I promised a wee while back to share a bit about how student voice can be used to assist planning and a middle primary class. Here it is:)
This is not my work, but is shared generously by a teacher from my school. She has been on a journey with using student voice and from that journey play-based has been a natural path, this post however is just about how she uses student voice, taken straight from her planning with her permission.
Student Voice - Planning
Years 2, 3 & 4 class
This is the collaborative classroom culture and student voice approach that continues to grow and morph on my learning journey. It is ever changing and evolving! I have not specifically included play based learning, Mantle of the Expert, positive behaviour, etc.
Feeling confident enough to take responsible risks and knowing that your voice is heard, and it matters, is pretty powerful. Inextricably linked to this is the ability to care for yourself, others and property. Our focus in room 5 is that “we focus on caring, teaching and learning” (we have no other rules). If there is caring, respect and trust can be formed, and kindness, empathy, valuing ourselves and others, and valuing property grows. Imagine a class like this! It makes for an exciting and happy year together!
Term one’s focus is on creating this culture. This happens moment by moment, day by day - always consistent. Through Play Based Learning others help others and time is given to encourage, coach, have fun and explore. We take time to notice and reflect as our culture grows. (I use Seesaw to capture moments to help us with this.) This term I use to do a lot of observing and relationship building. Important attachments for specific children are targeted (Joseph Driessen - BSc TTC MEdAdmin).
Student voice is powerful. We work together every day. I may lead in some areas but not all the time. Planning is just one area where students voice is heard. In term one we create a skeletal framework for our weekly planning (which of course can change). During term one we make time to notice how we feel, at different times of the day to check when we generally feel the most ready to focus on our teaching and learning. Morning is usually the best and so we plan our reading, writing and numeracy in the first one or two blocks. All other things to do are planned around this (unless we need to change it for some reason). Planning time is very short as we only focus on specific things we need to plan for the next week. (we plan on Friday).
Please note: The curriculum areas below are only skimmed over. They are not in-depth.
Writing: Genre is usually chosen on Tuesday or during the week, as things unfold. Children put their ideas to the rest of the class and I may suggest a genre that we may not have covered for a while or if I think it would fit in well with what we have been doing. Then we vote. The most vote wins. An example of student voice happened just before the end of term 3. I was being observed by another teacher and thought a recount, narrative or something like that would be good, but the children had a different idea. I had recently read, “One fish, Two fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr Seuss and they loved the idea of making up words and rhyming and they wanted to do that. So after I put my case forward, we had a vote. Guess who won? So that day the teacher observed writing from a Dr Seuss perspective!
Reading: The children I get are all usually ready to learn and so I do group them. The children who are at an independent reading age (including comprehension) are in the independent group. These children choose what they study (within an area they collectively agree - say animals) and then present their learning to the class in whatever presentation they want. They then become the teacher and the class (including me) become the learners. Sometimes if a reading group is reading something that another child is interested in they come down and listen and join our group. This is also where I may find ‘urges and intrigue’ that the class as a whole wants to find more about. This is where I may leave reading groups for a day or so - or a week (except for those I need to target - with their permission) and we work together on gaining knowledge and understanding of this subject.
Numeracy: The children rely on me most times to help to guide their next steps. When I notice a common thread (say a lot of the numeracy detective groups are grouping numbers and counting in 5’s, I may say, “I have noticed that there are some of you counting in groups of 5’s. That is what multiplication is (and then I would show them what they are doing). Who would like to start learning about this operation?” Children also inspire me with ideas about word problems we could use. If children ask if we can do something else we discuss this together.
Children also ask me during the week to write in our planner for Friday something they want to teach the class. Some things we have been taught are making a stone from aluminium, french knitting, slime and origami. On Friday morning they present to the class what they would like to teach and show them an example. If it is voted through we look at our plan for next week on the tv screen and decide where this can fit. I have put in things that are going to happen that next week already so it saves time. Children recheck each day and comment add or change. Two copies are then made. One for the children (that goes on the whiteboard by the Menu) and one for me. I use my plan more in-depth.
Ronda Rowlands
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I have been wonderfully impressed by the culture established in this class. Children are a real mix of ages and abilities but they operate very much like a supportive family group. I have been lucky enough to observe Ronda working on the timetable with her class on a Friday and it is a super collaborative process. One thing is always evident, children want and choose to challenge themselves. When given the choice they don't opt for the known or the easy, they opt for the challenge. They understand their collective strengths and appreciate their differences. They get a sense that they are all learners (including the teacher) and that they can all be teachers, how rewarding is that! There is a real culture of trust and respect in this room that I think really has to be seen and understood. Children are capable, they appreciate challenge and where they are placed in an environment that also appreciates their need to play and follow their own interests and urges, they flourish. The reason we keep such a multi-level split in this area of the school is to allow us to provide for developmental readiness, it works incredibly well.
A huge thank you to Ronda for always inspiring me with her abilities as a teacher, her willingness to embrace change when it is for the good of our children, and for always putting children at the heart of what she does. A caring, kind, giving individual who brings this into every corner of her classroom.
We must trust ourselves as professionals, we must be flexible, and we must give children the respect and trust that they deserve, at every stage retaining the beauty that is childhood. #buildinghappybrains
Leslee Allen
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