Autumn 2005

Leadership

Can teachers learn from students?

Schools are traditionally seen as led and organised by adults, mainly teachers, who develop practices in accordance with the theories of learning. Students don’t know the theory but they do know what works for them. RICHARD POWELL, BRUCE McCOURT and DI BALLANTYNE demonstrate how, given the opportunity, students can describe clearly what is needed for learning to occur.

STUDENTS, as recipients of the educational programs offered in our schools, have opinions about the way such programs are delivered and about what is on offer.

The students know what they want from a school and they know what is required for them to learn adequately.

Josh, yr 10, Canberra High School, ACT

‘They care about their education. They want to learn. They want to be challenged.’

(Groundwater-Smith et al, 2000)

The perceptions of students can be extremely informative and helpful to teachers. If our schools are to be truly student centred then shouldn’t we seek their views? Student observations about teacher practices can be confrontingly honest and yet beneficial in terms of assessing the educational effectiveness of our programs. Harnessing student involvement in schools isn’t easy and requires a deliberate strategy. So where do we start to harness this powerful resource? Empowerment is the key and when valid opportunities are sought, the same motivation that drives teachers— the desire to make a difference— can also motivate students.

One place to start is to invite a group of students who offer the best chances of achieving positive outcomes. Whether this is the student representative council (SRC) or similar group or just students that teachers identify as natural leaders does not matter. SRC students are not always representative of the broad cross-section of the student body; however, they offer a safe place to start the process. Research by Anna Sullivan from Curtin University of Technology indicates that students who pursue multiple goals simultaneously and those who pursue both social and achievement goals have been found to be more successful at school. This is the nature of students who are likely to be members of school-based groups such as SRCs, but such students are also to be found in the average classroom.

Appealing to students by providing an event (or at the least something that involves food!) is an excellent way to begin the empowerment process. It is important to ask students for their opinions, hear what they say and accept it. Too often teachers reshape student responses into what they think students mean and this has the potential to devalue what they actually think or may mean. ‘To hear the authentic voice requires listening to what lies beneath the words, with support sensitive enough to help young people expand the social and intellectual lexicon’ (McBeath, 2004). Students often don’t feel they have a voice and are not really being listened to. Setting the ground rule of everyone being equal and making sure students are treated with respect is essential.

Start students thinking through broad questions to get them sharing ideas like: How could student opinions help schools to be better places for learning? Follow this up with: How could we make that happen? When responses to these questions have been collected, clarified and agreed, formulate a plan with the students to implement these actions. It is important to engage the students’ imaginations and excite them about the possible ideas. Make sure you seek their advice and direction on all aspects of the plan and so develop student ownership and commitment to the process and the actions. If there is an intention to empower students, whether it be developing the skills of a wider group of students or developing presentations for staff meetings, always include them as equal partners. As one of the students in our leadership program aptly put it: I found out that these (teachers) didn’t just treat us like children but as equals and did their very best to listen to us and get us heard.

We know one of the best ways to learn is to teach, so involving the students in giving presentations and facilitating learning is also a valuable learning experience for them. Students offer many ways to enhance the operation of schools if we seek their input. In the ACT we have used this process to empower 12 year 10 students to develop a leadership course for other students. They developed, presented and published their program. As a result they have helped a group of 24 other students develop skills, as well as developing their own skills and knowledge. This initiative had its genesis from an evaluation of student representation on the Department’s High School Development Program Committees in 2003. It was evident students were experiencing frustration and a lack of voice in these settings.

Student leaders from Canberra and Kambah High Schools and the committee representatives were invited to a breakfast meeting to discuss the issues identified from the evaluations. From the outset, students were respected as equal partners in this process. They were invited to speak frankly about leadership and the issues they faced in their schooling. Their opinions were highly valued and there was genuine interest in what was being said by the students.

The program showed me what skills were necessary, and how to implement those skills to make a difference.

Erin, yr 10, Kambah High School, ACT

No judgements or advice were offered by the teachers. The students discussed openly the need to develop their skills as leaders, as well as their skills to effectively participate in high-level committee meetings.

Meetings were organised to provide students with time to determine their leadership focus and structure. They decided the best way to develop their skills and understanding about leadership would be to experience first hand the planning and delivery of a program which consisted of four half-day workshops for SRC students from Canberra and Kambah High Schools. Collaborative decision making and goal setting featured highly in this phase of the program.

The four workshops for the student participants were organised and delivered by the student leaders and focused on key aspects of leadership. Each workshop was followed by a debriefing and planning session for the leadership team. Student participants completed evaluations at the conclusion of each workshop and this provided the student leaders with valuable feedback upon which to reflect and take actions to further enhance their next workshop.

We were all very happy about it and were hoping that the next three sessions would be just as good. We all tried to make the next one even better.

Scott, yr 10, Kambah High School, ACT

This was powerful learning for them as indicated by their discussions and changes in planning and practice. After the final workshop, the student leaders produced documentation for the production of a resource. Of particular importance are the leaders’ reflections on the program. These were also included in the resource.

The program had set out to enhance student skills to become better advocates for their peers in educational settings such as the High School Development Program Committees, as well as the various roles they hold in schools. Jim Cumming’s research indicates that student learning is enhanced when students have a say in and take responsibility for their learning. The student leaders made decisions about how they would develop their leadership skills. They determined the process, structure and content of the program. They conducted the evaluation of the program and were largely responsible for the development of the resource that has been distributed to all ACT schools. It is the first of its kind in the ACT because it is a leadership program developed and delivered by students to their peers.

I realised that everyone was serious about creating a program that would empower young people and enable them to become better leaders. Planning and running the workshops was interesting as we were always learning new things and new ways to help our peers learn. Overall, I think the program has been a great experience and a huge success.

Molly, yr 10, Kambah High School, ACT

References

Cumming, J (ed) (1996). From Alienation to Engagement: Opportunities for Reform in the Middle Years of Schooling.

Australian Curriculum Studies Association Canberra, vol 1, p 6.

Groundwater-Smith, S et al (2000). Yes, We Are Listening: Listening to Student Voice, paper presented to the Annual Conference Australian Association for Research in Education, Sydney 4–7 December, 2000.

Grose, M ‘Six Essential Steps to Teach Students About Planning and Delegation’, Leading Edge (accessed 9 December 2004).

McBeath, J A Chain of Voices, iNet Conference paper (accessed 20 September 2004).

Sullivan, A Pursuits of Goals in Partnerships: Empowerment in Practice, available at www.aare.edu.au/02pap/sul02098.htm  (accessed 21 December 2004).

Richard Powell is principal at Hawker College, ACT.

Bruce McCourt is Leader of the High School Development Program, ACT, Department of Education & Training.

Di Ballantyne is executive teacher at Wanniassa School (Senior Campus), ACT.

The author owns the copyright in this article. For information related to the reuse of this work in any form please contact the publisher denise.quinn@curriculum.edu.au