The Student-Centered Shift: Empowered International Schools and Classrooms Through Project-Based Learning

AI can give students more choice, personalize learning, and help them work more independently. But does that automatically make learning more student-centered?
 
In this episode of Student-Centered Shift, I sit down with Dr. Justin Jang to explore one of the biggest questions facing international educators right now: How do we use AI to increase student agency without outsourcing thinking, reducing collaboration, or leaving students isolated behind a screen?
 
Justin reminds us that student agency is about much more than giving students choices. It's about voice, ownership, relationships, and creating the conditions for learners to take greater responsibility for their learning.
 
Together, we explore how to:
 
Use AI to strengthen student agency
Avoid the trap of over-personalization
Keep collaboration and relationships alive
Rethink assessment in the age of AI
Use AI to deepen—not replace—thinking
If you're an international educator experimenting with AI, this conversation will challenge you to look beyond the tools and ask a more important question: Is AI helping my students become more active owners of their learning?
Justin's Website: https://www.justinzh.com/ 
Connect with Justin: LinkedIn, Instagram, Email: justin1stmuchuan@gmail.com 
Get the 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments Book: 'Where Is The Teacher?' 
Justin's Bio: Justin Zhang, Ph.D., is a dedicated educator and educational leader specializing in educational technology and international education. Currently serving as Assistant Professor and Director of IBEC at Namseoul University, he brings extensive expertise from his previous role as Head of Department at an international school in Hong Kong. With a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and dual Master's degrees, Dr. Zhang is a registered teacher in both the US and UK who fulfills multiple roles within the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (Lead Educator, Field Representative, Programme Leader, Evaluation Leader, Consultant, workshop leader, etc.) and examines for international curricula including IB, IGCSE, and A-levels. His international teaching experience spans Beijing and Barcelona, complemented by his contributions to educational advancement through accreditation committees and academic publications.

What if giving students more voice didn't mean giving up the curriculum—but actually helped them go deeper into it?
In this episode of The Student-Centered Shift, I explore the shift from teacher-designed to co-designed learning through the story of Linda, a teacher who handed some of her most dreaded curriculum standards over to her students. Instead of deciding everything herself, she invited students to help determine what they wanted to explore—and watched engagemement, academic outcomes and required curriculum come to life through their interests, choices, and ideas.
We explore:
How to give students meaningful voice and choice while still meeting required curriculum standards

Simple ways to invite students into decisions around topics, assessment, and how they share their learning

Why co-design doesn't mean giving up structure or handing over complete control

How sharing some of the design can build greater student agency, ownership, and motivation

If you're ready to move beyond simply giving students choices and start giving them a genuine role in designing their learning, this episode will show you a simple place to start.

Join the Co-Design Master Class on the last Tuesday in October - -> www.transformschool.com/12shiftsmasterclass

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).

Want students to lead more of the discussion, but find the same voices dominating while others stay silent—or the conversation quickly goes off track?
In this episode of The Student-Centered Shift, I share a simple strategy I recently saw in action at ISKL in Malaysia: Six Thinking Hats. By giving students different lenses for questioning, challenging ideas, exploring possibilities, and using evidence, we can create the structure they need to take greater ownership of the conversation—and build genuine student agency.
We explore:
How Six Thinking Hats can turn student-led discussions into deeper, more balanced conversations
How to use the strategy for project-based learning, ideation, peer feedback, problem-solving, and reflection
Why giving students different thinking roles can move them beyond simply sharing opinions
How simple protocols can help you step back as the facilitator while students take greater ownership of their learning
If you're looking for a simple way to build student agency and create more active, student-centered learning, grab six colors and give this strategy a try.
WANT TO DIVE DEEPER? 
Sign Up For the $39 USD Student Agency Leadership MasterClasses (September 30th and October 14th 7-8:30 pm):  https://schoolleadermasterclass.aplusactivelearning.com/

What if you didn't have to wait for your whole school to change before creating learning that better prepares students for the future?
In this episode of the Student-Centered Shifts, I sit down with education scholar Dr. Yong Zhao to explore a bigger vision for what school could become. From strengths-based education and human interdependence to curriculum, assessment, equity, and AI, they challenge some of the assumptions that continue to shape schools—and ask what might happen if we designed learning around the uniqueness of each student instead.
We explore:
Why strengths-based education requires us to rethink more than just classroom instruction
How schools can loosen curriculum constraints while still maintaining academic expectations
Why equity doesn't necessarily mean giving every learner the same experience
How courageous educators and leaders like you can begin experimenting with new models without waiting for whole-system change
For international school leaders and educators thinking seriously about what needs to change—and what's possible—this conversation offers both a challenge and an invitation: stop waiting for the entire system to transform and start creating new possibilities now.
Learn more about Yong Zhao: https://zhaolearning.org/ 
Get the 12 Shifts Book: 'Where Is The Teacher'
Dr. Yong Zhao's Bio: 
Dr. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He previously served as the Presidential Chair, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. Prior to Oregon, Yong Zhao was University Distinguished Professor at the College of Education, Michigan State University, where he also served as the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Technology, executive director of the Confucius Institute, as well as the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. Additionally, he worked as a professor of educational leadership in the Faculty of Education at University of Melbourne and senior researcher at the Mitchell Institute of Victoria University in Australia. He was a visiting Global Professor at University of Bath and a visiting scholar at Warwick University in the UK.
He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the International Academy of Education.
Yong Zhao has received numerous awards including the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association, Outstanding Public Educator from Horace Mann League of USA, Distinguished Achievement Award in Professional Development from the Association of Education Publishers, ACEL Nganakarrawa Award, and AECT 2022 Outstanding Digital Learning Artifact Award and AECT Distinguished Development Award. He has been recognized as one of the most influential education scholars.