It's the same across almost all classes, some voices are louder and more forthcoming than others and in the short amount of time you have to acknowledge ideas and opinions, it's easy to repeatedly hear and value the same individuals.
This reflection is designed to help you consider a quieter voice and find ways to help them know they are equally as important and empowered even if they share their voice in different ways.
Reflection and Activity
What opportunities do you / can you currently offer to the children in your class that give them a voice?
Step 1 - Make a list of all the ways you enable ‘pupil voice’. This could be on an individual level or class-based - anything that either lets you know their thoughts, ideas and opinions or gives them a platform to be heard, listened to and empowered.
Step 2 - Identify someone in your class whose voice you feel like you don’t hear very often. Who do you feel doesn’t get to share their opinion or struggles to do so in ways currently available to them? Who makes you most want to use the phrase ‘Find your voice’?
What can you do for that person? Compare your list with your colleagues and see if they have any ways that could support that child.
Step 3 - Make it a focus over the next few weeks to have your chosen individual's voice ‘heard’ somehow. This doesn’t mean making them speak in front of the class, it just means having them know that their voice is important and valued by you and their peers.
With your collaborative lists and your focus child, you’re ready to have a positive impact on pupil voice.
Conferencing / Check-ins
Sometimes, pupil voice comes in the form of a simple conversation. How this conversation looks will depend on the individual student, you as a teacher and your relationship together.
You could have a conversation with the whole class about the term ‘pupil voice’, whether they know what that is and that it’s something you’ll be focusing on. During that initial conversation, let the pupils know that their individual voice is important and that talking directly doesn’t have to be the only way that they share.
Opening up the space to discuss pupil voice is in itself a way to elicit pupil voice.
You could then use pupil voice alongside some moments of success to positively impact an individual’s learning:
“Hey, I’ve noticed you’ve been doing really well on *this* lately. Has it felt positive for you as well? Do you know what it is that has made this feel positive? I’d love to know if there’s anything we could learn from this and use it to support other areas of your learning.”
As well as in the moment, these conversations are great to have when children pop in at break time to grab a drinks bottle or their jumper. It keeps the discussion relaxed and it can give a little boost as they head back to wherever they’re going.
The other angle to this conversation is around work that they are struggling with that I would only have in the moment of them finding it tricky.
“Is it fair to say this work is proving a little tricky at the moment? Can I ask what it is that makes it tricky for you? Validate any response they give here - “Yeah, it makes sense that this would make it hard.”
“Let's find something that can help you now and in the future; sometimes those ideas are best coming from you. Do you have any suggestions for how we could help you? Are there any ways you help yourself in other sessions or activities? Is there something I could do differently in the input or are there any resources you could have with you? We can carry this conversation on whenever we think of something.”
After these conversations, it is important that you follow them up. Show your students that you have listened, that it is having an impact and that it came from their voice.