Voice as a Catalyst for Effective Learning

Feel free to tweet through my sessions ♯LookWhosTalkingStrath

Voice as a Catalyst for Effective Learning Professor Kate Wall

[email protected]

26th April 2018

@Kate_Wall98

Objectives   Part 1: what is student voice?   Part 2: Exploring the role of voice in developing metacognitive awareness for students and teachers   Part 3: A dialogue about voice and its development

[email protected] @kate_wall98

PART 1 What is student voice?


Article 12 1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. 2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.   Article 13 1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice. 2. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or (b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 12/13 (1989) [email protected] @kate_wall98

Look Who’s Talking   International Seminar Series Looking at eliciting voice with children from birth to seven years   Prompt questions:   How do experts understand the concept of ‘voice’ (in terms of Article 12) when working with young children?   What does ‘authentic voice’ mean in relation to children aged seven and under?   Can children aged seven and under have an informed voice?   In what areas might children aged eight and under have an informed voice, and in what areas might they not –and how is this decision made?   How are current practices (pedagogic and methodological) being used to elicit voice with young children?   What range of specific tools and practices are there that facilitate the elicitation of voices when researching the perspectives of children aged eight and under?

www.voicebirthtoseven.co.uk

1. Define

5. Structures [email protected] @kate_wall98

2. Power

6. Approaches

3. Inclusivity

7. Processes

4. Listening

8. Purposes

Principles as a tool for dialogue

  We are not pretending a right answer   Voice is context dependent   Voice is an inherently about ethical practice   Use of questions to prompt further thinking


Principle 1 – Define

It is essential to address the tricky question of what is meant by ‘voice’. A definition will advance the work more easily. Voice should be considered to be more than verbal utterances; it allows us to express who we are. Voice, therefore, includes, but is not limited to: words; behaviour; actions; pauses in action; silences; body language; glances; movement; and artistic expression. What is voice? What is not voice? How does voice link to rights? When is voice not appropriate?


The ethical imperative of a wide and inclusive definition open to interpretation   Voice is not simple   It does not mean the same:   For all individuals   For all contexts   For all moments in time

  A dialogue   Practitioners who have a voice are more likely to give children a voice


Theorising pupil voice   A conception of communication as dialogue.   The requirement for participation and democratic inclusivity.   The recognition that power relations are unequal and problematic.   The possibility for change and transformation. [email protected] @kate_wall98

Robinson, C. and Taylor, C. (2007) Theorizing student voice: values and perspectives, Improving Schools, 10 (1): 5-17

STUDENT COUNCIL

The most common school response to an enquiry about student voice [email protected] @kate_wall98

Something more embedded School council

Classroom Dialogue


Principle 2 – Power

Voice is about power; it is relational. In establishing an organisation where voice is recognised it is important to acknowledge where the power lies in the relationships within the setting. Often there is a power imbalance between and among staff and the adults associated with the establishment, but there are power relationships, too, between adults and children and even between the children themselves. Who owns what is said? What is the balance between collective and individual voices? Who says when an inquiry is done? Are some voices more important than others? Who is asking the questions?


Developing Relationships  Finding out a bit more  Sharing a bit more  Collaboration  Co-construction?  Shared intent and decision making? [email protected] @kate_wall98

”1st we asked the men for the branches & then we had to plan how to get them in the nursery garden. Then we built the den!" (Kenechukwu) @IsobelMairFC

Unpicking the issue of power

  Power dynamics have to be recognized and discussed   Different individuals in a community have different amounts of power (real and/ or perceived) and that can change over time and depending on the activity   Explore spaces and tools that allow you to ‘play’ with dynamics of power and control   The key is who controls the final decision making


Hart’s ladder of Participation

 Taken from `The right to play and children's participation' by Roger Hart, in The Article 31 Action Pack, published by PLAY TRAIN, 1995.


Principle 3: Inclusivity

Everyone has an equal voice. Following from the acknowledgement of the power relations in the context, it is important to consider how inclusive practices are. The notion of inclusivity allows for everyone to be seen as a competent actor and holder of rights. In an inclusive approach, diversity is celebrated and dignity and respect are key. Does everyone have an equal voice? How do I know when someone is excluded? Do I value some voices more than others? Is opting out a key part of inclusion?


Everyone has an equal voice   Different voices   Different ways of communicating   Voice versus voices   How much encouragement is enough encouragement?   If everyone has a voice then how do you hear the individual?


Don’t forget those for whom language might be difficult or emergent


Also remember that not saying something is a form of voice Think about how to include the silent or the silenced [email protected] @kate_wall98

Inclusion is not just about different people, but also about including different view points [email protected] @kate_wall98

Something more inclusive  A way of engaging with all individuals  A way of thinking about yourself as having a voice and as a listener  So although I might be talking about teacher-student interaction, the implications are broader:  Family voice  Teacher voice  ITE student voice [email protected] @kate_wall98

Principle 4 Listening


Voices should not have to be loud to be heard. Listening is an active and responsive process which relies on tuning-in to voices, having a shared purpose and providing recognition that voices have been heard. This will occur if time is given to voice and will, inevitably, lead to voice having impact or influence. How do I listen to conflicting voices? Who listens to me? How do I listen nonjudgementally? How do I hear silent voices?

Listening as an active process

  Without listening there is no voice   Show you are listening   What should you do with what you hear?   Dispositional basis   Listening to the challenging or hard to hear


What does it look like when someone listens?   Time   Body language   Remove distractions   How do we model this?   How can we teach children and young people these skills?


Creating safe spaces. Creating brave spaces (Cook-Sathers 2017)


Creating a space for dialogue   Ownership (at inception, during and after) Child

Adult

Closed

Open

  Structure   Length of engagement Short   Level of formality

Longitudinal

Formal   Nature of voice (during and taken forwards)

Informal

True/ Untouched [email protected] @kate_wall98

Translated/ filtered

PROCESSES (Structures and conditions under which we work)

Thinking about the practices STRUCTURES (Making time for voice)


APPROACHES (Open dispositions support voice)

Principle 5 – Structures


There is always time for voice. It is important to acknowledge the pressures under which education professionals are working, significantly in an age when accountability and formal assessments are prime foci. However, establishments’ formal and informal structures have to allow space and time for voice. In doing so, this will allow patience to be practised on the part of the listeners and curiosity to be expressed by the children and the adults with whom they work. How does space shape voice? How much space is given to child: child voice? How do adults share their voice? When do adults act as voice role models to children? How long should you spend on a topic? Which tools and techniques are supportive of voice?

There is always time for voice   Making time   Encourage speaking and listening skills   Develop respect and awareness   What makes a good topic?   Create space to think and speak   Patience   Facilitate engagement in new ways   Reinforce productive behaviours   Mirror good practice for all individuals in the community


Ways of opening up discussion and responding

  Open (rather than closed) questions   Starting points posed by students   Interesting objects, artefacts or images   Breaking up the IRF sequence   INITIATION   RESPONSE   FEEDBACK

  Probe and uptake questions (Hardman et al. 2005)


Principle 6: Approaches

Open dispositions support voice. In being open to a wide range of practices there is more likelihood that there will be greater opportunities for young children’s participation. It is worth noting that determining not to participate is also an expression of voice and that the approaches adopted in practice should be open to this. Approaches ought to be flexible and meaningful for all participants, but especially for the young children whose voices are to be heard. In determining approaches to eliciting and facilitating voice, practitioners need to be reflective about their practices and be strategic in designing approaches for the most positive impact. Am I patient? What skills do I need to support voice? How do I allow for the unexpected? How do I reflect on the process? How do I record voices?


Developing skills and dispositions for voice for children and adults [email protected] @kate_wall98

Open dispositions support voice   Open-ness   Skills and understandings that underpin voice work   Support development and awareness of dispositions   Topics which invite contribution, motivation and interest   Support development and awareness of different kinds of voices


Principle 7: Processes


Processes should enable voice. While the approaches adopted pertain to the individuals within the context, processes are the structures and conditions under which they work. The structures should provide opportunities for consultation, collaboration and dialogue in order to facilitate the reflective and strategic action mentioned above. Processes should be dynamic and have a forward momentum. Processes often require innovation and risk-taking in determining processes. How comfortable am I taking risks? How do I build trust with different groups? When is voice risky? How do I use voice to move things forward?

Processes should enable voice   Providing opportunities for different kinds of voice, for different purposes:   Participation, consultation, collaboration and dialogue   Acknowledging the difference between them

  Link to reflective and strategic thinking (metacognition)   Trust   Risk taking   Innovation [email protected] @kate_wall98

So far we’ve been thinking in the moment, what about over time?


Principle 8 Purposes

Shared goals will advance children’s voices. It is important that there is discussion about why it is important that children’s voices are heard. That it is important to hear children’s voices is a primary goal or purpose, but there may be others deemed of significance in any particular context, for example, to promote democracy, consultation or activism. The goal may be to assist with planning, evaluation or to effect change. What is common, though, is that the purposes and goals in facilitating young children’s voices need to be clear, agreed upon and carefully communicated. What am I doing this for? What have I got to lose? How does voice lead to change? How will I evaluate this? What are the children getting from this?


Shared goals will advance children’s voices   Communication of   Goals   Commitment   Outcomes   Ownership   At start?   At end?   Sustainability   Creating an ethos/ culture   Transferability   Range of experience


Student voice is not something you switch on and off [email protected] @kate_wall98

[email protected] @kate_wall98 Ethical Consciousness (Wall 2012)

Increase in Trust

Better S&L Skills and Knowledge

Awareness of Dispositions

Develop Vocabulary

Improved Confidence

Virtuous Circle: the more you do it…

Marlborough Primary School, Cornwall: Example of school council [email protected] @kate_wall98

  Elected school council – 2 students per class   No adult input   £4,000 budget   To support the student experience

PART 2

Exploring the role of voice in developing metacognitive awareness for students and teachers


Voice as a catalyst for effective learning   Voice:   Speaking and listening skills   Meaningful   Dispositional aspects   Courage (to speak out/share thinking)   Empowered   Exprience of partnership working

  All characteristics of a ‘good’ learner


Support from meta-analysis   Feedback, metacognition and self-regulation are consistently the most significant things to raise attainment.   Mean impact of around 8 months in comparison to those who don’t have same emphasis   My definition of voice is founded in these three things

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit


Voice helps close the feedback loop Tighter feedback loops means faster information and quicker reinforceme nt of the learning

CURRICULUM

PEERS

SELF


Teacher

Tools for sharing metacognitive thinking: example Vicky and Helen (High Street Primary) used pupil views templates (Wall et al. 2007) with Year 1 and 2 to support reflection on their learning. Each week children would choose a template and fill in the speech and thought bubble to reflect on what they had achieved. These templates were often shared as part of circle time so they could see different people learned different things in the same way and the same things in different ways. The templates were logged in a ‘thoughts and feeling book’ owned by each child allowing reflection on how their learning might differ (or be the same) across the curriculum. They kept the book throughout their time in school and this enabled them to reflect on how learning changed (or not) over time.


Individuals as active participants   To maximise the potential of these feedback loops then:   Students must be active in the process   Awareness, knowledge and skills   Power, decision making over their learning   Clear communication of expectations and learning intentions   Metacognitive explanation

  Essential that we close the loop   Student contribution   Student voice   Effective learner dispositions

  Trust


Teacher

Tools that support talk about learning: example At Hipsburn First School Dot Charlton wanted the children in her key stage 2 class to interact beyond their friendship groups. She used a jar of lollipop sticks one for each child and each morning the children would pick out their lollipop partner for the day. This created quite a bit of friction that had to be negotiated, but the children, over time, became able to see that different children made different types of lollipop partner, which might be appropriate or not for different types of learning task. The reflection also allowed them to think about themselves as a partner and the skills they brought to the pairing. [email protected] @kate_wall98

Feedback loops become mutually reinforcing SUBJECT

PEERS

SELF [email protected] @kate_wall98

Teacher

Teachers as part of the learning community: one example Alison Whelan at Tytherington High School, explored learning logs and in the end presented her case study at the project conference where she named herself a ‘successful failure’. By the end of the school year, after she had tried numerous different formats for the learning logs and received feedback from the students about what had worked (or not), she was able to conclude that learning logs had limited use in the secondary school (for numerous reasons) but that she and the students were all much better at reflecting on their learning because of the conversations they had had throughout the process.


Voice as catalytic to metacognitive awareness “The growth of the pupil voice agenda, the techniques and the philosophies, have supported the generation of space in the classroom to focus on learning in a way that encourages authentic engagement and participation and the development of selfregulation. There is a tight feedback loop operating within the resulting conversations, where the pupils [and teachers] articulate their thinking about learning to a critically engaged community that encourages them to ask questions and be strategic in applying their understandings.” Wall, K. (2012) ‘It wasn't too easy, which is good if you want to learn’: an exploration of pupil participation and Learning to Learn, Curriculum Journal, 23:3, 283-305


Triads (1)   Join with 2 other people. Label yourselves 1,2 and 3   Think about a moment when you have seen voice working in your school. 1.  Think about a moment with children and young people 2.  Think about a moment with parents 3.  Think about a moment with staff

  Take 2 minutes to jot down what happened. What was the impetus? Who was involved? What happened? What was the outcome?


Triads (2)

  In your 3s I want you to go through a process of structured sharing:   Participant 1 will talk through their example   Participant 2 will listen for the facts   Participant 3 will listen for the emotions   Once Participant 1 has finished explaining their moment participant 2 and 3 share their observations   Rotate round so everyone has a go   What are the key thoughts you would take forwards? [email protected] @kate_wall98

  L e a r n i n g i s p e r s o n a l a n d a b s t r a c t , b u t i n h e r e n t i n a l l

individuals’ (including teachers’) trajectories

  Opening up a dialogue about learning (metacognition) means

learners tend to take an enquiry stance: they have questions about their own and others’ approaches to learning. It is a very open topic.

  A link with student voice is catalytic to metacognitive awareness (the

skills, dispositions and the classroom environment) underpins a classroom where learning is up for discussion   Teachers that open up dialogue about learning with their students

changes the way they think about themselves as teachers and learners

  By articulating our own learning successes and failures teachers are

demonstrating that learning is hard work, complex and lifelong/ lifewide

Concluding thoughts [email protected] @kate_wall98

Part 3: A dialogue about voice and its development


Talking Point Posters Take time to look across the posters and discuss in your groups:   Which of the eight elements do you think is most important (in your setting/generally)?   Is there anything missing?   How might you use the talking point posters in your setting?   How generalizable is the poster content to different groups – children/ teenagers/ teaching staff/ parents? What needs to be adapted? Share your three key points








