Student responses to what goes on in classrooms can provide valuable insight and demonstrate the obvious: having been "schooled" since they were four or five years old, students actually have a lot of expertise in terms of what makes for a good learning experience.

A student perspective can enlighten, animate and inject a different dynamism of energy. The vitality of young interested minds means that if you show interest, you get interest back in return. In my current role, at Warrington & Vale Royal College, I am again embarking on student action research – and here is why.

Opinion: 'Don't let the monster of student voice run rampage in your school'

Background: 'Student voice is vital - don't let it be manipulated'

Background: 'Nothing unites teachers and students quite like Ofsted'

What makes students underachieve, give up, fail to try?

As equality and diversity coordinator some years ago at a different college, I set up discussions around these questions with the student equality and diversity group. Their immediate responses included things like: Why would you try in your studies if you felt alienated? Or if teachers felt "unreachable" to you? Or if teachers didn't know who you were and didn't even remember your name? They felt strongly that there are teachers who are more interested in their subject than their students, and wondered where there might be places and spaces for connecting to teachers and each other outside of classrooms. 

The students also questioned things like whether the college could be putting more thought into when and where tutorials happen, or if, for example, a science lab – with its benches and Bunsen burners – would be a good space for student/teacher "pastoral" interaction. Wouldn't timetabling tutorials for first thing in the morning most likely make 16- and 17-year-olds recently "released" from school duck and dive? One of the loudest messages from those students was that we needed to find better ways of communicating.

Creating a culture of dialogic pedagogy

We started a culture of dialogic pedagogy in the college, and this became the focus of our student action research project. I heard about the Student Voice work at Sussex University, under Michael Fielding. Our equality and diversity group included a core of students as part of the "steering group" and they became the "student voice" group in the college.

They had training into research methods from our local university, and decided to focus their research on what makes a good teacher? To elicit student responses, they used a variety of research methods – including some quite inventive ones such as an invitation to graffiti in response to ideas on posters stuck on toilet doors.

Student consultation became 'the energising norm'

Research findings offered illuminating insight and were written up in an annual student voice report, which was disseminated by the student researchers through presentations given to whole staff, to governors and even to wider student/pupil voice" conferences to share their work.

Each report was concluded by recommendations for change based on the findings, which were then addressed by senior managers, governors, and the principal.

Crucially, as a result, changes did start to happen. For example, time-tabling was changed to ensure tutorials were sandwiched between curriculum subjects. College culture shifted, and students had a "slot" in our staff meetings. They became involved in designing the subject content of the tutorial programme and the student induction process.

The student common room was designed differently, students were consulted on the design of new buildings. Conversations about the experience in the classroom between students and teachers happened more as a matter of course after the importance of this was made explicit by the research process.

There is no holy grail that teachers can hold close and that can serve to make them aloof from students. Teachers have important professional expertise and knowledge, yes. But there is a central understanding in all of this. All of us in education keep on learning. That's the trick and where success lies. The worst teachers (and students) are those who are fixed in their thinking and their practice.

Student-led CPD: one of the best days of my teaching-life

Students led a professional development day and it was one of the most brilliant experiences of my teaching life. Some teachers did not delight in the role reversal and were uncomfortable with it, and some were even totally hostile to the idea.

However, the majority of teaching staff were fine with it, and by the end many responded positively, expressing how this had been the best CPD training they had ever attended. They said it had made them rethink their teaching role and countenance possible changes they could bring about to help improve things.

During the sessions, teachers were organised into groups and participated in student-directed activities on what they as teachers can learn from students. What do students bring to the teaching and learning process? What do staff bring to the teaching and learning process? Students presented their research findings in role play scenarios they constructed and delivered presentations explaining their project work and intentions.

Following that, teachers were again organised into groups and directed by student researchers (in every group) to respond to areas of concern as identified in their research process. Groups were then asked to rank areas of concern in terms of priority, this was put on flip chart paper and pinned up around the room, followed by a lively plenary discussion.

This day showed us that you should never underestimate the capacity of young people to go beyond expectations, deliver and impress.

Elizabeth Draper is director of English at Warrington & Vale Royal College