When Schools Block Agency

Agency is something that is in all of us.  Sometimes teachers say, "You need to give them more agency."  This is close.  What they mean to say is, "You need to create the conditions, so agency can naturally happen."

But what happens when a school purposefully blocks agency due to their systems?  Now we have a problem.

When you look at the image above, what do you see? 

I see a school that is blocking learning agency from happening.  How can I tell in one picture?  It's written all over the space and the materials being used.  

• The walls are stark and professional looking, like in an office building.  There is no work on the walls. 
• The learners are sitting in rows, one behind another.  
• The desks are covered in a variety of notebooks.  At first glance, this looks like there are different tasks, but what I see is more of more.  
• There is no collaboration going on; everyone is working in silos.

A picture can tell you alot about what the school values and how they see their learners.  This picture tells me that the school honors compliance, achievement, and rankings.  The learning is focused on completing tasks, rather than illiciting honest learner voice.  

How do we overcome the block?  The answer is simple, get out our your learner's way.  They are smart and capable.  If the school system is blocking the way, advocate with your leadership team.  This is part of our role.  We can do this in simple ways.  Let's be innovative. 
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