MAKING CHOICES AND MAKING MESSES:

WHAT STUDENT AGENCY LOOKS LIKE IN

SCIENCE CLASSROOMS
 Jun 11, 2020

 editor

By Jacklyn Powers,  Jodi Davenport,  Ashley Iveland, and Katherine Nilsen 

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) encourage students to not just “know about
science,” but to actively engage in “doing science.” Rather than carrying out pre-designed
investigations, students should have “epistemic agency,” or ownership and responsibility over
their own learning. In student-led classrooms, students ask their own questions, design and
conduct investigations, and engage in argumentation to explain real-world phenomena (Berland et
al., 2016). What do successful teachers do behind-the-scenes to cultivate a student-led science
class?

An ongoing study of NGSS enactment in California middle schools offers a glimpse into the
challenges of creating an environment where students are actively involved in making decisions
and directing their own learning. Through classroom observation and teacher interviews, we
found lessons that successfully gave students ownership over their learning had common  themes
of student-led science, interactive labs and activities, and opportunities for discussion. We
highlight these themes in the following vignette:

Mrs. E introduced her 6th graders to heat transfer through the phenomenon of Arctic sea ice
melting. To prepare for their investigation, she showed students a short video and asked them to
write down questions they wondered about. Students then shared at their table groups one thing
they were wondering, and then shared these questions with the class. She added each question to
the list (Image A). From the list, Mrs. E. focused on a few well-connected questions to frame the
investigation they would do next. She told the students which materials they would use for their
investigation, and gave them time to make predictions and draw a data table in their notebooks.
Each group was testing one of three conditions while Mrs. E circulated around the room recording
group data in her notebook, asking and answering groups’ questions and calling out when
students should record temperatures in their data tables. When the experiment wrapped up, she
projected a completed class data table (Image B) and had the class discuss questions they had and
observations on trends in the data.
Give Students Authentic Choices
Student-led science requires the teacher to step back and allow space for students to take the
lead (Stroupe, Moon, & Michaels, 2019). Given the constraints placed on teachers, students
cannot completely dictate the direction of a lesson, but a balance can be struck between the
teacher and student driving the learning. Mrs. E ensures the lesson meets learning objectives
while also giving students the space to be active and engaged “doers of science.” Her lesson plans
map learning objectives, teacher actions, and expected student actions (Table A). She uses an
outline to be prepared, and she links to sample student work and responses to cover a range of
where each topic might end up based on varying classroom experiences. She also updates her
lesson plans to inform the next teaching.

Messy can Be Good!

When students own their learning, it may appear “messy” and that’s a good thing! During Mrs. E’s
lesson, students are given opportunities to actively direct their own learning and engage
in interactive labs and activities. Students are able to ask their own questions, and the teacher is
able to focus on the questions best aligned with the learning objectives. Rather than having a pre-
made worksheet to fill out, students make their own predictions and use their lab notebooks to
design their own data collection plan and table. 

In contrast, in classrooms where students are not engaged or directing their own learning, the
material is often eye-catching but not interactive or deep. Colorful slide-shows, detailed
worksheets, and fun activities grab students’ attention, but engagement is mostly topical. In these
instances, students aren’t given authentic opportunities to discuss their ideas or direct their own
learning. Students can appear talkative and excited by the activity, but if the activity is already
predetermined, there is no room for the student to ask his/her own questions or to think through
how to solve a problem. 

Enable Students to Drive the Discussion, and Vary Participation Structures

One key aspect of allowing students agency in the classroom is allowing them to drive discussions
about the science happening. Striking a balance between students and the teacher is important.
Mrs. E expedites the investigation by having each table test one given condition, synthesizes their
data for them, and keeps the discussion moving among both small groups and the whole class.
The teacher creates opportunities for discussion by distributing data collection across the work
groups where each group is able to share out the results from their own test condition. 

Moving from small-group to classroom discussion provides students with opportunities to share
out and test their ideas. Participation structured in small groups allows students to discuss with
their peers and figure things out without immediate corrections. When reflecting on parts of the
lesson where students were directing their own learning, the teacher said of the group
discussions “there were a few tables that were really trying to figure out what was going on in the
tubs and they were having a conversation at the table and actually, really thinking about it.” By
then discussing as a class, students can see patterns across all the conditions tested and make
meaningful conclusions based on what they and their peers found during the investigation.

Considering Student Agency in the Science Classroom

As you plan your lessons, we offer questions to decide whether and how students are encouraged
to own their learning:

 Is there a balance between students leading the science and the teacher guiding
and structuring the work?
 Is the student engagement meaningful, or are they just distracted by or interacting
with interesting but irrelevant visuals?
 Do students have opportunities to discuss and think through an investigation, or
are they impeded by the motions and details of the activity?
 Are students acquiring and generating knowledge through questioning and
discussion, or are they receiving facts and confirming existing ideas?
https://classroomscience.org/articles/ngss/next-generations-science-standards/making-
choices-and-making-messes-what-student-agency-looks-science-classrooms-jacklyn-
powers-jodi-davenport-ashley-iveland-and-k