Has your school completed Teach the Teacher in the past but want to do it again? Check out our new Refresher program!
Teach the Teacher
Teach the Teacher is a student-led program that empowers students to drive change at school by leading collaborative - and constructive - conversations with their teachers. The internationally recognised program, delivered by VicSRC staff, supports schools to embed meaningful student voice into their culture and practices.
The program is a "transformative flipping of pedagogy" that aims to create positive and sustainable cultural change through student-teacher partnership. The program is designed for whole school communities — students, teachers, school leadership, and staff — seeking to embed meaningful student voice in their culture and practices.
Students benefit from taking part in Teach the Teacher in a variety of ways. Many gain confidence to speak up more in a classroom and wider school setting, most discover a greater empathy towards teachers, and all have a heightened awareness of how they and their classmates are being taught.
— Zack Pretlove, SRC Advisor, Melbourne Girls' College
Teach the Teacher is the single most transformative flipping of pedagogy I've seen in 40 years of education.
— Patricia Cowling, Education Consultant
I have learnt so much about the hardships of teachers, the challenges they face, and the art of teaching. I have also learnt so much about the behind-the-scenes work of educators, the research behind all the learning and teaching techniques implemented and the complex field of education research.
— Teach the Teacher student participant
How does Teach the Teacher work?
Teach the Teacher is delivered across workshops over one semester. Before beginning the program, VicSRC delivers a teacher-facing PD session to support school staff to prepare for the program. In workshops 1 and 2, VicSRC supports students to develop data-driven professional learning (PL) for their teachers on an issue affecting the student community. In workshop 3, students deliver their PL session for school teachers and staff. The program culminates in the development of a whole-school action plan in workshop 4, informed by key learnings from the PL session.
Participating schools are provided with a range of exclusive, age-specific student voice resources and regular support from VicSRC staff."
Express your interest or contact programs@vicsrc.org.au to start your Teach the Teacher journey!
VicSRC Teach the Teacher Refresher program
For schools who have previously completed Teach the Teacher with VicSRC, we now offer a Refresher of the program aimed to support you in continuing your work with student voice in your school. The Refresher covers the basics of Teach the Teacher and student voice, and by the end of the workshop your team will have a plan outlining how to move forward with the program independently.
The Refresher is a one-off 2.5 hour workshop with VicSRC held at your school, it can be booked at any point in the year to support you as you need it. In addition to the workshop, with purchase of the Refresher you will receive a take-home pack of resources to assist you in making your way through the following steps of Teach the Teacher.
Aligned to Victorian curriculum F-10
Top 100 global education innovation
Whole school approach to student voice
Formal acknowledgment of professional development activity for mentors
Develop critical and creative thinking
Semester-long student led program
Wellbeing Program Guide
Teach the Teacher has been recognised by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) through its inclusion in the national Wellbeing Program Guide. This recognition reflects the impact of Teach the Teacher’s student-led approach, supporting schools to strengthen learning, wellbeing and belonging through genuine partnership between students, teachers and school leaders."
Teach the Teacher in action:
Mount Waverly Secondary College
What's it all about?
The Teach the Teacher team aims to improve student-teacher relationships and enhance teaching and learning outcomes and in doing so, create positive lasting change and truly make a difference by helping students develop and lead conversations with their teachers. By encouraging student voice, students have established a forum for students to express their opinions and truly represent them to make a difference in terms of academic success at the college.
Who's involved?
The team
9 student leaders in Year 11, supported by the Leader of Programs and Student Leadership
The student-teacher session
Session 1 had 30 teachers participate;
Session 2 had 20 teachers participate
Topic
Improving teaching and learning outcomes
Goal
Establishing a college-wide feedback pro forma that all teachers can use for any of their classes
Outcomes
Students have discussed the positive impact that we have had, saying that they “can see a huge improvement in the way teachers teach now”, “it has made everyone realise that it is possible for students to talk to teachers and give them feedback and it doesn't have to be in a negative light” and “it's nice for the teacher to hear the good stuff once in a while but constructive criticism is good too”.
TEACH THE TEACHER IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY...
