4 Steps to an Agile Classroom

Are you ready to grow an Agile Classroom that supports student-led learning and fosters creativity and innovation? Then, let’s get started with these four steps!

Step 1: Make Learning Visible

The first step to create an Agile Classroom is to make learning visible. This means you and your students must be aware of the learning objectives, progress, and outcomes. By using visible tools like the Learning Canvas, you can easily track the progress of individual or group projects, assignments, and assessments. This tool helps bring clarity to the learning process and learner progress. It’s a powerful way to empower student self-direction and collaboration, as it allows them to take ownership of their learning and work together to achieve shared goals. 

Step 2: Facilitate Learning Sprints

Th second step is facilitating Learning Sprints. A Learning Sprint is a short, fixed-length cycle that helps students learn and grow by incorporating five self-directed learning routines. This approach allows for frequent feedback while still producing something meaningful and assessable. With each sprint, students refine their objectives, plan their work, check-in on progress, review their learning, and reflect on how they can improve. These routines not only support self-direction skills but also promote effective collaboration. 

Step 3: Grow Collaboration

To build an Agile Classroom, the third step is to grow collaboration. Frequent practice of skills like conflict management, peer feedback, and leveraging each other’s strengths promotes collaboration. Groups with 3-5 members and stable membership are preferred to build trust and resilience. The Spectrum of Collaboration can be used to scaffold how students work together, starting from individual work to true team collaboration over time.

Step 4: Grow Choice

The fourth step in creating an Agile Classroom is to help students make better choices by giving them more choice and control over their learning. This can increase their motivation and engagement. However, too much autonomy too soon can lead to chaos. To avoid this, teachers can incrementally scaffold student self-direction along a Spectrum of Choice, ranging from the teacher telling students what to do to students having full control.

It’s important to note that these steps are not always linear. They are iterative and reinforce one another. For example, making learning visible can lead to better collaboration opportunities, and better collaboration can lead to more meaningful choice and autonomy for students. Teachers should strive to continuously improve and refine their approach to creating an Agile Classroom by regularly reflecting on what is working and what is not and making adjustments as needed.

By adopting an iterative approach, teachers can create an environment that supports student-led learning and fosters creativity and innovation. So what are you waiting for? Let’s start building your Agile Classroom today!