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We often hear that it’s important to consider learner voice in education, but we rarely hear from learners themselves in the media. VISION asks two 17 year-olds from the Edge Learner Forum, Samia Meah and Huda Al Bander, to give us their view of what education should be like. Here’s what they have to say...

Politicians and experts have been talking about the year 2020 and the higher order skills needed for the UK’s future success. But how much have they thought about how to get there? Only young people can make these 2020 goals a reality. Our input should be the most valued because, if we don’t get involved, the nation will not be successful.

The Edge Learner Forum is a group of young people working to change the face of UK education. Our main aim is to help structure education so it caters for all ways of learning, whether that involves practical or academic paths.

It started in 2004 when a group of us came together from different walks of life, with different experiences and expectations. Over the past three years we have developed our opinions together in order to knock down the barriers faced by stereotyped young people.

As a group we have found many ways to influence the future of learning. Our voices have been heard and followed by top ‘experts’ and politicians. We have been ‘teaching the teachers’ in order to improve their methods at the Institute of Education; we are helping to design new courses for the Open University; we have also published articles and appeared in media debates for Channel 4 and Teachers’ TV. If the UK’s goals for 2020 are to be achieved, there is a lot to be done. We have to modernise educational choices and allow young people to learn in ways that suit them. We have to inspire young people to follow their own dreams. And, more than anything, society should see young people as a part of the answer rather than the problem.

Why we learn - motivation and inspiration

Young people like us sometimes lose our dreams because we are labelled with low expectations. We are forced to settle for something far from our actual motivations. The messages surrounding us tell us to expect a below average future. Let us dream, inspire us to aim high, and encourage us to do what we really want to do. How you put this message across is really important. Don’t just rely on teachers and career advisers. Bring in people who can share their current life experience to project a vision in our minds.

One slogan we believe within the Learner Forum is: “It’s not how intelligent you are, but HOW you are intelligent.” We all need to know we have intelligence and are experts in our own life experiences so we can truly believe in our dreams.

Time to update what we learn

It’s the 21st century, so why are we still using ancient ways of learning when the world has advanced so much? We have to bring vocational and academic learning together to make a real difference. We have to bring education up to date and fill the gap between the two routes. We don’t mean scrapping the academic route altogether; we mean bring them both together to form one integrated, educational route. Currently, the problem is that vocational learning has led to everyday jobs and has often made learners settle for something below their potential.

In every part of the country there should be a wide range of learning options available. Vocational opportunities should be available in every school, not just a few. Subjects like health and social care are available widely but they only cater for a small percentage of students. A variety of subjects should be available instead of the typical choices. To make the vocational route successful it has to provide a wide range of opportunities which open doors to a life just as exceptional as that offered by academic courses.

In the future, adaptability will be vital. Constant change means that people don’t stay in one job for life any more. More and more choose to change their occupation to get different experiences. ‘Learning how to learn’ should be taken as seriously as any other skill. Just training people for skills to use in the short term or for a particular job limits their ability to be flexible and adapt to new professions - not to mention its effect beyond the workplace.

Different ways to learn, but relationships are always at their heart

Each student has a different way of learning and developing skills, but these days schools often don’t provide a diverse enough curriculum for everyone. We feel that the National Curriculum limits the methods that teachers use to teach; therefore students’ expectations are often not met. Inside the school system it feels like there is only one way of learning, and for learners (who come in all shapes and sizes) this seems ridiculous.

As technology develops it is vital that education does too. The way teachers educate students should be integrated with new technology. As technology advances we realise the role of the teacher will change and become less dominating. But we think new gadgets and software shouldn’t be relied upon to teach the students, just used as good resources and teaching aids. Communication between the teacher and the student will remain the fundamental asset. Without this there is no hope of effective learning. The role of the teacher is to create an enjoyable environment and motivating atmosphere for learning. The curriculum doesn’t always allow this because of its off-putting points such as insufficient practical work.

Stop judging us and let us be judges too

Examinations today are just a task to memorise information. But learners won’t remember it beyond the exams so what is the point of all this test taking? To prove you have a good recollection of the past?

More practical assessments of students should be carried out to provide a true indication of student skills, especially within vocational subjects, where there should be practical evaluations and not just theory.

The Ofsted inspection also lacks reality because teachers and students know of the visit beforehand so often it isn’t a true review of the school in an everyday situation. We believe that the answer to this problem is to develop a ‘student Ofsted’, where young people would be embedded in the inspection team alongside the existing inspectors.

It would involve a group of young people accompanying Ofsted inspectors when they visit a school. These youth inspectors could interview randomly selected students to get opinions and find the truth. The logic is simple. Young people can see what is really going on at inspection time because they have been inside schools undergoing inspection. They can therefore help the inspectors to arrive at a more accurate review of the school. This could mean detecting inaccurate claims made by the staff or leaders in the school, but it could also mean celebrating aspects of the school life that may not otherwise get recognition or reward - or show up on the league tables.

We are the solution not the problem

To make the national vision for 2020 a success, one thing is certain: we have to work together. Young people lose their dreams too often because we are labelled and underestimated. This means that the potential of individuals is lost, along with the potential of society as a whole. All our work within the Edge Learner Forum proves that young people can help to transform education for the better if we are given the chance.

So don’t just tell young people what you think is right. Give us a way to get stuck into the real debates about improving the system, the things we learn and the ways in which we learn them. Education is our problem as a society and we can’t leave it until tomorrow. We can help you find the answers today. Our generation holds the hope and we are the future - if nothing is done it will be us who experience the failure.

How can teachers work with students to improve things? Advice from the Edge Learner Forum...

• Break away from the assumptions you have about your students. Your assumptions (and students’ consequent assumptions of you) will get in the way. Try out different ways to change the power balance.
• Instead of just consulting young people, work with them as your equal partners. Show them they are equal in the way you treat them.
• Inspire your students to be involved. Show them that you are motivated yourself and that you are human too.
• Bring people together across the usual divides, such as staff or students or parents. Break people out of their normal cliques. Get everyone to work together to achieve a change they will be able to see.
• Create an atmosphere where people feel free to speak their mind. Have open discussions about how to improve things in your school or college. Ask your students for their ideas about how to improve teaching practice, the environment and what they learn.
• Give students real responsibilities in the school. Let them design new projects and after-school activities.
• Involve your students in staff training and staff meetings. They are the best people to tell you what works - and what doesn’t.
• Prove that you are listening to your students and taking them seriously. Show them what an impact their views are having.
• When you’ve had a go at doing this, ask your students to help you evaluate what you did.

Edge is an educational foundation with a mission to raise the status of practical and vocational learning in the UK ( www.edge.co.uk ). The Edge Learner Forum is a growing network of young people across the UK who are actively involved in improving the education system. To make contact, call Rose Dowling, national coordinator, on 020 7242 5504.

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