Taking Agentic Action
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Taking agentic action is a third core element of Action-Oriented Pedagogies (AOP). It is where vision and planning turn into purposeful, real-world action—where ideas move off the page and into communities, relationships, systems, and futures.
In this phase, students are not passive recipients of a teacher’s plan, but active decision-makers, designers, and doers.
Their actions are informed, intentional, and consequential—shaped by student voice, supported by teacher guidance, and aimed at creating change in their schools, communities, and beyond.
Introduction to Taking Agentic Action
Introduction to Taking Agentic Action
Why Taking Agentic Action Matters
Why Taking Agentic Action Matters
Knowledge alone does not create change. Students need opportunities to practice using knowledge in ways that influence the systems they inhabit. When students take agentic action, they:
Experience themselves as capable contributors to just and sustainable futures
Build civic identity, skills, and a sense of purpose
Connect learning to real-world consequences
Develop critical hope through collective effort and reflection
What We Mean By "Agentic"
What We Mean By "Agentic"
To act agenticly means students:
Make informed choices: Actions are grounded in research, reflection, and multiple perspectives
Share responsibility: Power is distributed—students co-design with teachers and, when possible, community members
Shape outcomes: Actions have real consequences, influencing people, policies, or environments
Reflect and adapt: Students assess their impact and revise or extend their efforts accordingly
See our What is "Action" page to read more about agentic action in AOP!
Types of Agency in AOP
Types of Agency in AOP
Agentic action can be understood across three dimensions:
Intellectual Agency: Students investigate, question, and problematize sustainability issues using systems thinking. They integrate disciplinary knowledge with social, cultural, and ethical understandings to decide on actions that matter.
Relational Agency: Action is rarely individual. Students learn how their efforts intersect with those of peers, teachers, families, and communities. They recognize that collaboration amplifies impact.
Transformational Agency: Students are not only shaped by the systems around them; they also shape those systems. Through action, they contribute to transforming structures, norms, and practices that influence sustainability.
See our Student Agency page to read more about agentic action in AOP!
Roles for Students in Action-Oriented Pedagogies
Roles for Students in Action-Oriented Pedagogies
Agentic action requires meaningful roles that give students purpose, responsibility, and identity within the work. These roles aren’t classroom jobs or predefined tasks—they are real-world functions that reflect how people contribute to collective change.
These roles support student identity development, transdisciplinary learning, and real-world impact. Roles may overlap, evolve, or be distributed across a team depending on the project.
You can read more about AOP Roles here:
Supporting Agentic Action as Educators
Supporting Agentic Action as Educators
Taking agentic action doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Teachers play a crucial role in scaffolding, co-designing, and sustaining the conditions for student agency. Here are some strategies to support student agency:
Structure with Flexibility
Provide enough structure (topics, timelines, connections to standards) to support learning—but leave room for students to shape the focus and direction of their work.
Use enabling constraints to make the work manageable but still authentic.
Share Power
Model collaborative decision-making.
Invite student input on:
What problems to tackle
What actions to take
Who to collaborate with
What success looks like
Include community partners where possible to further distribute leadership.
Make Learning and Action Public
Help students share their work with authentic audiences. That might include:
Peers across grade levels
Families and caregivers
School staff or administrators
Community organizations or local leaders
Broader networks (e.g., digital platforms, youth climate coalitions)
Creating opportunities for students to communicate their learning and impact across the school reinforces the idea that their work matters and can influence others. It also helps build a culture of sustainability that extends beyond a single project or group.
Here are reflection prompts to help teachers who are working to support student Agentic Action
Here are some example activities that will engage K-12 students in Agentic Action
When student action is visible across the school community, it becomes a catalyst—inspiring others to get involved, learn from each other, and build momentum for change.
We'd love to hear from you!
We'd love to hear from you!
Want to share how students across your school are taking agentic action? Reach out to us!
"Real Work, Real Consequences" Stories
Stories of students and educators taking meaningful action for sustainability—real work with real consequences that shape just and livable futures. These narratives highlight experiences, actions, and reflections through the lens of Action-Oriented Pedagogies."Real Work, Real Consequences" Stories
Photo Credit: Janet Ankrum
In Janet’s classroom, 8th graders take sustainability into their own hands—designing solar-powered irrigation, cultivating gardens tied to family recipes, and proposing community energy solutions. Through systems thinking and collaboration, students become active designers of change, connecting science, culture, and community to imagine and enact sustainable futures.
In Brianne’s Arizona science classroom, every unit ends with the challenge, “What are we going to do about this?” From waste audits to solar projects, students turn scientific inquiry into meaningful action, building the skills and confidence to see themselves as problem-solvers and changemakers.
Photo: AdobeStock
Curated Resources for Exploration, Planning, and Practice
Curated Resources for Exploration, Planning, and Practice
Further reading to support Taking Agentic Action
Educators interested in supporting student opportunities for agentic action can assess agency in terms of its forms (intellectual, relational, transformative). They can also assess the level of student agency afforded in classroom activity systems. The OCED Sun Model of Co-agency is one tool for doing so. The model defines the various degrees of agency young people have while collaborating with adults, ranging from complete adult leadership to shared leadership.
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