High Choice | High Collaboration
In the Self-Directed Team Zone, students take full ownership of their learning while working collaboratively in teams. They make decisions, manage their tasks, and hold each other accountable, requiring minimal direct teacher intervention. The teacher acts as a coach, guiding reflection and problem-solving while students drive their own learning.
High Choice: Students set their own learning goals, strategies, and workflows.
High Collaboration: Teams work interdependently, making decisions and solving problems together.
Teacher as a Coach: The teacher facilitates discussions and critical thinking rather than directing work.
Student-Driven Learning: Teams manage their own work, assess their progress, and adjust strategies as needed.
This zone helps students:
✔ Develop advanced self-direction and collaborative skills.
✔ Strengthen problem-solving, critical thinking, and adaptability.
✔ Take full responsibility for learning while supporting peers in a team setting.
Even in this zone, students benefit from coaching, structured reflection, and accountability tools to ensure they stay engaged and productive.
A Learning Sprint is a timeboxed cycle lasting four weeks or less that helps students plan, manage, and reflect on their learning in short, focused iterations. Each sprint is composed of five distinct self-directed learning routines that guide students through goal-setting, collaboration, progress tracking, and reflection.
In Zone 4: Self-Directed Team, students take full responsibility for managing their Learning Sprint. They prioritize tasks, make decisions as a team, and refine their learning process with minimal teacher intervention. The teacher serves as a coach, helping students reflect and improve rather than directing their work.
How the Learning Sprint Works in Zone 4
Refinement – Teams refine and adjust their backlog, determining what tasks to focus on next.
Planning – Teams set Sprint goals and collaboratively break down tasks into manageable steps.
Check-In – Students check in as a team, updating their Learning Canvas and refining their plan based on progress.
Review – Teams present their work, share insights, and discuss outcomes with peers and teachers.
Retrospective – Students set team-based and individual improvement goals, identifying ways to enhance collaboration and effectiveness.
Each of these five learning routines helps students develop autonomy, collaboration, and accountability, equipping them with the skills to manage their learning effectively as a team.
✅ Benefits:
Develops self-direction and collaboration, essential for 21st-century skills and agility.
Strengthens critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability in a team setting.
Encourages peer accountability, helping students support and learn from each other.
⚠️ Challenges:
Teams may experience breakdowns in communication or decision-making, requiring facilitation to resolve conflicts.
Balancing autonomy with shared responsibility can be difficult if students aren’t used to making collective decisions.
Requires students to apply self-management skills developed in previous zones to keep work focused and productive.
Ranges from Co-Leader to Coach
Starts as a Co-Leader, guiding discussions and supporting student-driven decision-making.
Transitions to a Coach, stepping back while prompting reflection and deeper thinking.
Provides strategic guidance rather than direct instruction, helping teams refine their collaboration and self-management.
Self-Directed Team Member
Collaborates with teammates to set goals, plan, and manage learning tasks.
Takes responsibility for their learning while supporting peers.
Engages in team reflection and iteration, adjusting processes as needed.
The goal is to support students in sustaining both self-direction and collaboration. Teachers can guide this transition by:
Helping students reflect on their teamwork, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Facilitating discussions on improving peer collaboration and accountability.
Identifying whether students need more support in collaboration or self-management, then adjusting accordingly.
Where Students May Transition Next
🔹 If students struggle with collaboration, they may shift to Zone 3: Independent Learner, where they can refine their ability to manage tasks independently before re-entering team-based learning.
🔹 If students struggle with self-management, they may transition to Zone 2: Cooperative Group, where they receive more structured guidance while practicing teamwork.
🔹 If students need additional scaffolding in both areas, they may briefly move back to Zone 1: Dependent Learnerto rebuild foundational skills before progressing again.
While transitions between zones are flexible, the goal is not necessarily for all students to reach Zone 4 but to develop the competencies of self-direction and collaboration at a pace that supports their growth. Zone 4 represents an ideal state to strive for, but success is measured by the development of these skills, not by reaching a specific zone.
The Learning Zones provide a scaffolded approach to student agency and collaboration.
Students in Zone 4: Self-Directed Team have developed the ability to fully manage their learning and work effectively in teams, requiring minimal teacher direction. They apply all the skills developed in earlier zones to sustain a highly autonomous, collaborative learning environment.
➡ Curious how the Learning Zones fit together?
Explore the Learning Zones Overview
to see how choice and collaboration evolve across all four zones.
Or, select a Learning Zone in the diagram below to explore its structure, student experience, and teacher role in more detail.
Click on the image to get more information
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.
Making the Learning Process and Progress Visible to All
An iterative learning cycle composed of 5 self-directed learning routines.
Scaffolding competencies to work with groups.
Scaffolding student autonomy
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