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E D U C AT I O N
UPDATE with NICK JOHNSTONE
FROM BISHOP DRUITT COLLEGE
Listen up: giving students a voice (and a choice) in their education
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or many of us who grew up in years gone by, we were told ‘be seen, not heard’. And the same was reflected in our schooling decades ago. But as generations evolve, and where students are given the opportunity to self-reflect and speak up on their own learning needs, so too does our understanding of teaching and learning evolve. Student voice involves engaging with our students and listening to their opinions, beliefs and perspectives. It involves incorporating this feedback into everything from school leadership to instructional approaches. Student voice can’t replace the voices of parents, researchers or experienced teachers but it can value-add to the outcomes and create ownership and curate student offerings. Research indicates that students who believe they have a voice are seven times more likely to be academically motivated than students who do not believe they have a voice (Quaglia Institute for School Voice and Aspirations, 2016). This report also concluded that student voice led to an increased likelihood that students will experience selfworth, engagement, and purpose in their schooling years. These indicators are related to traits associated with the development of intrinsic motivation which we know is a desirable characteristic for building grit and determination. Historically, student voice in schools relates to student representative councils
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where formal meetings are held with elected interest not by age. Students can choose from representatives on a fortnightly basis. Opinions the more regular extension electives such as and viewpoints are gathered, based on the history and STEM to also include more exotic tabled agenda with proposals being presented ideas such as first responders, Eurovision, to school leadership. mountain bike course design, kidpreneurship, Student voice today has the opportunity architecture and design, civil engineering to reflect the complex and athlete development. dynamic of teaching in Follow the link to see the Student voice a personalised learning fun in action - https://bit. permeates all environment. At our ly/2S12FyA levels of our work school, this is achieved The encouraging news together, from through student surveys, from this type of student students participating interviews and the early voice and choice is that in small group introduction of curriculum teachers and students classroom choice of both learning alike are confi dent in the conversations to areas and utilising projectmeaningfulness of their students partnering in based learning. Student learning journey with 88% curriculum design or voice permeates all levels of the students affi rming establishing school of our work together, from that “I believe I can be norms and policy. students participating in successful”, 83% of small group classroom students tell us that they conversations to students partnering in enjoy learning new things as it has relevance, curriculum design or establishing school norms usefulness and meaning. and policy. As a school and a collective of teachers, A key example of this student voice in would we have achieved such high levels of years 5 to 8 is The Kaizen Initiative. Kaizen is engagement and academic success without a Japanese word that describes the concept their voice? Maybe. But by giving the students of continuous improvement. This program voices and choices around their learning and was driven by student voice with the goal interests, students know they are being heard, of increasing student engagement through are more engaged in their learning, and their cutting edge curriculum innovation. The Kaizen results speak for themselves. Source: The Glossary of Education Reform. 2021. Initiative units are driven by passions and also Student Voice Definition. [online] Available at: have a career focus. This multi-age curriculum < https://www.edglossary.org/student-voice/ > project is now in its fourth year at BDC. Kaizen [Accessed 15 June 2021]. https://quagliainstitute.org/ Initiative classes are timetabled according to dmsView/School_Voice_Report_2016
