How To Build Better Leaders: The Modern Approach to Student Leadership.
Are You Using These Five Modern Methods? Yes? Then, Get Ready for the Next Big Five.
Student agency through student leadership is now a feature of many Australian primary schools.
It's now common to see students speaking confidently in public leadership settings, Student Representative Councils and school leadership teams organising student projects in their schools, and students representing their school at community events such as Anzac Day ceremonies.
It hasn’t always been this way.
There was a time when teachers had to coax senior students into speaking at the weekly assembly. A time when SRCs were unheard of. A time when mentoring and buddy programs seemed like a pipe dream.
Five big changes
Around the turn of the millennium, student leadership slowly began to gain prominence in primary schools.
Gradually, teachers in Young Leaders schools began to report that change was underway. These changes have accelerated in the last few years.
The making of modern student leadership is best summed up in these five significant changes:
1. Leadership is becoming ingrained in classroom life.
As a student, the only classroom leadership I experienced was the class captain standing in front of the room, writing the initials of any student who dared talk on the chalkboard while the teacher stepped out.
This has changed. Leadership has been brought into the classroom through:
Games and activities.
The identification of leadership behaviours.
Projects completed at home.
2. Leadership is starting earlier.
Schools are beginning leadership development in the early primary school years.
From an earlier age, attention is given to character development, student mattering, and communication skills, which are part of the leadership mix.
Employing buddy and mentor systems facilitates the modelling of leadership behaviours and provides younger students with exposure to leadership.
3. Situational leadership opportunities emerged.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the leader,” as the saying goes.
Teachers now create multiple contexts for leadership skills to emerge. These activities are every day in primary schools:
Student Representative Councils
School Camps
Expeditions
Plays
Ambassador roles
4. Presentation skills are prioritised.
It’s no coincidence that over 60% of workers who move into management positions prioritise presentation skills as their primary need.
Leadership and communication skills are essential for adults and children. Fortunately, presentation skill development is now standard in most primary schools and firmly part of Young Leaders student leadership philosophy and practice..
5. Student leaders are given more prominence.
Student leaders are now attending local community events, fun runs, and local government activities with genuine tasks to carry out.
Within schools, leaders take on various tasks, from participating in peer programs to organising elective programs for students.
It's exciting.
It’s leadership in action.
The Future is Here - The Next Five.
So, what does the future hold for student leadership in primary schools?
At Young Leader, we believe the following leadership ideas form the cornerstone of a world-class student leadership development program.
While some are already a reality, others are next in line:
Student representatives on the School Council (trained and supported)
Significant annual fund-raiser events in schools organised by students.
School camps and other activities that specifically target leadership skills.
Community projects involving student leadership teams from multiple schools.
Global connections with students from different countries getting together for digital meetups.
Small hinges swing big doors.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when implementing program changes or introducing a new element to your school.
It seems that everything needs to be done at once.
Start small. Pick an area that's easy to change or improve and work on that.
Often, minor adjustments can make a massive difference in results and outcomes.
The key is to take the first step rather than wait and wish things were better.
So Much More Than A Student Leadership Program.
The Young Leaders Program turns senior primary school students into influential leaders through its robust framework, time-saving lessons, and adaptable format.
Get Ready For a Stellar Year.
Now is a brilliant time to get into the Young Leaders Program.
You can use the Induction and Mentoring Program to prepare your elected leaders for the year ahead and lay the groundwork for training all students in the last two years of primary school next year.
Your February Bonus.
Get the Young Leaders Program Premium Plus Pack before 28th February, and you’ll receive a 60-minute self-initiated online coaching session with Young Leaders Program Founder Michael Grose. You can schedule this session at any time within the next twelve months.