Student Voice and Choice: Benefits & 6 Best Practices

Student voice is about enabling students to speak their minds, shape classroom decisions. Student choice builds on this by enabling young people to have control over subject matter, learning format, setting, or timeline.

Student voice and choice enable agency, engagement, and ownership that goes beyond academic achievement. This article explores their importance in modern education, the best practices to encourage them, and how UNIS Hanoi integrates these principles into daily life.

Table Of Contents

Importance of Student Voice and Choice
Top 6 Ways to Promote Student Voice and Choice
Why UNIS Hanoi Champions Student Voice and Choice
Empowering Through Voice and Choice at UNIS Hanoi

Importance of Student Voice and Choice

When schools weave these practices into learning to make it inspiring and relevant, students can excel academically, socially, and emotionally.

The benefits of student voice and choice transform into skills, self-confidence, and preparation for global citizenship:

Increases Engagement & Motivation: Student-selected tasks and topics ignite inner interest, leading to increased energy and perseverance in learning. When learners feel connected to the subject matter, they naturally strive harder.
Boosts Academic Performance: Active participation enables deeper understanding and long-term retention of material. When students ask questions and pursue their own inquiries, the learning becomes personalised and memorable.
Develops Future-Focused Skills: Encouraging student voice and choice builds essential 21th century competencies such as creativity, adaptability, problem-solving, and reflective thinking, which prepare students for uncertain futures.
Strengthens Self-Confidence & Self-Efficacy: By giving students control over their work, they take risks, learn from mistakes, and become resilient problem-solvers, capable of independent thinking.
Fosters Positive Relationships & Trust: When teachers actively listen to students, a culture of mutual respect develops. Students become open, creating healthier relationships and partnerships.
Promotes Belonging & Well-being: Feeling valued strengthens emotional security. Students who experience voice and choice are more likely to feel a sense of community and belonging at school.
Empowerment & Agency: Beyond the classroom, students view themselves as co-designers of learning, with agency to contribute to positive change and be a valuable contributor to group decision-making.

Top 6 Ways to Promote Student Voice and Choice

Schools can nurture voice and choice through purposeful practices that blend structure and autonomy. The 6 strategies outlined below are the most effective for creating a culture of agency and accountability with high academic standards.

1. Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Project-Based Learning is likely the best method for embedding student voice and choice.

The students select the subject they want to study, create their own driving questions, and determine how they will present their research.

By working towards authentic outcomes, such as exhibitions or community projects, learners develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.

At UNIS Hanoi, The Phoenix’s Nest embodies this approach. Students are project owners as diverse as sustainability campaigns, cultural studies, or technological innovations. These projects demonstrate how active learning turns theory into action with critical real-world concerns.

2. Student-Led Clubs and Initiatives

When students organise and operate their own clubs, they practice imagination, initiative, and organisational skills. Clubs can be drama, robotics, debating, sustainability, or social justice.

Student agency is applied daily at UNIS Hanoi in these projects. Students plan clubs, manage logistics, recruit members, and sustain activity over time. It prepares young people for school and life leadership.

3. Involving Students in Class Decisions

Engaging students in supporting classroom decisions, such as selecting reading material, choosing project formats, or setting deadlines, helps them build responsibility. This inclusivity fosters ownership, reduces passivity, and enhances confidence.

In our IB programmes at UNIS Hanoi, students are motivated to craft their learning experience. Paired with ongoing communication with parents, this practice ensures children feel both supported and empowered.

4. Encouraging Collaboration & Shared Decision-Making

Co-operation teaches students the values of mutual responsibility and compassionate leadership. Through multiple experiments with group work and leadership, students acquire the art of compromise, negotiation, and consensus-building.

Student councils, leadership programmes, and major school activities like UNISMUN and UN Day at UNIS Hanoi allow students to exercise influence at both classroom and school levels. These experiences cultivate a sense of ownership over the school culture itself.

5. Regular Student Feedback & Reflection

Student voice facilitates deep learning. Gathering feedback from journals, reflective activities, surveys, or exit tickets ensures that instruction evolves in response to student needs.

At UNIS Hanoi, there is an anonymous student-teacher feedback system that provides a secure and structured setting for students to share honest perspectives.

Teachers respond by modifying approaches to teaching, demonstrating respect and responsiveness. This enhances teaching and strengthens the message that students’ voices count in learning.

6. Celebrating Student Work and Achievements

Validation is necessary for building students’ agency. Sharing achievements through exhibitions, performances, and assemblies authenticates the values of students’ work.Recognition instils pride and confidence.

UNIS Hanoi’s PYPx and MYP exhibitions highlight this philosophy. The students select topics for projects and design their presentations, making these events authentic reflections of their interests, skills, and passions.

These events remind students that what they are doing is important and deserves to be seen.

Why UNIS Hanoi Champions Student Voice and Choice

Being Vietnam’s first and only IB World School to offer all three programmes (PYP, MYP, DP), UNIS Hanoi features student-focused instruction throughout the entire learning journey. Our philosophy extends beyond the classroom, focusing on cultivating well-rounded, thoughtful, and proactive individuals.

At our Elementary School, we enable students to discover their voice and personally make sense of their school life. By tailoring their learning pathways to meet their individual needs, students develop purposefully and with confidence.

Dialogue and shared decision-making are embedded throughout our classrooms. Whether deciding how to approach a science experiment or voicing opinions in literature discussions, students actively influence learning pathways. This reflects the heart of the IB pedagogy, which values inquiry, reflection, and critical engagement.

A commitment to United Nations values strengthens this practice. We believe education should empower learners to become agents of change who use their voices to advocate for justice, equity, and sustainability.

By embedding student voice and choice into everything we do, UNIS Hanoi educates young adults to contribute in a positive way to local and global society.

Empowering Through Voice and Choice at UNIS Hanoi

At UNIS Hanoi, we are committed to building a community where students are not passive recipients of knowledge but active co-creators of their education. Student voice and choice empower young people to feel seen, heard, and capable of shaping their world.

Parents can rest assured that your children will grow in an environment where agency, belonging, and achievement are the centre of learning. Experience how your child’s voice and choice truly matter at UNIS Hanoi. Apply today and take the first step towards a transformative educational journey!