Teaching out Through Student Voice
Before even beginning to think about my teach out project this semester, I had seen a video on TikTok where students shared something positive that happened to them that week. I loved the idea and I was hoping to create something similar with my teach out project. Due to the parameters of the project I could not directly replicate the idea in some capacity, but I could use it as my mode of communication. The use of student voice is empowering from many different angles. The first being for the students who are given a voice. For one of the few times in their early life, their voice matters and will be heard by adults. The second being for adults because students are being vulnerable and sharing what truly matters to them given a circumstance. In keeping student voices in mind, I wanted to create a video where students shared their thoughts about Renkley and Bertolini’s “Shifting the Paradigm” that would then be shared for academic discussion amongst faculty. I wanted to follow Renkley and Bertolini’s idea of using an asset based model. Yes, I have a voice and can share what they wrote about, but students have an even larger voice in the matter as it directly relates to their lives in the classroom.
The project was developed into a two part process. In the first part, the student response video, I initially started by giving the students a summary sheet about what the message in “Shifting the Paradigm” is trying to present to the reader. In the next part, I asked students to analyze the summation by reflecting on what has happened in their own lives, either about when an individual used the students' assets, or a way that our school could better use their assets. The questions were broad so students could explore many facets of why assets are important. Upon reflection, I think students misinterpreted the question and manifested a reflection that would be more deeply rooted in Khan’s “The Broken Model”. When students conducted their analysis through reflection, I first had the students jot down their thoughts and ideas on a paper before recording themselves. Many were reluctant to video themselves, but I had roughly eight students who ended up volunteering either their own response or another student's response. Once the students recorded their thoughts, I took the footage and uploaded it into Capcut to make a short video of their messages. I wish that my editing skills were better so that the volume could have been more regulated and it would be easier to hear the student’s voices. Once the video was composed I had what I wanted to share with the faculty members at my school. At our most recent faculty meeting I shared the following elements with staff members; summary and reflection questions and student video. With the insight that the students provided, we summarized a few of their main points. I then pushed the idea further and asked my faculty members to think deeper about what the students presented. We worked in small groups and completed a thinking hats brainstorming activity. Normally there are six thinking hats, but I shortened it to only four hats. The brainstorming tasks for each hat are as follows; solution, constraints, impact and actionable. Within each hat the faculty members identified potential solutions to what students presented and what are some constraints that are stopping the solution to effectively work. Then each group had to think of the impact for making the change or continuing what was currently happening and what were some actionable steps that they could make tomorrow to begin creating the solution. Groups worked for roughly ten minutes brainstorming and jotting down their thoughts. At the conclusion I asked one group to share out their thoughts for others to hear their insight. Our conversation ended there but I left them with the message of what can we do better or continue to do well to ensure all of our students are having the best experience possible. I was hoping that the activity and perspective was interesting and actually meant something to our faculty. There were two teachers who came in to tell me that a did a really nice job and that they appreciated experiencing something different from the norm of our faculty meetings.
Although some things were positive there were also some negatives following the meeting. Some of my team teachers (teachers that I share students with) had sent a video in our group chat of students playing duck duck goose. They then followed it up by saying “who looked the least athletic”. To which another teacher replied “I think we need to turn it into an asset”. I am thinking this was meant to be a joking/snarky reply based upon the level of interest the two teachers showed at the meeting. It is unfortunate that some teacher took the perspective and ideas as a joking matter rather than something genuine that could positively impact the lives of students. I did not entertain the idea which was actually probably worse than saying something because I let it slide.
That moment was not the only negative unfortunately. Prior to presenting the student video to our faculty, my principal walked in around lunchtime and leads her conversation off with we need to change the video. I looked at her confused because I was unsure as to what the problem was. She then proceeded to say that what two students had said did not follow the agenda of the message we were trying to deliver. I almost went bug eyed. In my head I am thinking, “Doesn’t fit the agenda, I did not know there was an agenda. The whole purpose of the project is to create a space for students to share their genuine opinion”. She then continued by saying that the topics that the students were talking about have been dealt with and that they shouldn’t be discussed further. To which I wanted to reply, “Well if the students are still sharing it out, then it hasn’t been dealt with correctly because they still see an issue with their experience at the school”. The principal then closed her statement that we should still talk about their perspectives just the two of us because they are important. Hmmm? She seemed to contradict herself because just earlier she said it was not ‘part of the agenda’ meaning it didn’t hold value. In the end, I was passive and changed the video because as a first year teacher, I was unsure of what would happen if I said no. Wouldn’t you know it, her and I have yet to sit down about the two voices that were silenced. I intend upon following up with her as soon as possible because my students voices do matter and their opinions hold value in the discussion of improving our schools.
