Learner Voice – what are we talking about
1st October, 2008‘The top down method of educating and teaching and passive learning’, or ‘letting the lunatics take over the asylum’. This seems to be a bit of a generalist ‘either/or’ approach being adopted by sections of the media to try and get headlines around the notion of learner voice. But perhaps this simplistic notion penetrates further than just the media in reality.
Without clearer definition of this concept and illustrations of how it works in practice, how it should permeate and mediate the pedagogy, relationships and practice within institutions, and perhaps more importantly, why it should do so, we’re likely to see the term diluted and enter practice in superficial ways that pay lip-service to Learner Voice and tick boxes in relation to policy initiatives at the local, regional and national levels.
Below are a few examples (albeit decontextualised), gathered during school visits over the last year or so, that help illustrate the last point:
The first example is a fine illustration of some of significant limitations and inappropriateness of the mechanisms schools offer learners to have their say.
Teacher to pupil: “Can you be quiet Ryan? You’ll get your say through the school council next week”.
Ryan’s response: “But I’m not on the school council Miss”.
Teacher response: “No, but other pupils are and they represent your voice”.
Ryan’s defeatist response: “But none of them listen to us, they think we’re idiots if we don’t think what they think”.
The second was an observation and I’m sure it was advertising one specific activity amongst many but certainly shows that Learner Voice activities are rare, new and possibly limited.
Notice in school corridor:
‘Learner Voice: Have your say: Every Monday, 9-11p.m and Fridays, 2-4p.m.’
The third is another conversation in the staff room, clearly highlighting that some staff see learner voice as a means through which they can get the learners to pull in the direction of the staff.
Member of senior leadership team to staff: “We have to remember to promote the learner voice stuff too. The authority are keen we capture anything we do as evidence and they’re creating a resource of case studies on the website. There’s a lot of pressure to make sure they [learners] have a voice. If we can keep the pupils on board things should generally run more smoothly and we’re less likely to have problems with parents”.
They would be funny if they were not so real.
These are the sorts of issues we will discuss and debate at Futurelab’s Challenging Learner Voice conference later this month (23 Oct 2008). If you’re not already signed up but would like to come, you can book via the Futurelab website.
Meantime, please share any anecdotes similar to those above. Or tell us your ideas for how we get schools to engage with the core message around empowering learners and the reasons why they should do it. The typical response is that anything really meaningful takes up a lot of time and therefore the pressures of standards negates how much can be done.
Futurelab is always looking for ideas. Find out how you can 
Bob Harrison
Ben Williamson
Dan Sutch
Richard Sandford
Leon Cych
Martin Owen
Sarah Grier
Tim Reader
October 5th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Kia ora Tim!
At the risk of being called racist, I could say it’s a bit like, “white man, he speaks with fork tongue”.
I hear it said that the acceptance of democracy is similar to some of what you’ve reported here. “People are willing to accept democracy as long as the democratic decision goes along with their opinion.”
I might be a hard on humankind. Perhaps it’s just that communities, whether in schools or out, are slow to change. Quick acceptance and implementation of clearly understood egalitarian principles are not things that human communities are noted for.
Ka kite
from Middle-earth
October 9th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I’m still none the wiser from your entry what you think learner voice is all about.
There is a real problem with the idea that students should be able to have power within their school and that is that most of them are children. Children don’t always know what is in their own interests and find it hard to distinguish between what they need and what they want. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s enshrined in our legal system.
The task is to develop these skills in children. This has to involve taking their ideas very seriously. But actual power over school development… I’m very dubious.