Student agency refers to empowering students to actively participate in their own learning journey. This approach positions students as active participants in their education, where they voice their thoughts, engage in meaningful projects, and reflect on their growth through diverse assessments. As educators, we serve not just as teachers but as facilitators and supporters of their explorations and successes.
Educational equity is about providing every student with the right tools and opportunities to succeed and celebrating their unique backgrounds and capabilities. In "Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation," authors Jamila Dugan and Shane Safir suggest that real transformation in education comes from recognizing the human aspects of learning – valuing what students bring to the table over standard metrics. This approach sees equity not just as a goal but as a continuous journey where student agency plays a crucial role.
Example: In a PBL unit, students might assume the role of environmental scientists to tackle local sustainability issues. Their work might culminate in a community presentation proposing realistic solutions based on their findings.
Example: In an inquiry-based lesson, students might investigate the impact of historical events on modern society, developing and presenting a case study on a specific event’s long-term effects.
Example: A student might compile a portfolio for an art class that includes initial sketches, revised drawings, and final pieces, each accompanied by a student-written reflection on their artistic process.
Example: In a writing class, students might receive ongoing feedback on their drafts, allowing them to gradually improve their work based on specific, actionable insights from both peers and teachers.
By supporting student agency, we open doors to personalized and impactful learning experiences that uphold the principles of educational equity. Data solutions like Otus enhance educators' ability to foster student agency by offering integrated tools that streamline the implementation of effective educational strategies.
Holistic Picture of a Student: Otus helps educators to know their students better, bringing together data from every source to create a complete picture of each student’s learning.
Flexible Assessment Tools: For most educators, keeping track of a student’s learning journey during PBL units or charting their progress on formative assessments is time-consuming and scattered across different platforms.
Otus simplifies this by offering a variety of flexible assessment tools to measure student learning. Students can upload any learning artifact or product to a rubric assessment, making it the perfect pair for PBL or inquiry-based activities.