Student Voice
Do your students have a say in what, when, where, how and why they learn? Listening to students’ needs, interests and concerns has had a big impact on school life and classroom practice.
Promote your students and get the best from them.
Each month, Andrew's students discuss different aspects of school life and learning at an open forum. “We look at positives, then negatives, or areas we could improve as a school. It’s a great opportunity for students to learn about forming and voicing opinions and for us to gauge how successful we are, individually as teachers and as a school.”
His students enjoy learning more; have grown in confidence and sharpened up their key skills as a result of this simple change.
Discover how educators worldwide are developing Student Voice in the posts below. You can also request to post as a Hot Topics Contributor and share your ideas.
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Student Voice What do students think about coding? One of my favorite times of year is December because it is time for the Hour of Code! Although it is the topic I teach that I know least about, or I should say have the most to learn about, I still love the thrill of introducing students to coding. The Hour of Code () is designed to get students and teachers involved in coding. The site offers different levels, games design options, activities that involve student's favorite characters, and other aspects to add interest for the students. If ...
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Student Voice Students voice and Research Clubs It is our duties as teachers to encourage students to speak out their minds.In my school i encourage students voice through research club.The members of the club come from the whole school.The members are trained on how to carry out research which they do in the whole school.The findings are then shared with whole school and the community at large. ...
Student Voice Students' Achievements This is my sixth year in the current school. The students who sit for the Ordinary level exam this December ,were in grade six when I assume duties as the ICT teacher/school IT lab coordinator.For the students from grade 6 to grade 9 I have started to teach a syllabus designed by me.(ICT/IT is not in the curriculum as a subject but few lessons are integrated with other subjects.)The syllabus I set included basic skills in computing and Microsoft Office 2007(MS Word,MS PowerPoint,MS Publisher)....
Student Voice #StuVoice Student Voice Resources "I am pro student voice because......." What do you complete this statement with? Visit the website www.stuvoice.org to learn more about the importance of student voice and how to incorporate it into your classroom. Something I found very intriguing is that students feel they have less of a voice and input as they get further in school. This seems backwards to me, shouldn't we be guiding these older students to be independent thinkers? We need to let them know that their voice matters and ...
Student Voice Change- it is what they want to be remembered for. My students introduced me to a great motivational and inspirational speaker: Mike Smith. Mike Smith appeals to today's teens because as he say, he is the eternal teenager. He speaks of all the issues that kids face today, and in a very straight forward manner asks them to stop the negative behaviors, or teaches them how to life themselves up and overcome the bullying. In speaking with youth around the country Mike found that the thing most youth wanted to be remembered for was making a change...
Student Voice What would it look like to “write your community”? CELEBRATE NCTE’S SIXTH ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY ON WRITING – Monday, October 20, 2014 To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the (NCTE) established October 20 as the National Day on Writing. On this day we invite everyone to: -Share your knowledge about writing. -Organize events around writing in your schools and/or communities. -Help transform the public’s understanding of writing ...
Student Voice A bit off topic: You should apply today! This is the link that could change your life and career: This is the link to apply to be a Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator. Microsoft offers this opportunity to all educators who educate all ages. The defined benefits are listed on the application page; however, these are not what will impact you the most. As a part of the MIE program for the last few years I can attest that my teaching style, outlook on education, and use of technology strategies has been changed for the positive in a ...
Student Voice Giving Students a Voice with NewsActivist - a Global Network of Collaborating Student Writers I love to see self-motivated students and teachers succeed. I also find that when students write original content on subjects they are passionate about, they bolster their self-confidence and take a bold step into the world, learning more about what they can achieve. This is why a site like NewsActivist is a site that I felt deserved sharing. NewsActivist () was created in 2012 by teacher Gabriel Flacks, Humanities Department Coordinator at Champlain College Saint-Lambert. This free site is ...
Student Voice What should you ask your students to get to know them? With the new school year here in the US it is time to get to know a new group of students. Of course we quickly learn the basics about students and do what we can to make accommodations and meet their needs. However, I have found a great list of questions that give them a voice, teaches them a bit about themselves, and lets gives the teacher insight to how to help each student. In my classroom I have instituted these questions as the daily "Kick Off Question". When students come into the ...
Student Voice Putting Students in Charge of Building the Classroom Community As teachers, we usually go into the first weeks of school assuming full responsibility for building the learning space. But what happens if we put some of that responsibility in our students’ hands instead? Our new students come to us full of ideas, stories, expertise, and curiosity. These are the essential materials for a strong classroom community. Here are a few ideas for how to put those raw materials to use: Students work together to create classroom rules by brainstorming why they are ...
Student Voice What can your former students teach you? This summer I am faced with having lost seven years of files on my computer and back up external hard drive. Very bizarre and unlikely, yet it happened. As school starts next week I am rewriting course guides and syllabi. This has served as a great opportunity to rewrite some projects to include more student voice. During the school year at the end of each unit I have students evaluate and make suggestions for the project, process, and team work aspect. I then use this information to revise the...
Student Voice Another word from a student..... This blog comes from a 17 year old high school senior. This is her view on Student Voice, I hope you learn as much as I did: One of the most important things I value in my education is having a student voice. I find school to be so much more enjoyable when I have a close relationship with my teachers. While I understand that teachers are authoritative figures that are here to teach students and guide us through information, I appreciate when teachers consider our own ideas, opinions, and input. ...
Student Voice Student-Led "eSmart" Committee: Our Students Guiding Our Students to be Safe, Responsible and Respectful Online Users. In many schools, it is the teachers who decide what the school's Cybersafety/eSmart Curriculum and activities look like. When you add the element of keeping parents involved in the conversation and assisting the school with what parents suggest, then you have a pretty good Cybersafety Curriculum set up............But, it can get better. The next step that needs to be taken (and the step that Taroona High is taking this year) is to put faith in the students and let them 'have a say' in what the ...
Student Voice How do students feel about summer break? Finishing another school year is always bitter sweet. Of course we all look forward to summer break, which normally ten weeks for our school, but is it really what is best for our students? You would think they would have no problem with the break; however, when asked how they feel their answers were surprising. I decided to give my students a voice in the matter. My high school students were told they were able to design the school year, meeting the required hours in the classroom, and ...
Student Voice It is Time to Let the Students Tell the Teachers Which ICT Skills Have Been Learnt! Too often in schools, ICT skill assessment looks like this: teacher uses a particular ICT skill in the course, student then demonstrates competency in the ICT skill to the teacher, teacher then reports (to student, parent, school, Dept.) that the student can do/understands how to do the ICT skill. What is missing here in this classic scenario? 'Student voice' is the crucial missing element. In today's world, our students need to be telling us, as educators, what ICT skills are being learnt and ...
Student Voice For your voice to be valued you need to have something to say If someone stopped me in the street and asked what I thought about a particular topic would this count as the voice of the citizens of the UK or is it just my opinion. Similarly if we ask a group of students their opinion is it student voice? Student voice may actually be a misleading term therefore. Maybe what we should redefine it so that it is clear that it really means 'student empowerment' or 'student involvement in the democratic process' or 'student leadership' or even 'student agency'...
Student Voice Student voice, through the voice of a Student Wow! I cannot believe it is almost the end of April. In Louisiana April is filled with testing and Spring (Easter) Break. In trying to decide what to write about Student Voice I turned to my seniors. These students have approximately nine days remaining of their high school career; not that they are counting or anything ;). I would like to share with you what Riley had to say about Student Voice. Riley is what we call a 13 year senior, she has attended our school since Kindergarten. I am ...
Student Voice Students Exhibit Product of their Project Based Learning Program Mine has been hectic moments for the last few days. Now I have some breathing space to share a few developments involving 24 learners of PMM Girls School involved in a purposeful media creation program that aims at giving a voice to express that which they feel and think about as a way of being change agents in their communities and the world. The program is called Adobe Youth Voices. One of the key features in the purposeful media making process is to reach out to their target audiences to ...
Student Voice Video- Jennifer Bevill in Barcelona Check out this video from Barcelona, this would be you next year!! Jennifer talks about her project with Skype, Onenote , Movie maker among other products ...
Student Voice Students Voices were Everywhere in Barcelona! The Microsoft Education Global Forum was a showcase of over 200 educators from around the world; most of which were sharing work in which their students had a voice. First, thank you to Microsoft Education/Partners in Learning for such a top notch professional development event and celebration of innovative teachers. I encourage anyone who uses technology in their classroom to apply for the Expert Educators program and to attend the global forum in 2015. No matter how experienced or ...
Student Voice Students Collaborate with Teachers to build Apps for Teachers! Recently at Uppingham Community College in England - UK our students have been collaborating with their Teachers. In their ICT lessons they were learning a very new 21st century skill of programming. The idea being that these students build their apps and that they would be used in the lessons with the teachers. The project start out with students auditioning to take part in a coding project and it's turned into something much bigger than I anticipated. The students went around to interview ...
Student Voice It all started with a tweet and create a pedagogic culture shift.….. My Partners in Learning Adventure. As I get ready for the Global Forum in Barcelona next week, here I reflect on my learning adventure so far with Partners in Learning: Little did I know back in 2009 where a simple Tweet asking about cheese on toast would get me. It was the start of an amazing adventure with Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Network. This is the story of how a small idea can lead to huge transformation. Because of that tweet and the Innovative Educator Award that followed, the children I work with created a ...
Student Voice Actions Speak Louder than Words This week I have been putting the finishing touches on my presentation for the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain. I am going as a U.S. Expert Educator and presenting my project "Breaking Barriers". In reflecting on the project I have realized that my students never directly asked for this topic to be explored; however it was me reading their actions that brought this project into place. If you are interested in reading the details visit my profile and Breaking ...
Student Voice My students; their voice Growing up, at home as well as at school, we were constantly reminded that children were to speak when spoken to and answer when called. Unfortunately, I did not understand this concept very well and as a result I was constantly 'in trouble' for speaking out of turn. Though I experienced a lot of flak for my many opinions, there was one teacher who encouraged my forward way of thinking. He always told me that I was going to be a force to be reckoned with; and he was right. When I became a ...
Student Voice Conocer la lectura de los estudiantes a través de la elaboración de vídeos: Sorprendente! El fomento de la lectura, el gusto por la misma y la valoración por parte de los alumnos de la literatura son algunos de los objetivos que vertebran mi acción docente. Sí soy docente de lengua y literatura, y me apasionan las tecnologías, es más creo que gracias a ellas, como algunos reconocidos investigadores afirman que “Las Humanidades serán digitales o no Serán” como afirma la Doctora Laura Borràs en la siguiente entrevista: Convencida plenamente en el uso de las Tic’s para combinar estos ...
Student Voice A bit about me (the new moderator) and my classroom... First, let me introduce myself: I am Jennifer Bevill, I have been teaching for 13 years. My undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education and I have a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology. I have experience in the elementary, middle, and high school classroom; I am currently teaching a variety of informational technology courses to grades 10-12 in a K-12 school. I am a 2014 Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator and have been part of the Partners in Learning network since 2012. I have never...
Student Voice Writers' Voices will be Heard "Why do we have to write these stories about ourselves, Mr. Joseph? I mean, what's the point?" With characteristic 5th grade skepticism, I found myself facing a key question from my student, Tate, that speaks to the heart of the question of student voice - that of audience. What Tate really wanted to know was, Would anybody care about this? Would anybody see this? Would it have any meaning beyond simply a skill that I'm supposed to know? As teachers, we all have students who are compliant and ...
Student Voice LA VOZ DE LOS ESTUDIANTES:OFRECERLES SER PROTAGONISTAS DE SU PROPIO APRENDIZAJE ¿Cuántas veces hemos escuchado esta frase que centra la atención en el propio estudiante? Yo la he tomado prestada de un compañero, con quien comparto la visión del cambio de roles en el aula, cambios que hemos sufrido mientras nos preguntábamos: Y todo esto ¿cuándo ha pasado que yo no me he enterado? Deseamos como docentes que nuestros alumnos desarrollen determinadas habilidades que les preparen para la vida adulta, en un contexto socio-económico que desconocemos hoy en día, ni siquiera las ...
Student Voice Students are my teachers! It is very important for students to be really interested in subject they study, that's why we, as teachers, should think over their motivation permanently. If they are not motivated they will never realize the subject of learning, so this point is # 1 in teaching approach I think. To get students interested we try to find different approaches and methods, but sometimes students give us the tools by themselves. So I got to know that my students had discussed their home task in Social Network (...
Student Voice What Student Voice is Teaching us about Student's Needs. On Dec 2 2013, close to 40 middle and high school students from Great Falls gathered in the McLaughlin Center on the University of Great Falls campus to begin giving the adults in their lives ideas on how to best motivate their peers to stay in school and graduate. Students were asked what graduation means to them and what helps them graduate? Here are a few things Edgar Martinez, a senior at C.M. Russell High School, said additional homework doesn’t help him learn his subjects better. He ...
Student Voice A Class without Student Voice is not a Class at All I find that student voice is critical in my classroom. It is impossible to teach students if there is no sharing, discussion of topics, exploration and discourse that helps everyone learn. Undoubtedly it is a key component in 21st century learning - student voice, the ability to voice their opinions. As teachers we also need to listen to our students, their needs, desires, opinions - we learn so much from them. Moreover, it helps students develop self- confidence, independence, and apply what...
Student Voice Should Student Voice be part and parcel of School Culture? David Hargreaves emphasized Student Voice is about students getting involved in all areas of school life. Students being or becoming more involved in the day to day life of the school, importantly; being included in key decisions affecting their future. To develop their voice, students need to develop the skills, understanding and confidence which may enable them to lead different student voice activities. It involves actively working with staff in a mature way so that students have a greater say...
Student Voice Student Voice in Learning Environments: New Line Learning Academy In recent years there has been a shift change towards exploring the impact of learning environments and its effectiveness on teaching and learning, and on student’s attitudes and responses towards school (Fisher, 2000). Schools worldwide are focusing on how the foundations of a school can help set appropriate conditions for learning. Student voice has played an integral role in establishing new initiatives for involving students in improving school buildings and facilities and consequently, ...
Student Voice How have you kicked off the school year with student voice? Hi everyone! For those of you in the northern hemisphere who've just started a new school year, I hope you enjoyed your summer break! I wanted to share our schedule of posts for the coming months, and also invite all of you reading to share any updates on student voice initiatives or activities in your school through the comments on this post. Here's what we'll be covering: September: Learning Environment October: School Culture November: School Policy December : Student Leadership January...
Student Voice Let's Collaborate with Students' Government Board With introduction of the new National Curriculum which focuses on the 21st century skills for each student, all pedagogical staff of our school analysed the concept of competence-based education and improved their ICT skills. For the whole school year we focused on Learning to Learn competence. Alongside with the decisions taken in teachers’ professional development area, we tried to involve our students in the process of analysing various aspects of Learning to Learn competence in contexts other...
Student Voice Developing a Voice from a Whisper How do you "teach" students that their voice is important? Allow them to speak in the class and have say-so from the first day. This concept is taken from the ideas from November Learning's First Five Days of School. The first day of school I ask my students to share things about themselves- their highs and lows of life, personality traits, and what motivates and inspires them. Students are happy to share things about themselves and I am happy to have something to make a personal connection ...
Student Voice Student Voices – Letting Students Become Creators and not Just Consumers With the Microsoft Surface in the Classroom I am frequently asking for feedback from my students on ways to increase engagement. Invariably, my students say they want to create content. I couldn’t agree with them more. The highest form of content mastery is when a student can create something to show mastery. This creation can help future students understand the concept a little better. My students want to become content creators and not just content consumers. There are many video editing apps that help us accomplish our goal by ...
Student Voice Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Student Voice I have recently been involved in a course sponsored by the Toronto District School Board in conjunction with TakingITGlobal called Empowering Student Voice in Education. When I first heard of this course I immediately knew that I wanted to be involved in it. I am a middle school teacher working with students who are on the Autism Spectrum, and I wanted to learn about student voice and how to hear it! As we discussed the topic I always took it back to my particular setting. How did each of the ...
Student Voice What does student voice mean to you? As an educator, it is important to reflect on what student voice means to you when taking that first step to empower student voice in education. At TakingITGlobal, we recently asked educators that exact question. One educator readily noted that “student voice means students have a say in things that matter to them - education is something they participate in - not something that happens to them”. In response, another educator suggested that “we need to step backwards a little... a voice worth ...
Student Voice Student "Center of the Educational Process" In our school, the focus is on our students in the learning and teaching approach; where our students are eager to have their voices heard in all categories and communicate with the local and international communities. In order to create a change and leverage up their personalities, skills and become young productive leaders. In addition to that, our students keen to learn through the latest innovative approaches and gain the knowledge from different cultures and perspectives. As in the youth ...
