What if giving students more voice didn't mean giving up the curriculum—but actually helped them go deeper into it?

In this episode of The Student-Centered Shift, I explore the shift from teacher-designed to co-designed learning through the story of Linda, a teacher who handed some of her most dreaded curriculum standards over to her students. Instead of deciding everything herself, she invited students to help determine what they wanted to explore—and watched engagemement, academic outcomes and required curriculum come to life through their interests, choices, and ideas.

We explore:

• How to give students meaningful voice and choice while still meeting required curriculum standards

• Simple ways to invite students into decisions around topics, assessment, and how they share their learning

• Why co-design doesn't mean giving up structure or handing over complete control

• How sharing some of the design can build greater student agency, ownership, and motivation

If you're ready to move beyond simply giving students choices and start giving them a genuine role in designing their learning, this episode will show you a simple place to start.

Join the Co-Design Master Class on the last Tuesday in October - -> www.transformschool.com/12shiftsmasterclass

AI can give students more choice, personalize learning, and help them work more independently. But does that automatically make learning more student-centered?

In this episode of Student-Centered Shift, I sit down with Dr. Justin Zhang to explore one of the biggest questions facing international educators right now: How do we use AI to increase student agency without outsourcing thinking, reducing collaboration, or leaving students isolated behind a screen?

Justin reminds us that student agency is about much more than giving students choices. It's about voice, ownership, relationships, and creating the conditions for learners to take greater responsibility for their learning.

Together, we explore how to:

• Use AI to strengthen student agency
• Avoid the trap of over-personalization
• Keep collaboration and relationships alive
• Rethink assessment in the age of AI
• Use AI to deepen—not replace—thinking

If you're an international educator experimenting with AI, this conversation will challenge you to look beyond the tools and ask a more important question: Is AI helping my students become more active owners of their learning?

Justin's Website: https://www.justinzh.com/

Connect with Justin: LinkedIn, Instagram, Email: justin1stmuchuan@gmail.com

Get the 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments Book: 'Where Is The Teacher?'

Justin's Bio: Justin Zhang, Ph.D., is a dedicated educator and educational leader specializing in educational technology and international education. Currently serving as Assistant Professor and Director of IBEC at Namseoul University, he brings extensive expertise from his previous role as Head of Department at an international school in Hong Kong. With a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and dual Master's degrees, Dr. Zhang is a registered teacher in both the US and UK who fulfills multiple roles within the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (Lead Educator, Field Representative, Programme Leader, Evaluation Leader, Consultant, workshop leader, etc.) and examines for international curricula including IB, IGCSE, and A-levels. His international teaching experience spans Beijing and Barcelona, complemented by his contributions to educational advancement through accreditation committees and academic publications.

Want to give students more ownership of their learning, but worry that letting go of control could mean sacrificing rigor, curriculum coverage, or academic expectations?

In this episode of The Student-Centered Shift, I sit down with inquiry expert Trevor MacKenzie to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about student-led inquiry: that giving students more agency means giving up structure. Instead, Trevor shows how inquiry can be built gradually, with teachers intentionally releasing responsibility as students become more capable of owning their learning.

We explore:

• How to move from structured to guided and free inquiry without throwing students into the deep end
• Simple routines that get students questioning, moving, collaborating, and making their thinking visible
• Why knowing your curriculum deeply can actually create more freedom for student inquiry
• How small shifts in control can build greater independence, curiosity, and ownership over time

If you're ready to build more student agency without sacrificing meaningful, rigorous learning, this conversation will give you practical ways to start.

Get Trevor's Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945167149

Join the Leading Student Agency Workshop September 30th: https://schoolleadermasterclass.aplusactivelearning.com/

Trevor's Bio: Trevor MacKenzie is an experienced educator from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. His research, consultancy, and authorship have reached all parts of the world as he works with schools, districts, organizations, and ministries/departments of education in a variety of contexts. Policy advising, curriculum development, professional development, and systems change are Trevor's areas of expertise. His four publications are globally recognized as "must reads" in the inquiry-based school of thinking. He is a highly regarded speaker known for his heartfelt storytelling, kind demeanour, and person-first philosophy.

Trevor's graduate research focused on identifying and removing the barriers to implementing inquiry-based learning in the K-12 setting. He has four publications: Dive into Inquiry; Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition; Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition; and Inquiry Mindset Questions Editions Edition, all published by Elevate Books Edu. He has vast experience supporting schools across several years in implementation strategies in public schools, international schools, and International Baccalaureate programmes (PYP/MYP/DP).