Looking to Deepen Student Agency? Tools to Support Inquiry, Independence, and the Shift to Facilitator
Release Date: 07/01/2025
Tired of Micromanaging Students? Try This Self-Management Framework
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Tired of students constantly asking “What do I do next?” or aimlessly bouncing between tasks during work time? In this episode, I unpack one of the most common frustrations educators face when trying to promote student agency—learners who simply don’t know how to manage themselves. I share a practical tool that changed everything for our classroom: the Self-Direction Rubric. It’s a simple, structured approach that helps students develop essential executive functioning skills—from time management to self-monitoring—without you needing to hover. Learn how our Montessori middle...
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Losing Momentum in Project-Based Experiences? Rotate Roles, Reignite Engagement
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Tired of watching student teams burn out mid-project? Or seeing the same student take charge while others fade into the background? In this episode, I share a simple but powerful strategy that reinvigorated our year-long student-run business: rotating roles. You’ll hear how a single shift—letting students try on new responsibilities—rebalanced workloads, re-energized participation, and fostered deeper collaboration and skill growth. Through the story of our Montessori middle school café project, you'll hear how rotating a fatigued marketing manager into product development not only...
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Why Student Agency Fails: 5 Simple Fixes
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Have you provided students freedom and choice only to watch them fail miserably at exerting it? Make bad decisions. Poorly manage their time. Produce sloppy, unpolished work. That was me last week when I let students pitch their student generated business plan to a panel of investors. Real stakes and real people. And they were terribly unprepared. But what if I told you their failure was NOT their fault...but ours?! In this episode I share why student agency fails and 5 ways to fix it. You learn: The three common mistakes aspiring student-centered...
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Struggling to Get Traction for Makerspace, Student-Centered Learning? How One Educator Built Momentum with a Single Space
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Feel like you’re the only one pushing for more student-driven, hands-on learning in a system built for tradition? For many of us international educators, shifting toward student-centered, project-based learning feels like an uphill battle, especially when the system is slow to evolve. In this powerful episode, I speak with Steve from Bradbury International School, who turned a single underused structure on campus- what became “The Shed”- into a proof of concept for student-led, hands-on, tech infused, interdisciplinary learning. What started as a pilot space quickly became a catalyst for...
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Voice and Choice vs Curriculum Coverage (Replay)
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
I'm re-airing this episode based on popular demand and a recent study that shows a sharp decline in pupil's happiness in secondary school due to a lack of agency. Are you trying to build more student agency, but feel boxed in by curriculum coverage? What if you didn’t have to choose between voice and academic rigor? In this episode, I sit down with Natalie Harvey, secondary principal at Beijing City International School (BCIS), to explore how her team is shifting culture around student agency while still honoring the demands of a rigorous curriculum. From co-creating a three-year...
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Tired of Students asking, "What did I get?" 5 Step Process for Self-Evaluation and Growth.
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Tired of students asking, “What did I get?” after every assignment? What if they asked, “How did I grow?” instead? In this solo episode, I share a powerful reflection conversation with one of my students after his seventh real-world presentation of the day during Exhibition. Rather than assigning a grade, we walk through a rubric he co-created, debating scores, celebrating growth, and co-constructing the path forward. This isn’t just assessment—it’s transformation. You’ll learn: Why co-created rubrics lead to more authentic assessment How self-assessment builds ownership,...
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Tired of Running Every Classroom Activity Yourself? Simple Shifts to Empower Student Leadership
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Do you ever feel like your students rely on you for every next move? What if you could shift from being the sole driver to creating a classroom where students lead with confidence? In this episode, I sit down with Nicole, a passionate PE teacher and learning leader who shares her journey of transitioning from teacher-led instruction to student-led experiences. From student-designed fitness plans to peer-facilitated learning reflections, Nicole reveals practical strategies that helped her learners take charge—and the ripple effects this had across her school community. You’ll learn: How to...
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Want Empowered Learners? Start with Who's Watching
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Do your students disengage the moment a presentation starts- or never fully show what they’re capable of? What if the missing ingredient was as simple as who was watching? In this episode, I share the powerful impact of expanding the audience beyond the teacher. You'll hear how one identity-based exhibition at our Montessori Middle School completely transformed students’ confidence, participation, and ownership—including English language learners and typically shy students. You’ll walk away with practical ways to invite real audiences into your classroom—no giant showcase...
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Stuck Teaching in a Bubble? How Place Based Learning Brings the World to Your Students
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Do you ever feel stuck trying to make learning relevant, but tied to the four walls of your classroom? What if the place students learn became the curriculum itself—full of stories, problems, and people to learn from? In this episode, I sit down with Jen Buchanan, principal at Think Global School—one of the world’s only fully traveling high schools—to explore how place-based learning transforms education. Jen shares how students immerse themselves in local contexts like Japan, Botswana, and Greece, tackling real-world issues through interdisciplinary projects with community partners....
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Sick of Managing Every Project? How Student Managers Boost Engagement and Accountability
The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning
Do you feel like every classroom activity depends on you to keep things running? What if one small shift could hand that responsibility to your students, and spark more energy and accountability than you imagined? In this episode, I share a classroom story of empowering a student to take on the role of project manager. What began as a way to distribute responsibilities in a café project quickly expanded into labs, group work, and even whole class discussions. The result? Students who not only stepped up but often outperformed expectations, building ownership, collaboration, and confidence in...
info_outlineEven after shifting to student-centered learning, it’s easy to fall into familiar routines: sparking a project, guiding students along, and quietly doing the heavy lifting ourselves. But what does it take to fully hand over the reins—and trust students to direct their own learning?
In this episode, inquiry-driven educator Robynne Esther shares how she made that shift herself, and the practical tools she now uses to support real student independence, without sacrificing structure. From co-creating checklists to guiding expert research and using visible thinking strategies, Robynne walks us through how to scaffold agency without oversteering it.
You’ll hear:
- How inquiry provocations can open up—not narrow—student-led direction
- What expert groups and feedback loops look like in project-based units
- Why the right checklist isn’t about control, but about clarity
- How thinking routines help students reflect, take risks, and follow their curiosity
- The subtle mindset shifts that allow teachers to lead by stepping back
Whether you’re refining your role as facilitator or looking for ways to help students take the next leap in self-direction, this conversation offers inspiration—and strategy—you can put to use right away.
Connect with Robynne: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynne-esther-24990771/
Dive Deeper into Student-Centered Environments: Get the 12 Shifts Book
Robynne's Bio: Ever wonder how to spark genuine curiosity in your students? Robynne Esther has spent 15 years, including seven within the PYP, unlocking that secret through inquiry-based and project-based learning. She has empowered teachers across Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shanghai to adopt 21st-century learning through engaging IBL/PBL & AI workshops. Currently inspiring young minds at DSHK, Robynne leads Grade 6 Project-Based Learning and teaches Grade 4 Inquiry, fostering classrooms buzzing with collaboration and community. But her journey's even richer than that! She's an AFHEA-accredited mentor who has guided aspiring teachers at Sunderland University and has even spent time as a pastry chef in Hong Kong's Soho district. Robynne brings this uniquely diverse background to her exploration of the fascinating intersection of PBL and IBL. Join her as she shares her insights on their similarities and differences.