Agency and self-direction: giving students a voice

Key points:

Social-emotional skills are critical to success in school and in life. But how can we ensure that all students learn these valuable lessons so they can have positive relationships with each other, support each other, and make good decisions?

Empowering students to take charge of their own social-emotional development through self-directed learning and assessment can pave the way for better relationships, greater well-being, and greater academic achievement. For this to be effective, students must have a voice in the development of their social-emotional skills, which will allow them to reflect on their abilities, leverage their strengths, recognize opportunities for growth, and identify their support systems.

Encourage self-direction, provide strong support systems.

Self-direction opportunities are relatively easy to integrate into instruction, but we must recognize that students will need different levels of support to develop their sense of agency. Here's the idea: We can teach students to identify what is meaningful to them, set goals, and then determine the individual steps they need to get there. We can then help students identify potential challenges they might encounter and the support systems they can turn to to overcome them. Students will be more successful in becoming self-directed when they are supported by a positive and caring learning environment.

For example, consider a student who is struggling due to too many competing priorities. They may be challenged to manage responsibilities at home, school, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job. As a first step, educators must view each student as a valuable participant in the learning process and take the time to understand each student's context. With this understanding, educators can teach students the specific skill of creating a schedule that takes into account each of their responsibilities and allows for downtime. Then, we can teach students the skills they need, such as prioritizing, problem solving, asking for help, and communicating proactively to resolve conflict. Giving students the opportunity to practice these skills within a supportive environment is critical to success.

Expand support beyond the classroom

While classrooms play a critical role in social-emotional development, a broader community effort is essential. Schools, as an integral part of communities, create positive and safe learning environments. But there are many hours of free time for students. Sports teams, community groups, and religious organizations also offer ways for students to develop their sense of agency.

For example, in Boise, where I live, there is an organization called A stone. It is a student-driven nonprofit organization that empowers student voice and provides high school students with opportunities to boost their learning, practice relevant 21st century skills, and engage in purpose-driven, passion-based learning. . One program they offer is Project Good, in which students work together in groups on community service projects that they identify, shape, and carry out. Students are able to engage and work on an issue that is meaningful to them, and through the process, they learn skills such as collaboration, planning, social awareness, problem solving, and the power of collective action.

Social and emotional development is a lifelong pursuit.

we know it from multiple studies that when schools create positive learning environments and explicitly teach social-emotional skills, students achieve better outcomes. That is why it is so important to instill the development of social and emotional skills throughout students' school careers.

Focusing on social-emotional skills, we must also be more intentional about preparing students for life outside of school, helping them become more self-directed in their own development. During the school day, much of students' lives are scheduled and directed toward them. But when students go to college or join the workforce, they have more freedom and responsibility without the supervision they were used to.

And, as the economy changes, jobs change and we need to prepare graduates for jobs that don't exist yet. How do we do that? Identifying some of the basic life skills they will need as they continue to navigate a rapidly evolving world. More emphasis needs to be placed on teaching skills such as flexibility, collaboration, self-directed learning and communication, which, according to a recent study, study, They are some of the most important skills for more than 40 percent of all workers.

Most importantly, agency and self-determination are highly associated with a person's overall well-being and happiness. These social and emotional skills are essential for facing life's challenges and feeling empowered to make changes. We need more strong social and emotional skills in times of adversity, but this is also when we are most challenged to harness them. Empowering students to take charge of their social and emotional development, both inside and outside the classroom, sets the stage for a lifelong pursuit of well-being.

Giving students a voice plays a key role in developing agency. Achieving this requires a dual focus on self-directed learning while also providing strong support systems. Through a collaborative effort involving schools, communities, and families, students can be well prepared for the future and lead fulfilling lives.