Leaders can be created by instilling leadership skills in individuals. Leadership skills is one of the most important skills that can be acquired by the students in school. It can be developed through various activities and projects organized in schools. Leadership plays an important role in every aspect of a student's life. Students go through many stages in life for career development where they need leadership skills.
There are many stages in life where leadership skills come into play. Life is full of challenges, employment issues and conflicts. In such situations, leadership skills enable students to accept challenges, solve problems and give a direction to their career. Leadership skill is not only important for student’s development, but it creates a great impact on the community, nation, companies, political scenario, nature and environment. So, here are some ways of how Al Hekma International School in Bahrain (AHIS) offers leadership opportunities for its students. Put them in charge. Involve students in leadership opportunities in the classroom from heading the discussion of a lesson to handing out papers.
Such opportunities should become part of the classroom procedures each day. It benefits the student with the assignment and peers who must work with a peer leader. Activities involving student leadership in the classroom may help students most when teachers (or, even, in a respectful way, other students) positively assess their handling of the responsibility. So a teacher might congratulate a student on their introduction to a lesson, but suggest they speak slower. Or, they might write a quick note home to tell a parent how a student either followed through on an assigned leadership task successfully, or without prompting took one on.
Talk to students about why you expect certain behavior (but not at that moment when the behavior is not under control) or how you organize your class as its leader. Explain how leadership works in your mind and how you would like to share it because good leaders do. Shared leadership, you can explain, demands responsibility. Look for an example of your leading responsibilities each day and point it out.
Provide some good examples. Look for examples among their favorites music, movie, or sports stars when they are showing good (or not so good) leadership behavior. Assign a search for one. For example, a story of a sports star getting his team to help a good cause or a musician who can incite a crowd (positively or negatively) with one comment. Talk about the quality of leadership in figures who loom large in your subject area.
Deliver leadership lessons. Explain what leadership is and why it is valuable as a life skill and in careers. Get them invested in improving school culture. Find ways to get students to change school culture by being leaders. The most common are perhaps stopping bullying, raising environmental awareness, or promoting understanding of students from other cultures. In AHIS Student Council and Well-Being Champions committees plan amazing activities to promote a positive school culture.
Involve them in extracurricular activities Extracurricular activities allow students to lead and can be ignited for that purpose. For expanse AHIS students are highly engaged in local and international activities like MUN, Business entrepreneurship programs like Injaz Company Program and TradeQuest, Scientific competitions like Globe and GPIC and internal programs like FAL,SharkTank and BYE. Please visit AHIS Instagram account to know more about these programs @ahisbh
Assign group projects
Group projects can be a great way to practice collaboration, listening and perseverance, which are all types of leadership skills. In a group project, students or team members work together with others to achieve a common goal. Each person in a group project can lead a portion of that project and be responsible for particular tasks.
Importance Of Imparting Leadership Skills To Students:
• Leadership skill enhances the time management skills of the students. Students can plan their schedule accordingly
• Students are able to achieve their goals in a better way through leadership skills.
• Students who possess leadership skills are aware of their rights and duties. They know how to get things done.
• Those possessing leadership skills are team players. They know how to lead others.
• Leadership skill makes students more confident and they never hesitate in accepting challenges of life.
• Leadership skills help students to enhance their social skills. Students also learn how to communicate effectively.
• Leadership skills help students to make better connections with others.
• Students possessing leadership skills are society-people. They have the ability to lead and find the solutions for problems like pollution, corruption, unemployment and social conflicts.
A school is one of the best places where children can start learning how to lead. Cultivating a student’s capability of becoming a leader at a young age will give them more experience. When the time comes that they are in the professional world, they can gain the respect that they deserve because of their background.
Author : Rasha Al Najjar, Assistant Principal at Al Hekma International School
