Increasing Student Voice
Click on each level of the pyramid for strategies that will increase student voice in your classroom.
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"Spiciness" rating is based on estimation of effort to implement.
"If one feels like what they have to say is of value in a particular place, they are more apt to transform the place into a community and partake in the activities that are valued within it."
~ Chris Emdin
Strobel, K., & Borsato, G. (2012). Caring and Motivating Middle School Classrooms. Issue Brief. John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities.
Student voice is present when students ideas, opinions, and perspectives are used to inform what happens in the classroom and eventually at the school level. Strategies that elevate student voice create opportunities for increased agency and leadership development. Multiple studies have shown that students who are engaged at school are much more motivated to learn which leads to academic success as well as a more postive overall school experience. Click here for a more extensive review of my research including an annotated bibliography.
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I chose to share these resources in the hierarchical pyramid structure because the determination of how much student voice is present in the classroom is more about locating placement on a continuum rather than a yes or no evaluation. Roger Hart's Ladder of Participation is another useful visualization of this theme.
Most educators would agree that increasing student voice is important and worth striving for, but it requires time and effort. My hope is that this collection of resources will assist in your journey to deepen your practice and increase the degree of participation and engagement among your students.