Contents
Foreword Anne Haas Dyson ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
An Orientation Toward the Nature of Learning 4
The Social Context 4
Overview of This Book 7
PART I: LOCATING STUDENT AGENCY 11
1. What Is Student Agency? 13
Extension 21
The Case of Quin 22
2. Purpose and Intentionality 23
Purpose 24
Intentionality 28
Use of Tools: Self-Directed Symbolization and Improvisation 31
Extension 35
3. Perception and Persistence 37
Perception 37
Persistence 39
Extension 45
4. Interaction and Negotiation 47
Interaction 47
Negotiation 49
Extension 55
PART II: GROWING STUDENT AGENCY 57
5. How Students Experience and Talk About Agency 59
What Do Students Have to Say About Agency? 61
Voice and Choice 62
Extension 70
6. How Teachers Implement and Talk About Agency 72
Opportunities for Voice and Choice 74
Necessity of Agency 75
Flexibility and Supports 79
Extension 84
7. Teaching for Student Agency 85
What Does Agency Look Like in the Classroom? 88
Instructional Practices 94
Extension 96
8. Cultivating a Culture of Agency 97
The Classroom Teacher 98
The Student 100
The Principal 101
Developing Core Beliefs 103
Enacting Behaviors 104
Interactions and Connections 105
Reflection and Action 105
Extension 106
9. A Look to the Future 107
Where to From Here? 109
Conclusion 112
References 113
Index 125
About the Author 130
