Empowering students to take charge of their own learning is one of the most impactful things educators can do. When students develop agency, they build the skills needed to set goals, make decisions, and navigate challenges with confidence. In today’s educational landscape—where mental health challenges and social pressures are increasingly common—promoting agency is more important than ever.

But building student agency isn’t just about telling students to take ownership. It’s about creating environments and opportunities that help them develop the mindset and skills to make intentional choices, reflect on their actions, and grow from setbacks.

In this article, we’ll explore practical strategies to build student agency. Plus, we’ll share everyday resources to help you put these strategies into practice, making agency a tangible, achievable goal for every classroom and therapy room.

What Is Student Agency?

Student agency is the ability of students to take control of their own learning, make positive changes, and shape their futures with confidence. It’s about more than just setting goals—it’s about building the skills needed to take intentional action, reflect on progress, and adapt when faced with challenges.

At its core, agency empowers students to:

• Make choices that align with their personal goals.
• Develop a sense of ownership over their learning journey.
• Build resilience by working through challenges.
• Foster self-motivation and a sense of purpose.

When students develop agency, they’re more likely to stay engaged, persist through obstacles, and build skills that help them thrive both in and out of the classroom. Promoting agency is especially crucial in today’s educational environment, where mental health challenges are increasingly common. Building agency not only supports academic success but also helps students develop the emotional resilience needed to navigate stress and anxiety.

The Importance of Student Agency

At its core, student agency means taking control of one’s life, making positive changes, and being motivated to take action. It’s about building the skills and mindset necessary to navigate challenges with confidence and resilience.

Why does this matter? Because when students feel empowered to take charge of their learning, they’re more likely to develop the resilience needed to manage anxiety and other mental health challenges. Agency doesn’t just help academically—it helps students develop a stronger sense of purpose and self-efficacy.

Schools are uniquely positioned to nurture agency, but they also face significant challenges, including staffing shortages and increasing mental health needs. In many cases, educators are tasked with supporting mental health without the specialized training required to do so effectively. Despite these obstacles, promoting agency is a vital part of helping students build the social skills they need to thrive.

How to Build Student Agency

Building student agency isn’t just about telling students to take ownership of their learning—it’s about equipping them with the skills and mindset needed to do so. The challenge lies in making agency practical and teachable rather than just an abstract concept. That’s where the seven principles of agency come in. 

What are the Seven Principles of Student Agency?

The Seven Principles serve as a framework for helping students develop the skills they need to take control of their learning journey. They break down agency into manageable, actionable components that educators can incorporate into everyday practices.

1. Controlling Stimuli: Students learn to minimize distractions to stay focused on their tasks and maintain concentration.

    

2. Associating Selectively: Students build positive relationships that support their growth and reinforce motivation.

    

3. Movement: Students incorporate physical activity to reduce stress, boost mood, and maintain mental well-being.

    

4. Positioning Yourself as a Learner: Students develop a growth mindset by embracing challenges and being open to feedback.

    

5. Managing Emotions and Beliefs: Students build self-awareness and learn to regulate their emotions, building resilience and confidence.

    

6. Checking Your Intuition: Students practice critical thinking by reflecting on their initial reactions and making thoughtful choices.

    

7. Deliberate Then Act: Students make intentional decisions by considering potential outcomes and weighing their options.

By incorporating these principles into everyday classroom practices, educators can help students build agency, resilience, and confidence—empowering them to take charge of their own learning journey.

Strategies to Teach Student Agency

Educators need practical strategies that make agency a tangible part of the learning experience. The following seven strategies align with the principles of student agency and offer clear, actionable ways to integrate them into daily classroom routines. By focusing on these approaches, educators can build an environment that promotes independence, resilience, and confidence.

1. Teach Students to Control Stimuli

One of the most effective ways to build student agency is by helping students manage distractions. Whether it’s a buzzing phone, a noisy classroom, or internal worries, distractions make it difficult for students to stay focused on their goals. Teaching students how to control stimuli means helping them minimize interruptions and create an environment conducive to concentration.

Here are some practical strategies to help students control stimuli:

• Identify Distractions: Guide students to recognize what commonly pulls their attention away, whether it’s technology, noise, or internal thoughts.
• Set Up Distraction-Free Zones: Create spaces where devices are put away, especially during focus-intensive tasks.
• Build Routines with Mindful Transitions: Use calming techniques like deep breathing before starting new activities to help reset focus.
• Encourage Self-Regulation: Teach students to monitor their own distractions and develop personalized strategies for minimizing them.

✅ Use the Big Feelings Toolbox to Build Self-Regulation Skills
The Big Feelings Toolbox from Everyday Speech helps students develop strategies for managing intense emotions and staying focused. With tools like belly breathing, using “I feel” words, and taking a break, young students learn practical ways to regain control when feeling overwhelmed:

2. Help Students Build Positive Peer Connections

Students are heavily influenced by their social environments, and the people they surround themselves with can either support or hinder their growth. Associating selectively means choosing relationships that are positive, supportive, and aligned with personal goals. Fostering strong, positive connections helps students build motivation, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

To help students build and maintain positive peer connections, try these strategies:

• Peer Mentorship Programs: Pair students with peers who demonstrate positive behaviors and strong communication skills.
• Group Collaboration Norms: Set clear expectations for teamwork and mutual respect.
• Reflect on Social Influence: Encourage students to regularly consider how their relationships impact their motivation and well-being.

✅ Try This Video Modeling Lesson for Handling Conflicts with Friends

Conflicts are a natural part of friendship, but learning how to navigate them positively can make a big difference for students. This video modeling lesson from Everyday Speech helps elementary students recognize and practice strategies for managing disagreements with friends in a calm and respectful way. Building these skills strengthens social connections and boosts students’ confidence in handling relationship challenges: 

3. Incorporate Movement to Boost Focus and Well-Being

Physical activity benefits both the body and the mind. Integrating movement into the school day helps reduce stress, boost mood, and maintain focus. Movement breaks give students a chance to reset their energy, especially when they’re feeling mentally drained or overwhelmed.

To make movement a regular part of the classroom routine, try these strategies:

• Brain Breaks: Incorporate short physical activities between lessons to reset focus and energy.
• Flexible Seating: Allow students to move or stand as needed during tasks.
• Integrated Movement: Use movement within lessons—like acting out scenes from a story or using physical activities to reinforce concepts.

✅ Try This Superhero Yoga Video to Boost Focus and Well-Being

Incorporating movement into the school day is a great way to help students reset their energy and stay focused. This superhero yoga video from Everyday Speech combines physical activity with imaginative play, helping kids build strength, balance, and mindfulness while having fun. It’s a perfect way to boost mood and promote well-being in the classroom:

4. Model a Growth Mindset and Embrace Learning

One of the most powerful ways to build student agency is by fostering a growth mindset—the belief that abilities can be developed through effort and perseverance. Positioning oneself as a learner means embracing challenges as opportunities to grow and being open to feedback.

You can help students build a growth mindset by using these strategies:

• Model Growth Mindset: Share your own challenges and how you overcame them.
• Encourage Self-Reflection: Regularly prompt students to think about how they’ve grown or learned from setbacks.
• Normalize Mistakes: Create a classroom culture where mistakes are seen as essential parts of learning.

✅ Try This Video on Handling Embarrassment to Build Resilience

We all experience feelings of embarrassment from time to time. This video, designed for middle school students, helps them learn how to “Change the Channel” on those feelings, giving practical strategies to move past embarrassment and stay focused on their goals. Building this skill helps students develop a growth mindset and embrace challenges with confidence:

5. Teach Emotional Regulation and Self-Awareness

Emotions can become roadblocks to agency when they lead to anxiety, self-doubt, or negative self-talk. Helping students build emotional resilience and practice self-regulation equips them with the skills to manage challenges and maintain a positive mindset.

To support students in developing emotional regulation, consider these techniques:

• Mindfulness Practices: Start class with a brief breathing exercise or guided reflection.
• Journaling for Reflection: Use prompts that encourage students to process their feelings and evaluate their thoughts.
• Cognitive Reframing: Teach students how to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more balanced perspectives.

✅ Try This Box Breathing Video for Mindfulness and Self-Regulation

Practicing box breathing is a simple yet powerful way to help students manage their emotions and maintain a sense of calm, even when they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. In this video from Everyday Speech, students will learn how to use this calming technique to stay grounded and focused during challenging situations:

6. Foster Critical Thinking and Self-Reflection

Critical thinking helps students evaluate their choices and understand their motivations, while self-reflection encourages thoughtful problem-solving. Teaching students to pause and assess their initial reactions helps build intentional decision-making habits.

Try these strategies to help students develop critical thinking skills:

• Pause and Reflect: Before making decisions, guide students to think through their initial reactions.
• Encourage Critical Analysis: Use case studies or hypothetical scenarios to practice evaluating choices.
• Debate and Discuss: Facilitate structured debates where students present and defend their reasoning.

✅ Download This Problem-Solving Worksheet for High School Students

Problem-solving is a crucial skill for high school students as they navigate academic challenges, friendships, and decisions about their future. This free worksheet from Everyday Speech guides students through the problem-solving process, encouraging them to brainstorm multiple solutions and consider the pros and cons of each option. It’s an excellent way to build critical thinking skills while fostering independence and resilience:

7. Encourage Deliberate Decision-Making

Intentional decision-making helps students weigh options carefully and understand the impact of their choices. Teaching students to think through decisions rather than acting impulsively builds confidence and independence.

Give students the tools to make thoughtful choices with these strategies:

• Decision-Making Frameworks: Teach students to use models like decision trees to evaluate options.
• Role-Playing Scenarios: Practice making decisions in safe, controlled environments.
• Post-Decision Reflection: Help students analyze outcomes and identify lessons learned.

✅ Play Operation Pizza to Build Decision-Making and Executive Functioning Skills

Making thoughtful decisions under pressure is an essential skill for students. Operation Pizza, a fast-paced game from Everyday Speech, challenges players to think on their feet, plan ahead, and work together to complete tasks efficiently. It’s a fun way to practice decision-making, time management, and organization–all executive functioning skills.

By embedding these strategies into everyday classroom practices, educators can help students develop a sense of ownership and control over their learning. Instead of seeing agency as an abstract concept, students can practice the skills needed to build confidence, resilience, and independence.

Challenges of Fostering Student Agency

Building student agency sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice can be challenging. Educators often face obstacles when trying to help students take ownership of their learning. Understanding these challenges—and how to address them—can make it easier to build agency in meaningful, practical ways.

1. Time and Resource Constraints

Teachers already have full plates, and adding new strategies for building agency can feel overwhelming. Finding time to plan and implement new practices isn’t always easy, especially with limited resources. Rather than overhauling everything at once, start small. Look for ways to build agency within existing routines, like giving students choices in daily activities or encouraging reflection at the end of a lesson.

2. Shifting Mindsets from Passive to Active Learning

Many students are used to traditional, teacher-led instruction. Shifting to an approach that emphasizes student ownership can feel unfamiliar—even uncomfortable. It takes time to build the mindset that mistakes are part of growth and that learning is an active process. Create a classroom culture that celebrates effort and progress, and model what it looks like to take ownership of learning.

3. Balancing Agency with Structure

Promoting agency doesn’t mean giving up structure. Students still need clear expectations and guidance to feel supported. It’s about balancing independence with consistency so students feel confident as they take more responsibility. Set clear boundaries, but allow flexibility within them, so students can practice making choices while knowing what’s expected.

4. Navigating the Home Connection

Student agency doesn’t end when the school day does. Building a strong connection between home and school helps reinforce the skills students develop in the classroom. But getting parents and caregivers on board can be tricky, especially if they’re unfamiliar with the concept of agency. One of the biggest challenges is managing screen time and digital distractions at home.

One resource we recommend is the Family Media Plan from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Many families struggle to find a balance between using technology for learning and allowing unstructured leisure time. Educators can help by sharing practical tips, like setting consistent screen time limits, creating tech-free zones, and modeling healthy digital habits. Bridging this gap between school and home makes it more likely that students will practice agency beyond the classroom.

Putting Student Agency into Practice

Fostering student agency is about more than just giving students control—it’s about teaching them how to make thoughtful decisions, build meaningful connections, and develop resilience in the face of challenges. By incorporating the Seven Principles of Student Agency into everyday classroom practices, educators can empower students to take ownership of their learning journey.

While building agency takes time and effort, the payoff is worth it. Students who develop agency are more engaged, confident, and prepared to face both academic and personal challenges. Whether it’s teaching self-regulation through box breathing or boosting critical thinking with problem-solving activities, these strategies make agency a practical and achievable goal.

Start small, focus on consistency, and use the tools and resources available to you. By making agency a part of your classroom culture, you’re helping students build skills that will serve them for life.