“Student voice... is ‘about

connecting what’s happening in

the classroom to real-life

experiences outside school,’ with

a focus on supporting students to

s h a p e t h e i r ‘ l e a r n i n g

environment while building skills

and abilities’ and ‘preparing for

active citizenship.”

-Capacity Building Series,

Secretariat Special edition #34

Student Student Student

VoiceVoiceVoice

To honour students and the voice they

bring to learning, a relationship of

trust must be built; the relationship

must be reciprocal. “As educators

carefully listen and observe, they are

providing responsive guidance rather

than engaging in teaching without at-

tending to listening. Educators are dil-

igently working to find harmony in

this way of working so that they can

continually engage and motivate stu-

dents.”

“Every child should feel that he or she

belongs, is a valuable contributor to

his or her surroundings, and deserves

the opportunity to succeed. When we

recognize children as capable and cu-

rious, we are more likely to deliver

programs and services that value and

build on their strengths and abili-

ties” (Ontario Early Years Frame-

work, 2013).1

“Educators need to understand what

they can about the different social,

economic, and cultural contexts of

their students and how these influence

their efforts. It is beneficial to view

these differences not as impediments

to overcome, but as resources that can

enhance learning” (Toshalis & Nakku-

la, 2012).1

Allowing

students

to shape

their

learning

Honouring Student Voice Actively Soliciting Student Voice1

Exit cards

Surveys

Interviews

Mailbox systems

Speakers’ corner

Open door policies

Discovering/Uncovering Student Voice1

Silent observation

Documentation analysis

Photo analysis

Video analysis

Anecdotal notes

Listening and observing peer-to-peer

interactions

In the moment

Examining Student-

Teacher Relationships

Broadening Our Ways to Understand

Student Voice

Why look at Student Voice?

Teachers in Ontario, participating in col-

laborative inquiries, “are discovering that

student investment in learning opens

new possibilities for children of all ages,

not only for learning, but also for engage-

ment and well-being (Natural Curiosity,

2011; Toshalis, and Nakkula, 2012).”

What is Student Voice?

“’Student Voice’ is a metaphor for stu-

dent engagement and participation in

issues that matter to learning.”1

“As educators study learning in collabo-

rative inquiries, they are observing that

children express

voice in a variety of

ways—in writing, art

and drama; in ges-

ture, body language

and even silence. In

this sense, student

voice is not some-

thing that we grant to students, but ra-

ther something we tap into. By broaden-

ing the definition of how children can

and do express voice, educators are tak-

ing diverse approaches to ‘hearing’ stu-

dent voice”.1

___________________________________________

1Capacity Building Series, Secretariat Special edition #34

Role Play

Drama

Sleep

In Writing Disorganization

Art Self-regulation

Conversations with Aggression

Body Language Over-erasing

Speaking Incomplete Work

Non-compliance At Play

Conversations with

Parents at Home

Gestures

Silence

The Challenge with Promoting

Student Voice

“...promoting more autonomy for learners

may not be easy to achieve….it ‘requires a

transformation of what it means to be a stu-

dent; what it means to be a teacher. In ef-

fect, it requires the intermingling and inter-

dependence of both (2004). Partnering with

students to engage them in learning, in oth-

er words, calls for a pedagogical shift—what

some de-

scribe as a

shift from

teaching

to learn-

ing

(Watkins,

2009).1

“As educators begin to make this shift, some

express a tension between teaching the cur-

riculum and empowering students to be-

come partners in learning. One educa-

tor ...put it this way, ‘There are two systems

at play—a learning culture versus a grading

culture—educators feel bound by the curric-

ulum and guidelines.’”1

“As educators create space for students to

have more autonomy in their learning, they

require an environment that is open to risk-

taking and provides opportunities to contin-

ually reflect on and persevere through their

own learning process…”1

The Role of the Principal and School

Community

“Principals play a key role in honouring

student voice and developing a school cul-

ture that promotes it.”

“An environment that supports student

voice encompasses more than a class-

room; it is all of the educators and care-

givers that students interact with in the

school setting.”

“In the schools that are exploring student

inquiry as a way to enhance voice and en-

gagement, educators are finding that their

students are more focused and that stu-

dent learning is exceeding their expecta-

tions (Natural Curiosity, 2011).”

The information in this pamphlet comes from the Ontario Ministry

of Education, Capacity Building Series, Secretariat Special edition #34.