation

This session will focus on empowering one another with strategies to uplift students facing challenges in taking ownership of their learning journey. Recognizing that fostering agency is crucial for intrinsic motivation and sustained engagement, this session offers a platform for educators to share insights, strategies, and real-life experiences in nurturing student independence and self-directed learning. We’ll discuss the barriers to agency some students encounter, and how to effectively address these challenges to inspire confidence and resilience in learners.

Essential Questions:

How might we support students who struggle with authentic learning?
How do we support and foster authentic intrinsic agency?

Student Agency in Primary

In this session, participants will unpack the concept of student agency in the primary classroom. In this interactive session, we will discuss the essential elements of agency, explore and share effective practices that empower young learners, and collaboratively tackle the challenges we encounter when fostering agency in the primary years. Together, we will aim to harness our collective knowledge to create actionable solutions that amplify student agency and inspire our students to take charge of their learning journey.

Essential Questions:

How might we provide young learners with meaningful choices while ensuring they have developmentally appropriate support to succeed?
How might we integrate student voice and choice in the primary classroom while overcoming common challenges?

Nurturing Equitable Spaces and Practices Through Identity-Conscious Teaching: JEDI & Agency

This session is designed to empower educators through Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles. Explore the transformative intersection of JEDI and student agency as we share strategies for creating equitable learning environments where all students feel empowered to guide their own learning journey. Through collaborative dialogues, discover how to dismantle systemic barriers that impede student agency, particularly among marginalized groups, and co-create inclusive practices that honor each student’s unique voice and experiences. This panel session will invite participants to discuss actionable insights on how to integrate JEDI principles and student agency development into your teaching practices, ensuring that every learner is equipped to thrive in a student-centered, inclusive classroom. Let’s come together to cultivate a culture of equity, justice, and inclusion in education.

Essential Questions

How might we integrate JEDI principles to create equitable spaces that empower all students to take ownership of their learning?
How might we dismantle systemic barriers to student agency, particularly for marginalized groups, and foster truly inclusive learning environments?

Host: Tríona Ryan

Tríona Ryan is Language Arts and TOK Teacher at Nanjing International School, and a member of The JEDI Change Taskforce which works to advance the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at NIS and beyond. With a passion for fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments, Tríona's interests include cultural responsiveness in education, identity conscious practice and nurturing belonging in multicultural and multilingual spaces. With her collaborative spirit and commitment to transformative education, Tríona is dedicated to empowering both students and teachers to thrive in an ever-evolving global landscape.

Panel Discussion

Student Voices Around Agency

In this dynamic panel session, students will take center stage to share their perspectives on agency and how it shapes their learning experiences. Facilitated by an educator, the conversation will explore students’ understanding of agency, the challenges they face in taking ownership of their learning, and the support they need from teachers to succeed. Through open dialogue, students will provide valuable insights into how agency can be fostered within the classroom, offering authentic reflections on the impact of choice, voice, and autonomy on their motivation and engagement. This session will provide educators with a deeper understanding of student agency from the learners’ point of view and inspire actionable ideas for promoting student-led learning.