Student Agency and Leadership
Enabling self-agency, by leading learning
What is Student Agency?
Learner Agency is a term that captures the important goal of students being active learners who can make choices and take actions to fully participate in their learning. Future-ready students need to exercise agency, in their own education and throughout life.
Building Student Agency
Learning Environment
Whanaungatanga is at the heart of what we do. Huanui College must recognise learner’s individualities whilst acknowledging the wider relationships each student enjoys, with their teachers, peers, families, and communities. Everyone is considered a learner, not only students, but also teachers, parents, and communities. Anyone who enables agency is, by definition, leading learning. Two factors, in particular help learners enable agency at the College:
- Personalised learning environment that supports and motivates each student to nurture their passions encouraging connections between different learning experiences and opportunities
- Focus on educating students to take charge and design their own learning in collaboration with others
Student Leadership
Leadership opportunities for students are available in every year. At Huanui College there is strong emphasis upon leadership and personal growth through helping and leading others. Huanui College is constantly reviewing and developing opportunities and programmes to enhance our student leadership programme.
Click here to read more about our Student leadership team
Building Student Leadership
Prefects
- Student voice – the Prefect body is committed to involving students in decision-making processes that affect them
- A Whānaugatanga Prefect position has been established to create a stronger sense of family connections within the College. This Prefect will be building relationships with current students and our Alumni to promote community connectivity and continuity
Whānau Leadership Structure
The Whānau system provides opportunities for students to become student leaders in their houses. Each of the four houses holds a yearly vote to elect their leaders, and these leaders are involved in decisions for the year’s activities. Leadership positions available are (in order of seniority):
- Whānau Prefect (Year 13 Leadership Team)
- Senior Captain (Year 11-12)
- Intermediate Captain (Year 9-10)
- Junior Captain (Year 7-8)
Peer Mentoring & Positive Education
Senior students provide vital ‘on the ground’ advice and leadership to younger students through our peer mentoring programme. Peer Mentors are given guidance to assist students who seek their help and are assisted to achieve their school-wide and academic goals whilst they do the same for their mentees.
Positive education permeates throughout the school. Weekly sessions are prepared by senior students and teachers and the principles are packaged to the students in innovative ways.
Current Student Leadership Opportunities
The opportunities are:
- Holding regular student-led school assemblies
- Recognising student leadership in diverse ways (publishing articles in the Huanuian, for example)
- Implemented student-centred leadership
- Whānau Leader led programme to ensure smooth operation
- Leadership program is evolving through the stages of College (beginning at Year 7 and culminating in Year 13 student leaders)