Students as partners in
the learning process
Lifelong Learning Programme and Youth in Action Programme
Launching Conference
11 November 2010
Amanda Roberts
University of Herfordshire
Agenda for this session
Why involve students?
Student voice? Student participation? Student leadership?
Creating participative learning cultures through student leadership
Programme 1: Supporting Students as Researchers
Programme 2: Supporting Students as Leaders
Challenges and opportunities – for us and for you
Students as partners in the learning process
Why involve students?
The legislative imperative:
• Article 12 of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989)
• Every Child Matters framework (DfES, 2003)
• A New Relationship with Schools (DfES, 2004)
• Working Together (DCSF, 2008)
The moral imperative:
• Students as the ‘unconsulted majority’ (Frost et al, 2009)
• Students as full partners in the enterprise of learning (Frost and MacBeath, 2010)
The pragmatic imperative:
• Students as experts on learning and teaching
• Structured approach to mobilising 95% in the school improvement process
Students as partners in the learning process
Student voice?
Student participation?
Student leadership?
Student voice/consultation: the provision of opportunities for students to express their views,
with the expectation that someone will listen although not necessarily act (Rudduck and McIntyre,
2007).
Student participation: a development of voice referring to the active involvement of students in
decision-making, in evaluating their own learning and in taking on positions of responsibility within
the school (Demetriou and Rudduck,2004).
Student research: a development of participation where students identify and respond to
something which matters to them, rather than just commenting on the concerns of others.
Student leadership: a further development of participation, where students are supported in
exercising leadership and become partners in the learning, teaching and school improvement
process.
What language is used to talk about student engagement in your organisation?
Does the language used matter?
Students as partners in the learning process
Creating participative learning cultures
through student leadership
Student leadership:
an aspect of distributed leadership: recognises that leadership involves collaborative
and interactive behaviour
involves capacity building: developing a professional culture in which self-evaluation,
innovation and improvement are both valued and facilitated
challenges notion that leadership arises from hierarchical positioning, focusing on
leadership roles rather than leadership positions
based on premise that a successful school is one in which the maximum degree of
leadership is exercised by the maximum number of people including teachers, pupils,
support staff, etc (Sergiovanni, 1992)
not about authority to take decisions but about influence
(Frost, 2010)
Students as partners in the learning process
Programme 1:
Students as
Researchers
Students as partners in the learning process
Aims of the programme
The Students as Researchers programme is designed to:
•
provide an opportunity for students to articulate their views about
learning and teaching, developing their understanding whilst
working in partnership with teachers
•
develop students’ ability to influence school policy and practice in
a positive manner
•
develop students’ confidence and self-esteem
Students as partners in the learning process
The role of the co-researcher
Co-researchers work alongside students to help them to:
•
Formulate their plans at each step of the journey
•
Make contact with staff and students whose views they are
interested in
•
Organise the gathering of their data
•
Produce a report/poster/powerpoint presentation etc. to share
what they have learned
•
Plan how they will use what they have learned to contribute to
make a difference
Students as partners in the learning process
Symbols to support students’ learning journey
I want my maths teacher to
listen to what students say
about learning. I also hope
we get to do more fun
activities in maths
Using the iconic representation of new
learning to build student understanding
at a conceptual level (Bruner, 1966)
Students as partners in the learning process
Supporting teachers on the journey
•
Programme led by a lead
teacher
•
Teachers’ notes and
resources are set out in the
programme
•
Resources are provided
on a CD
Students as partners in the learning process
Emphasising impact
Students as partners in the learning process
Action planning to make a difference
•
Students assess the impact of their work so far to help them to
plan for the future
•
Students share what they have discovered with the school
community
•
Teachers feed back to student researchers – what they
(teachers) have agreed to do; what the students have
agreed to do
Students as partners in the learning process
Evaluative comments
We have to use learners more
successfully to help us to
develop our understanding of
learning and teaching.
There’s a recognition that we
(students and teachers) need
to work together on this
When there is a joint
conversation about what
students value and what
they believe could be
developed, then the
school has moved
forward
This is real learning, not like
what we do in lessons. You
don’t have views on things in
normal lessons. We do work
and that’s it. We don’t have
choice, the teacher decides
Student, School B
Headteacher, School A
Headteacher, School B
We have started to break
down the barrier between
staff and students and
initiated conversations
between them about learning
and teaching that just didn’t
happen before
She (the student
researcher) was in
control of her project.
I just listened and
made the odd
suggestion
Co-researcher, School C
My confidence is growing
with every meeting. I have
learned that I can and should
make things happen. It has
been the doorway into me
being more involved in my
school
Student, School B
Lead teacher, School D
Students as partners in the learning process
Reviewing the programme: where to now?
•
How could we support the development of the emerging
staff/student dialogue?
•
How could we better support student understanding of learning
and leadership?
•
How could we further support the development of staff/student
collaborative partnerships?
•
How could student participation be developed to impact more
effectively on the school improvement process?
•
How could we support students in developing as leaders rather
than participators?
Students as partners in the learning process
Programme 2:
Students as
Leaders
Students as partners in the learning process
Aims of the programme
•
provide an opportunity for students to articulate their views
about learning and leadership, developing their understanding
whilst working in partnership with teachers
•
develop students’ and teachers’ understanding of, and skills in,
this partnership working
•
support the development of strategies to enable students to
take an active role in leading learning
•
develop students’ confidence as learners and leaders of
learning
•
develop students’ ability to influence school policy and practice
Students as partners in the learning process
Reviewing organisational context and practice
Children share power
and responsibility for
decision-making
Children are involved in
decision-making
processes
Children’s views are taken
into account
Children are supported in
expressing their views
Children are listened to
Adapted from Shier (2001)
Students as partners in the learning process
Supporting student/staff dialogue
Students as partners in the learning process
Developing student understanding of
learning and leadership
Students as partners in the learning process
From principles to leadership strands
Students as partners in the learning process
Evaluative comments
The collaboration
between schools has
forged student
relationships which have
really broken down
barriers
It has made me
see that there is
more than one way
of learning and that
I can improve mine
and other students’
learning
It taught me how to analyse
lessons and to feed back to
teachers in a polite way,
being honest and
constructive but not offensive
Student, School A
Student, School B
Lead teacher, School A
I think the students have
got a huge amount form
the programme but
some teachers still need
to be convinced this is a
good idea
I feel prepared now
to start to do student
leadership but I still
haven’t got much
confidence
Teachers
have a lot to
handle!
Student, School A
Student, School B
Lead Teacher, School B
Students as partners in the learning process
Challenges and opportunities?
What might be
the challenges
posed and
opportunities
offered by
developing
student
leadership?
Students as partners in the learning process
For further reference
http://www.edu.cam.ac.uk/centres/lfl/SupportingStudentsasResearchers
http://www.leadershipforlearning.org.uk/resources-and-academic-papers/223supporting-the-growth-of-students-as-leaders-a-studentteacher-partnershipapproach
Roberts, A. and Nash, J. (2009) ‘Enabling students to participate in school improvement through a
Students as Researchers programme.’ Improving Schools, 12 (2) pp. 184-187
Students as partners in the learning process
References
Bruner, J. (1966) Towards a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
DCSF (2008) Working Together: Listening to the Voices of Children and Young People. London: DCSF.
DfES (2003) Every Child Matters: Change for Children. Online: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk [accessed 12 April 2006].
DfES (2004) A New Relationship with Schools. London: DfES.
DCSF (2008) Working Together: Listening to the Voices of Children and Young People. London: DCSF.
Demitriou, H. & Rudduck, J. (2004) Pupils as researchers: the importance of using their research evidence. Primary Leadership Paper 11, 31–4.
Frost, D. (2010) Creating participative learning cultures through student leadership in J. MacBeath and T. Townsend (eds) International
Handbook on Leadership for Learning, New York: Springer Publishing
Frost, D., Frost, R., MacBeath, J. & Pedder, D. (2009) The influence and participation of children and young people in their learning (IPiL) project.
A paper presented at ICSEI 2009, the 22nd annual meeting of the International Congress on School Effectiveness and Improvement, Vancouver,
Canada, 4–7 January.
Frost, D. and MacBeath, J. (2010) Learning to Lead: an evaluation. Cambridge: Leadership for Learning, University of Cambridge Faculty of
Education.
Roberts, A. and Nash, J. (2009) ‘Enabling students to participate in school improvement through a Students as Researchers programme.’
Improving Schools, 12 (2) pp. 184-187
Rudduck, J. & McIntyre, D. (2007) Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils. Abingdon: Routledge.
Sergiovanni,T. (1992) Moral Leadership: Getting to the heart of School Improvement. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
UN (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child. Geneva: UN.
Non-original images from Stock.xhng: http://www.sxc.hu/
Students as partners in the learning process