student voice - student engagement

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  • 8/13/2019 Student Voice - Student Engagement

    1/2

    As educators document

    student learning, they are

    able to see and hear

    students in an authentic

    way and arrive at a fuller

    picture of their learning.

    -Capacity Building Series,

    Secretariat Special edition #34

    Student VoiceStudent VoiceStudent Voice

    ---StudentStudentStudent

    EngagementEngagementEngagement

    Ask a class who is responsible for

    learning. What do students say?

    (Watkins, 2009)

    What actions can you take to give

    students more opportunities to ex-press their voice?

    Within the last week, can you name

    a moment when students were

    deeply engaged in learning?

    How do we tap into students ex-

    pression of voice, including ges-

    tures, body language, and silence?

    What benefits and values about

    student voice are widely shared by

    the members of your school com-

    munity?

    How do students at your school

    voice their thinking about their

    learning and other school issues?

    How do all forms of expression of

    student voice inform planning?

    Is student learning positively im-

    pacted if you expand the oppor-

    tunity for students to have a

    stronger voice in the classroom

    and in the school learning environ-

    ment?

    Big Questions Regarding Student Voice1Pedagogy of Listening

    We actively listen to what our stu-

    dents are telling us and they construct

    the learning with us. We acknowledge

    and validate their questions, ideas, sup-

    positions, and opin-

    ions and provide

    them choice in their

    learning. A peda-

    gogy of listening of-

    ten includes docu-

    menting evidence in

    the various forms

    that make student thinking visible and

    provide a record for discussion, reflec-tion, and analysis. This process is ongo-

    ing and is used to support growth and

    improvement (Capacity Buidling Se-

    riesPedagogical Documentation,

    2012).

    We need to buildour classrooms

    around the voices

    in the room.-Educators,

    Provincial Collaborative Inquiries

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    Engaging Student VoiceAll Students Need to Feel Included

    It is important that teachers create an

    environment that will foster a sense of

    community, where all students feel in-

    cluded and appreciated and where their

    perspectives are treated with respect.

    One way of accom-

    plishing this is for

    teachers to select

    topics, resources,

    and examples that

    reflect the diversity

    i n t h e c l a s s -

    room (Social Stud-

    ies, Grades 1 to 6, re-vised 2013).

    As educators ...look to their stu-

    dents interests, strengths and ideas

    for the co-

    creation oflearning oppor-

    tunities, they

    realize that for

    e n g a g e m e n t

    and authentic

    learning to take

    place, they

    must be re-

    sponsive to the students voices in

    these areas.1

    ...We are learning

    that students have

    ideas that they want

    to pursue, and that

    they have capacity towork together to com-

    plete tasks and ex-

    press themselves, so

    we are working in

    ways to give them voice, audiences

    for their activity, and guidance in re-

    s p o n s i v e w a y s . 1

    _________________________________ __________

    1Capacity Building Series, Secretariat Special edition

    #34

    Co-created Learning Environments

    When educators listen to student voice

    and use it to co-create the learning en-

    vironment, students feel they are an in-

    tegral part of a learning community,

    that they matter, and that they have

    something of value to offer (Fielding,2007). This empowers them to take re-

    sponsibility for their own learning, and

    that of others, and to take risks and ex-

    plore new ideas. According to Shanker,

    taking responsibility for learning and

    that of others is the most authentic op-

    portunity that students can have to de-

    velop self-regulation in the class-

    room (2013).1

    When teachers provide students with

    opportunities to work with their

    strengths and pursue ideas and inter-

    ests they are passionate about, they

    are putting learners in the driving

    seat (Watkins, 2009).

    Teachers and students partnering to-

    gether to negotiate learning

    p r o m o t e s l e a r n e r a u t o n o -

    my (Watkins, Carnell, & Lodge,

    2007)

    ...when...students feel more owner-

    ship for their learning, they becomemore engaged and more likely to per-

    severe to overcome challenges.1

    Planning with Students in Mind

    Educators ...are realizing that their

    students often have more knowledge

    and skills than they thought. As one

    Ontario educator observed, We en-gage in student-based planning, relat-

    ed to the curriculum rather than cur-

    riculum-based planning alone (know

    your students). The triangulation of

    evidence, especially observations and

    conversations, play a critical role for

    planning with students in mind.1

    The information in this pamphlet comes from the Ontario Ministry

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