Co-Designing Learning: Empowering Students with Real Voice and Choice

By Mel Evans, Co-Founder, The EduShift Collective

“The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’” - Maria Montessori

Recently, we asked our EduShift community what they’d love to explore in a future blog. One thoughtful question stood out:

“In terms of learner agency and voice, how can we create a model in which students are empowered as co-designers of their learning, with genuine input into both what they learn and how they learn it?”

It’s a powerful provocation, and one that speaks to the heart of EduShift’s mission.

If we want young people to thrive in a rapidly evolving world, we can no longer position them as passive participants in education. We need to move toward a model where students have not just a voice, but real influence over their learning journeys.

In this post, we’ll explore what co-designed learning really looks like, how learner agency can be embedded (not bolted on), and why tools like the Learner Profile are key to making it all stick.

Why Learner Agency Is Essential in Contemporary Learning

Learner agency, the ability to act intentionally in the learning process, is critical if we are to equip students for an uncertain and complex future.

As the OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 framework highlights, agency enables learners to influence their own lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Research tells us that:

• Self-efficacy (Hattie, 0.92 effect size) and goal-setting (0.68) are high-impact strategies that directly boost learning outcomes.

• Autonomy, a key factor in motivation and engagement, is foundational to Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Yet in many classrooms, student “voice” is surface-level, choosing between two tasks or voting on a class theme. To truly empower learners, we need to shift from tokenism to authentic co-design.

What Is Co-Designed Learning?

Co-design means moving from “learning done to students” to “learning created with students.” It’s about learners having input in both the what and how of their education, while still ensuring alignment with the curriculum and developmental needs.

Co-design is not:

• Choosing which worksheet to complete.

• Voting on classroom jobs.

• Having a student voice rep attend the occasional meeting.

Co-design is:

• Co-creating learning experiences that matter to students.

• Designing success criteria together using student-friendly language.

• Offering choice in how learning is demonstrated, from podcasts to prototypes.

• Collaboratively shaping assessment, timelines, and reflection tools.

EduShift Snapshot

At one South Australian primary school, Year 6 students co-designed a “Global Changemakers” unit. They mapped their passions using their Learner Profiles, proposed inquiry questions, and developed community-based action projects. Students co-created rubrics and reflected throughout the process.

“I’ve never seen this level of ownership,” one teacher shared. “They weren’t just doing the project, they were driving it.”

The Role of the Learner Profile

At EduShift, we see the Learner Profile as a powerful tool to activate agency, and a key driver of co-designed learning.

A Learner Profile is more than a student biography or interests list. It’s a school-defined framework of the skills, dispositions, and capabilities learners need to thrive, and a way for students to actively reflect, track, and grow in those areas.

Used well, the Learner Profile becomes a living document that students draw on regularly to:

• Identify strengths, areas for growth, and passions

• Reflect on which skills and dispositions are most relevant to a project or challenge

• Consider who they might need support from (peers, teachers, community members)

• Set goals and monitor progress as self-directed learners

Example in Practice

In one school, students used their Learner Profiles at the start of a design sprint to identify which capabilities they’d need to activate, from collaboration to creative thinking, and created mini ‘learning teams’ based on complementary strengths.

In this way, the Learner Profile isn’t just about the learner, it becomes a tool used by the learner to shape and co-design their journey.

Pedagogical Frameworks That Foster Learner Agency

Empowering students as co-designers doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it flourishes within the right pedagogical architecture.

Here are a few powerful, evidence-informed frameworks that support learner agency:

🔸Inquiry-Based Learning

At its heart, inquiry invites learners to lead the learning process by posing questions, exploring concepts, and constructing meaning. When teachers guide rather than tell, agency increases naturally.

Use it to… co-construct units around real-world problems, student wonderings, or provocations.

🔸Project-Based Learning (PBL)

PBL invites students to explore meaningful challenges over time, often integrating disciplines. Students collaborate, problem-solve, and produce authentic outcomes, all while navigating choice and voice.

Use it to… give learners control over the product, process, or purpose — or all three.

🔸Design Thinking

This human-centred process empowers learners to empathise, ideate, prototype, and reflect. It’s a natural fit for co-design, encouraging students to take ownership while solving real-world problems.

Use it to… structure innovation and encourage iterative learning driven by students.

🔸Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL ensures that all learners can access and engage with learning through multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. It supports agency by acknowledging learner variability from the outset.

Use it to… provide flexible pathways, choices in task completion, and build student self-awareness.

EduShift Note

The power of these frameworks increases exponentially when used alongside a Learner Profile. When students understand how they learn best, and are given the tools and trust to act on that understanding, real agency can take root.

Structures That Support Co-Design

Empowering student agency doesn’t mean a free-for-all. It means building thoughtful frameworks where learners can thrive. Consider integrating:

✅ Inquiry models: Start with student wonderings to shape units.

✅ Rubric co-creation: Work with students to define what success looks like.

✅ Student-led conferences: Shift reporting from “done to” to “shared with.”

✅ Learning playlists: Offer choice in process and product.

✅ Reflection scaffolds: Use journals, video diaries, or profile check-ins.

✅ Flexible grouping: Let students choose collaborators based on goals or strengths.

EduShift Tool Tip

Try a “Co-Design Kickstart Card”: a one-page template where students propose how they’d like to engage with an upcoming topic. Prompts might include:

• “What am I curious about?”

• “How do I learn best?”

• “How would I like to show my learning?”

Anticipating Challenges, and Embracing the Shift

We get it. The move to co-design can feel daunting.

You might be wondering:

❓“Will students cover what they need to?”

❓“Will behaviour issues increase?”

❓“What if they make poor choices?”

These are valid concerns. But remember:

Structure and trust are not opposites, they’re partners.

Start with bounded autonomy: clear learning intentions with room for choice. Guide students through co-design gradually, just like you’d scaffold any other skill.

You’ll be surprised how capable learners become when they feel trusted and supported.

Getting Started: Practical Steps for Tomorrow

If you’re ready to explore co-design but not sure where to start, here are some simple entry points:

🔹 Trial one lesson where students co-construct the success criteria

🔹 Use learner profiles in goal-setting conferences

🔹 Offer 2–3 task formats and let students choose their response method

🔹 Ask reflective questions, like “What part of this unit could we design together?”

🔹 Pilot a mini inquiry based on student wonderings

🔹 Shift your language, say “Let’s design this together” instead of “Here’s the plan”

This Is EduShift

This is what EduShift is all about:

🌱 Supporting schools to move from content coverage to deeper connection

💡 Guiding educators as they reimagine roles, responsibilities, and relationships

🎯 Helping learners take the lead - with agency, empathy, and authenticity

When students are co-designers, they don’t just learn, they become.

Want to Explore This More Deeply? Let’s Work Together.

If your school is ready to activate student agency through co-design, we’re here to help.

✅ Bring our Learner Profile Framework into your context

✅ Host a staff workshop on learner agency and inquiry design

✅ Explore our professional learning pathways on The Contemporary Learning Framework

📩 Visit us at www.edushift.com.au

Send us an email info@edushift.com.au

Have a question you’d love us to unpack next?

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Together, let’s keep shifting education forward.

Ready when you are!