Learning at St Columba's

Student Agency in Action Across the School
In our last newsletter, we shared some of the ways student agency is becoming a key focus at St Columba’s. Over the past few weeks, our outstanding teachers have continued to highlight how they are intentionally building opportunities for students to have voice, choice, and ownership in their learning.
During collaborative planning sessions, teachers are consistently placing agency at the forefront of their planning. While this looks different at each year level, the goal remains the same: providing students with meaningful opportunities to shape their learning journey.
- Reflection and Goal Setting: Teachers are introducing self and peer reflections at the end of each Unit of Inquiry. These reflections provide students with the opportunity to evaluate their learning, identify next steps and engage in meaningful dialogue with their teachers to set and achieve goals.
- Prep in Action: Our Prep teachers have worked diligently throughout the year to establish routines that foster agency. Daily morning and afternoon meetings, classroom responsibilities, and, more recently, setting personal writing goals and choosing whether to join a writing workshop, all allow Prep students to practise ownership of their learning.
- Specialist Teachers: The specialist teachers are using reflection books and exit tickets. At the end of each session, students record their understanding and identify what resonated most with them. This not only supports student reflection but also helps teachers plan for review or extension in the next lesson.
It is important to remember that student agency is not about handing over full control to students. Rather, it is about creating an environment where students are agentic in their learning, making thoughtful choices, reflecting on their progress and working alongside teachers to determine next steps.
Agency is also becoming visible through student leadership and action:
SRC Initiatives: The Student Representative Council has been leading initiatives that give students across the school a collective voice.
- Year 5 Planning the Disco: Year 5 students are taking ownership of the upcoming school disco, planning, event organisation, marketing and involving the broader community to support fundraising for the school.
- Year 6 Exhibition: Our Year 6 students are beginning their Exhibition journey. They are currently selecting the areas they want to inquire into, setting the stage for the powerful process of exploration, collaboration and action that lies ahead.
Spaces to Watch:
- Year 5 Sustainability Festival: Year 5 students will soon attend and present at the Port Phillip Sustainability Festival to showcase the initiatives they have been working on as part of the Eco Warriors program.
Year 3 Innovation with Little Bits: Year 3 students are exploring ways to enhance the Little Bits program, engaging their peers in repurposing everyday items that might otherwise be discarded and transforming them into something meaningful.
At home, we encourage you to ask your child: In what ways is your voice heard at school? Their answers may surprise you and provide insight into how student agency is evolving across St Columba’s.
Nicole Spence
PYP Coordinator