Illustration of a student using a Learning Canvas to move sticky notes between To Do, Doing, and Done columns, with the message ‘Make Learning Visible – Help students take ownership of learning

Short feedback cycles. Visible growth in student agency and adaptability

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❓WHY LEARNING SPRINTS?

Whether you're teaching in a STEM lab, CTE pathway, or project-based classroom, students need more than content coverage. They need habits that prepare them for real work and real life.

Learning Sprints give students a consistent structure to:

📝 Use feedback to improve, not just finish

Students get frequent input and actually act on it.


🧠 Plan and reflect with purpose

They develop self-direction skills essential for project-based learning and technical careers.

🎯 Stay focused with clear checkpoints

Sprints create rhythm and structure that support learning autonomy.

🎵 Shared rhythm supports collaboration

Whether students work solo or in teams, the Sprint routine gives them a common cadence—like shared music that keeps everyone in sync.

🚀 Provides visible progress and faster mastery

Short, focused learning cycles help students improve quickly, reinforcing what they know and showing real gains in skill with each Sprint.

🛠 Practice skills deliberately and often

Learning Sprints create a rhythm of purposeful repetition that strengthens understanding and accelerates proficiency over time.

A colorful educational diagram titled "Learning Sprint: Five Self-Directed Learning Routines" featuring five cartoon-style steps arranged in a circular flow:  Refine – A smiling student holds a "Learning Backlog" chart. Plan – A student points to a "Learning Canvas" with columns labeled "Goals," "Tasks," and "Done." Check-In – Two students discuss progress; one gives a thumbs up, the other holds a checklist. Review – A student presents a bar graph, with a lightbulb above their head. Retro – A student reflects using a chart titled "Retro" with columns for "Good," "Bad," and "Improve." At the center is a circular arrow with the Agile Classrooms icon, illustrating the iterative learning process.

🌀 How It All Comes Together

Learning Sprints follow a clear, repeatable rhythm that helps students stay focused, reflect often, and build skills over time.

This structure gives both students and teachers a shared sense of how learning flows. It reduces guesswork, builds accountability, and creates space for student agency to grow.

Below, you'll see how each part of the Sprint supports intentional learning and growth.

🔄 The Five Core Sprint Routines

Discrete Steps in the Self-Directed Learning Process

Each Learning Sprint contains five self-directed learning routines, which guide the process of goal-setting, learning, and reflection.

1. Refine

Update learning goals so they are clear, actionable, and ready to work on.

Students review and update their Learning Backlog by breaking big goals into smaller, manageable steps. This keeps their priorities organized and prepares them to start each Sprint with clarity and focus.

2. Plan

Choose goals and break them into tasks to complete by the end of the Sprint.

Students pull from the Learning Backlog and use the Learning Canvas to turn selected goals into a clear, realistic plan. They define what to work on, how, and when—building purpose and direction into their Sprint.

3. Check-In

Track progress, get feedback, and adjust as needed to stay on course.

In brief mid-Sprint check-ins, students assess how things are going, surface obstacles, and adapt. These five-minute conversations help them stay focused, accountable, and supported throughout the Sprint.

4. Review

hare the results of the Sprint and adapt future goals based on progress.

Students present what they’ve learned or created—a completed task, milestone, or skill demonstration—and reflect on how it went. The Review helps them see growth and adjust their Backlog based on feedback.

5. Retrospective

Reflect and improve how we learn, not just what we learned.

Students look back on the learning process itself: what worked, what didn’t, and what to change next time. This builds self-awareness, strengthens learning habits, and improves the overall experience of future Sprints.

💬 What Educators Are Saying

Real teachers. Real classrooms. Real results.
Learning Sprints aren't theory—they're working tools teachers love using with students.

“It gave my students more clarity, more confidence, and more ownership in their work. And it gave me a routine I could trust every week.”

Jamie T., CTE Instructor

“This isn’t another add-on. It’s a structure that supports what I’m already trying to do, helping students think, reflect, and grow.”

Erin B., High School STEM Teacher

“My students now ask for retros. They want to improve how they work together. That never happened before.”

Marcus D., PBL Coach

🌟 The Learner Outcomes That Matter

Learning Sprints don’t just support classroom flow—they help students grow real, transferable skills.

Over time, students become more:

🧭 Self-Directed

They lead their own learning with intention and develop agency.

🔄 Adaptable

With each routine, students have opportunities to adapt their work and learning.

🤝 Collaborative

Each routine helps students align with peers.


🪞 Reflective Growth

They examine how they learn and apply insights to keep improving over time.

Elements of the Agile Classroom Framework

The Agile Classroom Framework helps students develop self-direction, collaboration, and adaptability through a structured approach to learning. Click on each element below to learn how it supports student growth.

Make Learning Visible

Make Learning Visible

Help students and teachers see the learning process and track progress clearly.

Facilitate Learning Sprints

Facilitate Learning Sprints

Use an iterative learning cycle built on five self-directed routines that structure how students learn and grow.

Grow Collaboration

Grow Collaboration

Scaffold collaboration from individual efforts to coordinated teamwork and shared goals.

Grow Choice

Grow Choice

Support student autonomy by shifting from teacher-led to student-owned learning decisions.

Lead Agile Learning with Confidence

Explore the resources, guides, and certification that help you make learning visible, collaborative, and student-driven—without starting from scratch.

Get Certified

Learn to lead Agile Classrooms with confidence. Earn your certification and help students take charge of their learning.
Educator showing students how to use a Learning Canvas with columns for goals, tasks, doing, and done—introducing the Agile Classrooms framework

Agile Educator Guide

A free guide to help you understand and apply the Agile Classrooms framework in your school. Includes examples, visuals, and tools to make learning visible, collaborative, and student-driven.
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Browse real stories, tips, and classroom practices from educators using Agile Classrooms. Learn how others are growing student agency, collaboration, and visible learning.