Expression
Listening is the first step in building a student-centered culture. If students feel adults are listening to them, then they are more able to take leadership and adults build the capacity to create space for student-adult partnerships.
If you are just starting to build student voice in your school or CIWP process, systems and processes that promote listening to student expression are foundational.
Considerations for Adult Leaders
In any school, whether or not the adults in the building are listening, students are consistently volunteering opinions, communicating ideas, celebrating, complaining, praising, or objecting.
In a school culture that welcomes student voices, this expression might be public. Otherwise, this expression might come in the form of disagreement or categorized as misbehavior - or the speech is perhaps kept as private exchanges amongst peers or with trusted adults in the building.
Tensions / Potential Challenges
All parts of the spectrum are valuable to student voice. More than a “starting point,” expression is a healthy component of student voice in your school community when approaches used are intentional and inclusive.
Continuously working toward the quality of expression will promote authentic student expression.
TRY: Use Hart’s Ladder to assess the participation level of expression in your community.
Strategy, Tool, or Resource
Reflect on the ways in which teams use/consider student voice in the day-to-day.
- Do teachers discuss what they hear students say together?
- Do your hallways show that student voice and perspective is valued and encouraged?
- Does the admin inquire about students’ sharing?
- Are there mechanisms that exist that tell students you value their voice and opinion?
- Does your LSC make room for student voice thoughtfully? Do students present and attend LSC meetings regularly?
Conduct a schoolwide “Chalk Talk” - set the categories as root causes - ask(?) students what they think the data says, and why they think it is this way/
Use the “artifact protocol” with your team - but focus the artifact as one that exemplifies student voice in their eyes. Use this practice to gauge where you are as a staff on what qualifies as student voice, and how it is used to inform instruction
A “Day in the Life” protocol can be a helpful staff activity to get a snapshot of what it feels like to be a student over the course of a school day in your building. Couple this protocol by asking some students about their day, and the kinds of learning they experience.