Following year 7 Growth Expo, student reflections on the elements of student agency:

Being open to the new:

Why is it valuable to explore new ideas and experiences, even if they feel uncomfortable?

It is valuable to be open to the new because you need life experience and if you only stick to your comfort zone than you won’t get anywhere in life but if you keep trying new things that are out of your comfort zone then you will do better in life and be able to learn more things and do new things. And if they feel uncomfortable that’s fine, you’ll get used to it, and it will grow your comfort zone.

Another agency of learning I used was being open to the new I showed this by making a quilt even though I didn’t really know anything about quilting and if you never try anything new then you will never get anywhere in life I also think I use being open to the new because if you try new things then a lot of the time you will have more fun because then you will not be doing the exact same thing over and over again.

Being reflective:

How does reflection help you improve? Why might it be more powerful than someone just telling you what to do?

Being reflective help improve you by after you think you’re done, you look back to what you did and think to yourself what you did good and what you can improve on. Once you look over yourself reflection or others feedback you could either try again or keep the feedback in mind for next time so you get to be the best possible version of yourself, and your project is the best it can be. It would be more powerful to do what you want and not what others want because if you are the one who chooses what you do, you’re probably going to enjoy it more than if someone chose something random to do. improving my focus, not have the tv on as much and just get my work done. I believe using reflections instead of people telling you what to improve in is more powerful because when you get a deep understanding from your reflection, you would be more likely to change than if someone else told me to do something. In my growth project I was trying to focus more on what I thought more than others because it is my growth not someone else’s.

Striving for mastery:

Why is deep knowledge different from just knowing facts? How can striving for mastery change your future?

Deep knowledge is where you really understand what you are talking about. Your learning is not just scraping the surface its full on. You would know a lot more and more to say and more understanding of the topic. I think it’s defiantly better to have a deeper knowledge so that you can write more and fully understand what you are passionate about. I was striving for mastery by persisting even when I was losing patience and losing focus. Striving for mastery in my opinion doesn’t just mean finishing as quick as you can and never lose focus to me it means finish what you have but you should take breaks so that when you go back to what you were doing you might feel more energized and you would have had a break and now your happier and more inclined to finish it.

Acting with Courage:

Why do challenges make learning stronger? How can taking risks lead to better outcomes?

I believe that challenges at the time can seem scary but once you get over it over challenges will look less scary. In my growth project a challenge I had was not burning the sugar and I had to try 4 times before I got it right but after those 4 times, I was able to do it every time. Taking risk can lead to better out comes because other people might not have thought of it, so it can make your growth day different and stand out, also most risk will end up being good result. In my growth project I took the risk of making a booklet that showed all the things I have done and the elements I have grown in which helped me stand out and have something different.

Acting with Autonomy:

Why is making your own decisions important for learning and life? What could happen if you always rely on others?

Making your own decisions is very important in life because it will teach you to be more independent and rely less on others. In my growth project I had to make the decisions for myself because when I would have my growth day my mum and dad would be at work, but my nan would be there, but she would be knitting so I grown in being independent which will help me later on in life when I move out.

Building Social Alliances:

Why is forming connections important for learning? How can teamwork make your goals easier to reach?

Forming connections is important for learning so you get to know people and can help boost your confidence as well as speaking in front of a group of people. Teamwork can make your goals easier to reach by enhancing your confidence and improve decision making.

Managing Ambiguity or Uncertainty:

Why is it important to keep going even when things are unclear? How can uncertainty lead to new learning?

At the start of the year, I chose Greek sculpting as my growth project, but after a while, on the sixth growth day, I realized I was so uncertain with it that I might’ve needed to change it, so I changed it on the sixth day, and used my own time to catch up as much as I could to the other students, I only ended up with 4 growth days, but I think I had done very well.

Developing Skill or Craft:

Why is repeating and refining important for mastery? What happens if you only do the minimum?

Repeating and refining your work is so important. It helps you see the little mistakes that can be fixed and what you could improve next time. When you only do the minimum for your project it doesn’t let you grow on your work, you won’t improve and will get grades that you may not want.

Liz Sullivan
School Improvement Leader: New Narrative and New Metrics