Regional teacher candidates explore agency and autonomy

Two students discussing and writing during group activity

Nearly 60 future teachers from across gathered at on Oct. 17 for a day of interactive professional development focused on student voice and agency.

Hosted by Associate Professor of Instruction Dr. Teri Peasley and retired University clinical educator Jeanine Kelnhofer, the event was supported by a $5,000 Experiential Learning Stewardship Grant. The Regional Senior Professional Development Day brought together education students, faculty and guest presenters to explore how learner autonomy can lead to more responsive and engaged classrooms.

The event featured Dr. Mike Nicholson of and Affrilachian storyteller . Their sessions challenged participants to reflect on classroom power dynamics and how student voice fosters deeper motivation and connection.

“This day gave students the tools and the confidence to think critically about what kind of educators they want to be,” said Peasley. “Voice and choice are so important to students’ success as humans, but also in a 21st century learning and working environment. We often say in education that we are teaching our students for skills and jobs that don’t exist yet. If that is true, then agency is where it’s at.”

The day was structured to support both professional growth and peer connection. While Nicholson offered an evidence-based foundation for agency, Ford demonstrated how storytelling builds confidence and trust in the classroom. One session challenged students to evaluate a set of classroom statements, deciding which were useful and which were not. Through discussion, they realized that every approach could be useful, depending on how and when it was applied.

“That's what agency is,” Peasley said. “It’s making sure we honor what children bring to the classroom and make it work, both on a whole classroom level and an individual level.”

Students think critically about what type of educators they want to be

Haley Helber, a senior in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, said the event changed how she thinks about her future classroom.

“Our PD Day was far more impactful than I had imagined,” Helber said. “The most striking part for me was Dr. Nicholson’s discussion about the wording in student handbooks, how overwhelmingly negative and harsh they can be. The word ‘no’ appeared 37 times, while ‘imagination’ appeared none. It’s no wonder that parents and students rarely read them. It made me rethink how I want to approach my own classroom in the future.”

Rylee Newlon, also a senior in the same program, appreciated the chance to collaborate with peers from across the regional campuses.

“I was able to talk to students from different campuses and learn about how their experiences are going,” she said. “It has shown me that I need to give more freedoms to my students in order to have a healthy, safe, and positive environment between all of us.”

Peasley said the timing of the event was intentional. All attendees were in the semester before their full-time student teaching placement and had already spent time building relationships in classrooms across the region.

“They were already aware of student personalities and interests, likes and dislikes, and how relationships were evolving,” she said. “They could start to visualize what agency could look like for the students they were working with. That was the bridge. Now they can reflect on how they will make sure that happens when their role becomes full-time in the spring.”

Helping students prepare to lead their own classrooms in the region

Student evaluations reflected the event’s impact. Out of 40 respondents, 36 rated the event as excellent. Reflection comments emphasized the importance of giving students choice, making learning fun, and creating classroom cultures that foster confidence and creativity.

“Agency shouldn’t be an afterthought,” Peasley said. “It should be embedded in the culture of the classroom from day one.”

Dr. Lewatis McNeal, vice provost for regional higher education, emphasized the role of events like this in preparing future educators.

“Events like this are at the heart of what regional higher education does best,” McNeal said. “They bring students, faculty, and communities together in ways that are rooted in place but expansive in possibility. These future educators will carry forward what they learned into classrooms across the region. That is how change takes root.”

Peasley and her colleagues hope the professional development day will become an annual experience. Even if external funding is not available every year, the student response made clear that the event filled an important gap in their preparation.

“At the end of the day, education is about helping young people grow into productive members of society,” Peasley said. “If we can create spaces where students understand how to use their voice and where they feel seen and heard, then we’re doing our job. And our communities will be better for it.”

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