Comment on this page, leaving your personal definition of student voice. What does student voice mean to you, whether it be in your classroom or in the school in general?
I see student voice as a chance for students to say what they think about issues both inside and outside the classroom with an opportunity for them to see change come about as a result of their ideas.
Student voice allows students to have a say about their own education. It is giving students the chance to express to their teachers what they would like to learn, how they would like to learn, and in what ways they learn best. Giving students a voice lets them feel like they have control over their own education and, therefore, learning becomes more relevant. Student voice is beneficial for teachers as well - it allows us to get to know our students better, develop positive and respectful relationships, and adjust our teaching strategies to further engage our students. To me, student voice is one of the best ways to create a positive learning environment.
Student Voice was redefined for me this year; as was almost every aspect of my teaching philosophy. If I were asked to define student voice in the previous years of my teaching career, I would have been able to do just that. Define it. This year student voice isn’t just a definition for me, it has evolved into the driving force behind how I plan out my method of delivery during instruction. It wasn’t so for the entirity of this year. At the beginning of the year my students were utilizing their voice, however, I wasn’t willing to accept that I should change my teaching methods simply because my students were grumbling. My students were grumbling. That’s how I precieved it at first anyway. It took about half a year for me to realize that because I was negatively taking their comments and seeing it as their inability to want to work, I was missing out on a key element that could make my classroom engaging and enjoyable to students. The answer to what I needed to do, the missing element if you will, was right in front of me and I chose to ignore it. When I finally broke down and gave the students a survey and actually made an effort to adjust my teaching and classroom to what they were telling me would make learning more enjoyable to them it was an amazing transformation. As it turned out, my students don’t hate to read, they don’t hate to write, they don’t hate coloboration, and they don’t hate to work hard. The problem didn’t exist within my students, the problem was mine. When I chose to deliver the material in a which my students were asking it to be delivered I found that it took a little more creative juice from April and I and it took letting go of ideas that we thought were great. It took listening to the wants of our students and being the faciliator of those. So to tie this rambling all together into a final thought, to me, student voice is the vehicle in which an educator should let their instruction be driven by. Student voice is the most vital asset for an engaged classroom and student voice is the greatest challenge for a teacher because it calls into question the methods that they feel work best.
Student voice is when students become active participants in their education--their ideas, needs, and desired outcomes provide the elusive motivation that educators seek
Student voice enables students to participate in the learning process in a meaningful way and gives them a feeling of ownership over their learning. I think that student voice involves choice and a chance to share (through debriefing, journaling, etc.) what they want/need in the classroom.
Student voice is an important aspect of education that I feel we have unfortunately overlooked in the past. Student voice enables the students to feel empowered in their education. Instead of fighting students to take notes or do worksheets, students volunteer ideas of ways they would like to learn the content. With the help of student voice, teachers can ensure that the students receive the best learning environment to guarantee success for each individual.
I really enjoyed the focus group session with Sharon. I came away from that discussion thinking we are on the right track in trying to bring authentic and beneficial change to our school, and I am so amazed and impressed with the number of teachers giving of their own time to improve the learning environment for our students. It is also apparent there is so much more work to be done. Something we really need to do is organize our data and determine our direction from the results. The question is HOW? The lack of time continues to be an obstacle. I would be interested in a Tier 2 grant to continue our study. Thanks for organizing this Amy!
Student voice includes the creation of an environment in which students' input is not only encouraged, but also valued.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI see student voice as a chance for students to say what they think about issues both inside and outside the classroom with an opportunity for them to see change come about as a result of their ideas.
ReplyDeleteI believe that student voice means not only allowing students to have a say in their education, but encouraging them to do so as well.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice allows students to have a say about their own education. It is giving students the chance to express to their teachers what they would like to learn, how they would like to learn, and in what ways they learn best. Giving students a voice lets them feel like they have control over their own education and, therefore, learning becomes more relevant. Student voice is beneficial for teachers as well - it allows us to get to know our students better, develop positive and respectful relationships, and adjust our teaching strategies to further engage our students. To me, student voice is one of the best ways to create a positive learning environment.
ReplyDeleteStudent Voice was redefined for me this year; as was almost every aspect of my teaching philosophy. If I were asked to define student voice in the previous years of my teaching career, I would have been able to do just that. Define it. This year student voice isn’t just a definition for me, it has evolved into the driving force behind how I plan out my method of delivery during instruction. It wasn’t so for the entirity of this year. At the beginning of the year my students were utilizing their voice, however, I wasn’t willing to accept that I should change my teaching methods simply because my students were grumbling. My students were grumbling. That’s how I precieved it at first anyway. It took about half a year for me to realize that because I was negatively taking their comments and seeing it as their inability to want to work, I was missing out on a key element that could make my classroom engaging and enjoyable to students. The answer to what I needed to do, the missing element if you will, was right in front of me and I chose to ignore it. When I finally broke down and gave the students a survey and actually made an effort to adjust my teaching and classroom to what they were telling me would make learning more enjoyable to them it was an amazing transformation. As it turned out, my students don’t hate to read, they don’t hate to write, they don’t hate coloboration, and they don’t hate to work hard. The problem didn’t exist within my students, the problem was mine. When I chose to deliver the material in a which my students were asking it to be delivered I found that it took a little more creative juice from April and I and it took letting go of ideas that we thought were great. It took listening to the wants of our students and being the faciliator of those. So to tie this rambling all together into a final thought, to me, student voice is the vehicle in which an educator should let their instruction be driven by. Student voice is the most vital asset for an engaged classroom and student voice is the greatest challenge for a teacher because it calls into question the methods that they feel work best.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice is when students become active participants in their education--their ideas, needs, and desired outcomes provide the elusive motivation that educators seek
ReplyDeleteStudent voice is made up of constructive suggestions students give about what works and what doesn't work for them in the learning environment.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice means valuing students as participants in their own learning by allowing them to make choices about what and how they learn.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice enables students to participate in the learning process in a meaningful way and gives them a feeling of ownership over their learning. I think that student voice involves choice and a chance to share (through debriefing, journaling, etc.) what they want/need in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice is the opportunity for students to participate in making decisions in their classrooms and school as a whole.
ReplyDeleteStudent voice is an important aspect of education that I feel we have unfortunately overlooked in the past. Student voice enables the students to feel empowered in their education. Instead of fighting students to take notes or do worksheets, students volunteer ideas of ways they would like to learn the content. With the help of student voice, teachers can ensure that the students receive the best learning environment to guarantee success for each individual.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the focus group session with Sharon. I came away from that discussion thinking we are on the right track in trying to bring authentic and beneficial change to our school, and I am so amazed and impressed with the number of teachers giving of their own time to improve the learning environment for our students. It is also apparent there is so much more work to be done. Something we really need to do is organize our data and determine our direction from the results. The question is HOW? The lack of time continues to be an obstacle. I would be interested in a Tier 2 grant to continue our study. Thanks for organizing this Amy!
ReplyDelete