This tool provides simple prompts to help students identify the environment and structures that will help them feel secure, valued, and best positioned to be active contributors to planning their personalised learning.

Planning tool for promoting student agency within planning personalised learning

Some students may prefer to complete this independently, while others might complete it with a teacher. Consider whether the prompts need to be presented in a different format for specific students. For example, meet with the student and use personalised visuals, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), brief verbal prompts, or PhotoVoice to understand their preferences, and share resources that may support their agency. Where possible, for students at the beginning stages of learning English as an additional language or dialect consider providing language support through School Learning Support Officer Bilingual or translating and interpreting services.

Selecting times when students are calm and in an appropriate mind set to engage in this process will support successful plan development. As students share their ideas, preferences and concerns, acknowledge their views, and respond with respect for their voice and decisions. Where students identify barriers to their participation, explore and plan for a range of possible strategies to address these barriers. This tool should be reflected on regularly, to capture the changing needs and growth of students, and to continue to work towards increased student agency.

This tool is designed to support teachers and learning and support teams with planning practical adjustments that support student agency and participation. Further questions may be needed to facilitate a deeper understanding of the student’s preferences and ideas, and to put their preferences and ideas into action. For example, if a student does not wish to attend a meeting, or to plan the agenda, they may still like to provide feedback on what you’re planning to discuss (for example, anything they feel is missing or should not be discussed). Or, if a student wants to co-lead or lead parts of the meeting, you may need to spend time together identifying skills they can develop to support this, and making decisions about which parts of the meeting they would like to present.