The Power of Student-Led Learning

January 24 marks UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) International Day of Education.This year’s theme, The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education, is especially resonant for Grade 6-8 students at St. Michaels University School where Middle School students are regularly invited to help shape not just what they learn, but how learning takes place. At this stage of development, student voices are a vital part of engagement and growth.

“When students are given meaningful opportunities to lead, initiate, and explore areas of interest, their investment deepens,” said Middle School Director Richard Brambley. “Rather than simply delivering content, our role is to guide students by setting a clear framework and leaving space for them to take learning in new directions.”

Student Leadership in Action

That philosophy is evident in both everyday classroom practice and larger-scale initiatives. This spring, for example, Grade 8 students are leading the planning of a regional Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (ISABC) student conference. Working with Humanities teacher Sarah Ferrante, students are designing the program, creating branding, managing registration, and communicating with other Independent Schools from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The conference theme: Inclusion, was chosen by students themselves and reflects a deliberately broad understanding that extends beyond race and gender to include neurodiversity, physical ability, and different learning needs. With up to 200 Grade 8 students expected to attend, the event offers a clear example of students co-creating learning experiences grounded in shared values.

Student initiative also shapes learning on a smaller, but no less meaningful, scale. In Engineering and Design, teacher Jake McCloskey ’09 describes how assignments evolve in response to student ideas. During a recent project focused on designing and laser-cutting a cardboard box, one student independently added a lid, while another engraved a design on top. These extensions were not required, but once they appeared, McCloskey paused the class to explore them, and many students followed suit. The result was a shift in the assignment itself, with student-driven ideas now becoming part of future iterations of the course. McCloskey describes his approach as simply setting the foundation and then running with whatever sparks student interest.

The same spirit is evident in preparations for the Science Fair in February, where students are currently developing individual projects driven by personal questions, curiosity, and creative thinking.

Learning with Real-World Impact

Students are also contributing to decisions beyond curriculum. In Math and Science, teacher Zyoji Jackson invited students to provide input on classroom design as part of an ongoing renovation. Drawing on their experience with standing whiteboard work and collaborative problem-solving, students analyze existing spaces, calculate usable whiteboard area, review proposed plans, and make recommendations to school leadership. The project supports core math skills while reinforcing that students are experts in how their learning environments function.

Even school-wide initiatives reflect this approach. For Pink Shirt Day, students submit original designs for the annual anti-bullying shirt, with the winning design becoming the one available to purchase by the community, a simple but powerful reminder that student voices help shape school culture.

Taken together, these examples bring UNESCO’s theme to life in practical, visible ways. In Middle School, students are not just participants in their education. They are collaborators, problem-solvers, and co-creators, learning early that their ideas matter and that education works best when it is built with them, not just for them.