Learner Agency

March 11, 2019
To encourage and develop learner agency, I run my reading programme with a list of tasks to do for the week. These range from buddy reading, reading games, iPad work, reading challenge cards, silent reading and more. Children are aware that they can complete these tasks in any order, as long as they all get done over the course of the week. On the task slip, the last option is 'Complete unfinished work'. Yesterday most of the year 3's did 'complete unfinished work' first.

So I'm going to take it a step back. My year 4's and 5's are well able to do these reading tasks independently, but most of the year 3's are not. Why? Children in year 4 and 5 have had time and opportunity to develop learner agency, while the year 3's have not. They need this time.

What next? I will use the remainder of this term to develop the year 3's learner agency within their group tasks. They will go back to using the reading tumble which states what they should be doing during reading rotations. My goal is that by mid term 2, the year 3's will have then develop some learner agency in reading and will understand what is expected during this time.

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