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The proposal of a Student Voice initiative is quite simply revolutionary. It is truly commendable that educational professionals are now starting to think about how to improve the world of education from the student ' s point of view. Giving the students the power to work collaboratively with teachers and other organisations, to explain how they think classrooms and schools should be run, is brave but I believe it is the only way to really make a difference.
The culture of a good school allows its society ' s needs to change, and the individual to change with it. It is all about fitting the system to the individual, not, as was the case perhaps in the past, fitting the individual to the system. The primary objective of Student Voice is to encourage teachers and students to work collaboratively together, thereby giving influence directly to the people who will be on the receiving end of the benefits: students and teachers. On a personal level, my involvement with Student Voice initiatives, both in and outside of school, has made me more interested in making a difference and being proactive.
Perhaps the best way to bring about change is from the inside out. This means School Councils having the capability to lead the changes. It is apparent that School Councils at many schools in England, and maybe even the world, are very reactive. They have problems with attendance in School Council meetings; few people know what is going on, and even fewer care. This is because, traditionally, School Councils have only been involved in very mundane decisions. They have a say on issues of little relevance or importance to the overall school community. They might decide where to send the money collected for charity, or choose where the best place for a set of new picnic benches is. Now, I ' m not attempting to say that this work is useless. In fact, it is important, but School Councils have the potential to achieve a great deal more and to discuss issues of more importance than charity money and the school gardens.
At the Philip Morant School, in Colchester, Essex, UK, we have a Student Management Team, which in itself is very unique. This distinctive, one of a kind system allows the students on this team to get involved in many school issues; like interviewing new staff, for example. This may sound like the perfect situation to be in, but we have a long way to go, as we want many more students to become involved.
Working closely with the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), we have been undertaking a new strand of research into student involvement in teaching, learning and school development. A way of improving the situation currently seen in schools is to create student projects. This feeds into the whole idea of active responsibility and ownership for the school environment. Only by having this experience, can the skills and knowledge gained be transferred to other situations.
Following a conference entitled, ' Taking the Next Steps - Developing a Proactive School Council ' , the Student Management Team at the Philip Morant School made the decision to create a groundbreaking new system. Where previous ideas of targeting just teachers had failed, this one will target the students themselves, relying on their own enthusiasm to make a difference, and to really bring about change. The idea is to create a series of Student Action Groups, overseen by the school ' s Student Management Team and link teachers. The Action Groups will be made up of students who passionately care about a particular issue. The specific Action Groups will form only as and when students decide there is a need for one. For example, a group of students who were interested in improving the school environment could join together to form a School Environment Action Group. Another group, who might like to have a direct personal impact on the PSHE curriculum, might form an Action Group for that and work closely with the teacher responsible for co-ordinating that subject.
The entire range of School Action Groups would ideally receive funding from money raised as part of charity events led by the Student Management Team, and/or from the school itself, to aid their work. To receive this funding, each Action Group would submit a bid to the Student Management Team and the Director of Student Services detailing the group ' s projected plan and how it would help fulfil the Student Development Plan.
The scope available for this project is great. Action Groups would form only when the students decided that issue needed addressing, so no time or resources would be wasted discussing something considered to have no relevance. Also, the students involved would want to improve that individual issue, so would be totally committed to the cause; having been informed about the concept of Student Action Groups in their assemblies.
The beauty of the Student Action Groups plan, though, is that, throughout this entire time, the School Council continues to run as normal, liaising with the individual Action Groups to monitor their progress and offer support to ensure that they stay on course. Using this system, many more concerns and issues could be addressed simultaneously. They are being worked on by students who really want to see a change brought about by the work that they do.
This dynamic approach is still in its early stages, but has the promise to really make a difference to the lives of the teachers and students working in our school.
Through our work with the Consortium for School Improvement Network Learning Community, we have had the opportunity to attend forums focused on the sharing of good practice. We have visited other schools, speaking to other students and listening to their ideas. At the Samuel Ward School (in Haverhill, Suffolk, UK) for example, students have created a set of two CD-ROMs, one giving a prospectus for teachers and parents, and another for students. This is something that, as a school, we would like to develop for ourselves.
Another development we would like to put into action is the forming of stronger, greater links between the Sixth Form and Lower School. In March 2004 a group of students from the Consortium for School Improvement Network Learning Community, including myself, travelled down to the Design and Innovation Centre in Islington, London, for a conference on the theme of ' Pupil Participation in Teaching and Learning ' . There we gave a workshop titled, ' Classroom Architects ' , which focused on learning preferences and the optimum conditions of learning. We spread the message that teaching doesn ' t have to be all ' chalk and talk ' , but students can do a lot to help, as well. Sometimes, other approaches can be explored, and it is imperative for as many teachers and students as possible to recognise this.
We are finally coming round to the idea that what we should be spending time talking about is teaching and learning. We can argue about how best to spend the budget interminably but that won ' t improve the lives of the teachers or the students in the classroom.
Many influential people in the world of education now understand that schools should be working together, not competing against one another, to provide the highest quality of education that is possible. Only by collaborating fully can the good work that schools are doing be shared and built upon.
Student Voice needs to be promoted across the world. Student involvement in the way lessons are planned and delivered needs to be increased, as does student involvement in the development of the school itself. Some cynics have claimed this is just ' doing the teacher ' s job for them ' , but it is far more than that. It is an opportunity for students to influence the way they are taught, and subsequently, the way they learn.
The development of Student Voice is vital in moving education forward. One thing remains clear though, and that is that the future of education rests in the influence of the teachers, but more directly, in the voice of students.
Mr Tobias Bown is Director of Student Voice at Philip Morant School and College in Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom. This role involves the coordination of the Student Management Team and projects involving students as teachers, coaches, mentors and researchers. As Retired Head Boy, Tobias has been a leading force in the development of student participation in teaching and learning within his school, and across the Consortium for School Improvement ' s Networked Learning Community. His areas of expertise include leadership skills, communication and public speaking, working with teachers on shared projects and, of course, the all-important skill of diplomacy. Tobias aspires to be a teacher.
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