Student's Voice and Choice

Lumina Education Department’s mission focus is clear… impacting teaching and learning.?

In line with the mission, our department aims to develop a simple and clear understanding of high-quality teaching and learning that allows schools we work with to define high-quality learning based on their unique context, needs, and expectations.

This process is informed by recent educational and brain research and data from current practices in schools with different educational contexts.?

Whilst the above are essential to consider, the school evaluation services we provide to different schools in Romania have had surprising implications for our understanding of effective learning.

School evaluation is an annual process that collects critical data from essential stakeholders: students, teachers, parents, and school leadership teams. Our team conducts several activities, including observations, discussions, and documentation inspection.?

The past two academic years, 2022/ 21 and 2021/ 22, resulted in the collection of valuable data, which informs and shapes the proper understanding of essential elements in education. Interactions and discussions with more than 300 students and surveys with more than 1600 aged 6 thru 18 from schools that follow national and international curricula have revealed unique insights for us: educational leaders. These ideas have the potential for a redefinition of what constitutes effective learning and inspired our department to develop tools such as learning walks, student-focused projects, restructuring competitions, educational tools, and professional development activities in ways that focus on student achievement.?

Student responses provided insights into our understanding of effective learning. They considered effective learning as a process that:

• Motivates students to be open to learning?
• Allows students to feel free to make mistakes and learn from them
• Regularly provides students with feedback that is easy to understand and act upon
• Involves them in decision-making related to in-class and out-of-class activities and even shaping policies
• Allows students to provide suggestions to teachers on how they could learn better
• Shapes learning in ways that are fun and exciting
• Should include teacher’s awareness of and sensitivity to their needs, interests, and expectations

Approaches in different schools, such as empowering students to develop their learning outside of class, have proved the students right in terms of what they consider effective learning. Success stories of student-led learning have started to gain popularity in some schools we work with. Such success stories included out-of-class activities designed, planned, and run by the students. These became platforms where students learned the best by gaining practical and more relevant knowledge and developing skills and understanding.?

The above ideas and practices that we observed (for the last two academic years) further inspired our understanding of effective learning and student engagement, which has been one of the challenges of the education world today, as is one of our department’s challenges.?

As a starting point, some reflections below may shed light on shaping a proper understanding of this educational component. Further challenges will be related to how schools adapt effective learning and student engagement principles to their particular context.

How can we engage our students more in their learning?

For sure is that question that all teachers and leaders ask themselves each academic year.?

Excellent feedback will come once all the aspects are considered. The primary recipients will provide opportunities to express themselves through transparent and friendly dialogue and open discussions.

Let’s ASK,? MOTIVATE our students, and GIVE them choice and voice.

Give them choice and voice: Through a positive relationship with their teacher, students will feel inspired during their learning journey. It’s already known that choice motivates actions.

Voice and choice can improve students’ engagement. As students are at the heart of teaching and learning, their opinions and ideas are critical to shaping their learning, allowing them to take ownership of it and achieve their best.?

Make learning fun and exciting: Teaching shouldn’t be boring, and students will notice this as they are clever eyewitnesses of a quality instructional process. We must let them see our excitement about the content and passion for education when we teach.?

Adapt your teaching: Planning and adapting the teaching and learning according to their age psychology, language skills, level of understanding, academic readiness,? and interests, as well as providing daily structure by engaging in activities with no breaks in their learning, will soon be considered the best ways towards their commitment.??

Ask for feedback: Even though it might be frightening, let’s learn to ask our students for their feedback about the course, teaching methods, resources, planning, and delivering the teaching and learning program; let’s ask for their input on how to adapt better the teaching and learning based on their knowledge and interests.??

Involve parents in the educational process: The more parents involve in their child's education, the more committed they will be.

Designing and running social activities, events, and workshops will promote the idea of collective efficacy. Consistent and effective communication will always motivate parents to engage more in the educational process.

So when it comes to engagement, this can only be defined by establishing a quality and long-term partnerships.

No secrets…passion, vision, and commitment only!