Fostering Agency and Engagement Through Regular Student-led (Un)Conferencing.

The background

Some years ago, I listened to an outstanding School Leader being interviewed about his school's Student Conferencing initiative, or, to be more precise, the Student UN-Conferencing initiative! I'm almost certain it was a Radio National (Australia) interview. However, having searched the web, the RN site and my computer I don't have the specific link to share with you.

If you are unfamiliar with the term Student Unconferencing, it's essentially a day divided into time-slots with multiple sessions per slot, a student running each session (on whatever lights their wick) and each student choosing to attend one session per slot.

Now, I realise it appears suspect for me to write an article singing the praises of the approach without a source to link to, but dang it, the idea was exceptional, and the effect on the student population was profound. Therefore, being the rule-breaker that I am, I'm doing it!?

(In an attempt to redeem myself, however, here's an Edutopia article on the topic:?Hosting Student-Led Unconferences.)

Hopefully, there's enough detail here to motivate some school leaders to embark on their own program - do some research, test the water and evolve a program.

Student-led (Un)Conferencing Program - The Structure (as I remember it)

• As an experiment, an Australian primary school decided to run regular student-led (un)conference days.
• The (un)conference days occurred every second Friday - it may have been every Friday - and each ran for most of the day.
• Before an (un)conference day, multiple students would nominate to run a session on anything they were passionate about.
• Sessions were scheduled throughout the day across several time slots (with multiple sessions per time slot).
• Every student had to be either a presenter or an attendee of one session per time slot (students signed up on the morning of the (un)conference day).
• A teacher was present in each session to ensure there were no issues.

Student-led (Un)Conferencing Program - Impact

What struck me was the leader's surprise at the extent of the program's success.

• Firstly, teachers were staggered by the depth and breadth of the knowledge the student presenters shared. There were many jaw-dropping moments as teachers discovered students' hidden passions and expertise that conventional schooling would never have unearthed.
• The program profoundly impacted the student presenters - increased confidence, pride, and recognition among peers.
• The program also profoundly impacted the student attendees - students were interested, asked great questions, etc.

However, what really surprised teachers were two things:

• The vibe and general enthusiasm (agency) of the student population across the school increased noticeably. It was evident by the re-telling - the difference in the school vibe pre and post (un)conferencing was palpable.
• And the truly significant and unexpected effect: Despite the significant decrease in time allocation for traditional lessons (I think 20%, but it may have been 10%), the academic results across the student body INCREASED!

Surprised?

When I listened to this story (several times), I was both astonished at the brilliance of the idea and yet not at all surprised by the results. To me, an initiative like this was bound to work. Why? Because this is ultimately about raising the level of student agency across many, if not all, students.

Over to you ...

Has your school tried running student-led (un)conference days? If yes, please share your experiences below. If not, are you tempted to try?