Students would undertake self-directed research projects, guided or led by teachers at their request. Agency would enable students to play a few hours of sports instead of read, or to read instead of play the piano. Teachers expressing their agency could hold classes outdoors, and teach about any subject they wish.
2.What contradictions might result?
The teacher's agency can easily conflict with that of the student. The teacher's agency might also clash with prevailing social values and norms. For example, a teacher who wanted to include Intelligent Design in the course curriculum could do so if all structure to the educational system were removed. With that structure in place, the teacher cannot teach Intelligent Design. The contradiction between structure and agency becomes poignant in an educational setting.
Between teacher and student, conflicts would arise between what is being taught and what is being...
Agency, unchecked at all, could lead to chaos. The contradiction between unchecked free will and oppression of free thought remains one of the most pressing conundrums in education. Teachers and students both require structure for learning to take place. Ironically, structure enables agency and free will. Without structure, students may never learn how to read or speak Spanish or comprehend the causes of the Civil War. Some structure is necessary in the educational environment. The structure must allow for free will to flourish, however: both the free agency of the teacher and of the student. To resolve the contradictions that may arise when agency is expressed as fully and effectively as possible, teachers and students need to explore the meaning of identity: how that identity is constructed and why.
