Student Voice
Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions; it is about students having the power to influence change. Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults about what and how they learn.
Student Agency
Agency gives students the power to direct and take responsibility for their learning, creating independent and self-regulating learners. It refers to the level of autonomy and power that a student experiences in the learning environment. Student voice and agency are intrinsically linked.
Learner Dispositions
These are the characteristics with which children approach learning. Described as enduring habits of mind and action, they are the tendency to respond to situations in characteristic ways. A child’s disposition to learning affects the attitude with which they learn. Positive learning dispositions support the creation of positive learning outcomes. At APS we explicitly teach students to develop their learner dispositions to support their overall learning experience.
The Learning Pit
It is a place that a child will be once they have a series of unresolved questions due to thinking deeply about a certain topic. The teaching framework, referred to as ‘The Learning Pit’, includes four stages – concept, conflict, construct, and consider. Students are encouraged to get in ‘The Learning Pit’ to feel challenged with their learning. Learner dispositions are intrinsically linked to a students ability to be comfortable in challenging themselves in The Learning Pit.
