Want to give students more ownership of their learning, but worry that letting go of control could mean sacrificing rigor, curriculum coverage, or academic expectations?

In this episode of The Student-Centered Shift, I sit down with inquiry expert Trevor MacKenzie to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about student-led inquiry: that giving students more agency means giving up structure. Instead, Trevor shows how inquiry can be built gradually, with teachers intentionally releasing responsibility as students become more capable of owning their learning.

We explore:

• How to move from structured to guided and free inquiry without throwing students into the deep end
• Simple routines that get students questioning, moving, collaborating, and making their thinking visible
• Why knowing your curriculum deeply can actually create more freedom for student inquiry
• How small shifts in control can build greater independence, curiosity, and ownership over time

If you're ready to build more student agency without sacrificing meaningful, rigorous learning, this conversation will give you practical ways to start.

Get Trevor's Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945167149

Join the Leading Student Agency Workshop September 30th: https://schoolleadermasterclass.aplusactivelearning.com/

Trevor's Bio: Trevor MacKenzie is an experienced educator from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. His research, consultancy, and authorship have reached all parts of the world as he works with schools, districts, organizations, and ministries/departments of education in a variety of contexts. Policy advising, curriculum development, professional development, and systems change are Trevor's areas of expertise. His four publications are globally recognized as "must reads" in the inquiry-based school of thinking. He is a highly regarded speaker known for his heartfelt storytelling, kind demeanour, and person-first philosophy.

Trevor's graduate research focused on identifying and removing the barriers to implementing inquiry-based learning in the K-12 setting. He has four publications: Dive into Inquiry; Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition; Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition; and Inquiry Mindset Questions Editions Edition, all published by Elevate Books Edu. He has vast experience supporting schools across several years in implementation strategies in public schools, international schools, and International Baccalaureate programmes (PYP/MYP/DP).