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The Student Perspective: Rethinking School Through Our Eyes

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HBGCC - Innovation Arcade - Connections Theater

Interactive Session

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Session description

This session reimagines school through the lens of those it serves most - students! Learn how students shape instruction, contribute to schoolwide decisions, and even lead professional development. Discover how student voice, paired with technology, can drive creativity, equity, and innovation in learning environments designed with students, not just for them.

Outline

1. Welcome + Framing from the Student Presenter (5 minutes)
Quick intro and personal story: “What school feels like from a student’s perspective”
Why student voice is critical for meaningful, future-ready learning
Objectives for the session: Listen, rethink, and redesign with students in mind

2. The Problem from Our Perspective (10 minutes)
What traditional assignments and assessments look like to students

Where schools miss the mark on engagement and relevance
Real student examples of disengagement and inspiration
Quick reflection prompt: “Where do we unintentionally silence student voice?”

3. What’s Working: Student Voice in Practice (15 minutes)
Authentic student involvement in:
Redesigning learning experiences
Contributing to teacher PD
Participating in leadership decisions (committees, panels, feedback loops)
Tools that support this work
Emphasis on equity: lifting diverse voices, not just high-achievers

4. Interactive Design Challenge: Rethink an Assignment (15 minutes)
Educators choose a current assignment or assessment
Use student-centered prompts to rethink:
Where’s the relevance?
What choices do students have?
How is success defined—by students or for them?
Optional share-out with peer feedback

5. Shifting Systems: From Listening to Leading (10 minutes)
Practical ways schools can elevate student voice:
Student advisory councils
Involving students in PD planning
Co-creating rubrics or school improvement goals
Tips for creating a culture that values student perspective year-round
Model: "Student as Consultant" framework for admin teams

6. Closing + Student Challenge to the Room (5 minutes)
Final reflection: “What’s one thing you’ll change in how you involve students?”
Closing remarks from the student presenter:
“If I could design school differently…”
Call to action: See students not just as learners, but as partners in learning

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Supporting research

ISTE Standards for Students, Educators, and Leaders https://www.iste.org/standards

Personalize: Meeting the Needs of All Learners
by Eric Sheninger and Nicki Slaugh

Learning from the Student's Perspective
by Alison Cook-Sather, Brandon Clarke Daniel Condon, Kathleen Cushman

Student Voice in School Reform: Building Youth-Adult Partnerships That Strengthen Schools and Empower Youth by Dana L. Mitra

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Session specifications

Topic:

Student Engagement and Agency

TLP:

Yes

Grade level:

PK-12

Audience:

Curriculum Designer/Director, District Level Leadership, Teacher

Attendee devices:

Devices not needed

ISTE Standards:

For Education Leaders:
Empowering Leader

Support educators in using technology to advance learning that meets the diverse learning, cultural, and social-emotional needs of individual students.

For Educators:
Designer

Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.

For Students:
Empowered Learner

Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

TLPs:

Connect learning to learner, Ignite Agency

Additional detail:

Student presentation