Number 197 Connect October 2012 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341

Digital Literacy and Student Voice in Remote Indigenous Education

+ Perspectives on Student Voice

• “This is our rock, okay!”: Student Film-making at Murputja Anangu School • Developing confi dence and leadership skills: Primary School SRC • Building Better Relationships for Healthier Choices Resources: • Student Voice Perspectives: Fielding, Waheed, Fletcher • Students as Researchers Resources • VISTA: Let’s Hear YOUR Voice • International Student Voice Seminar: June 2013 • VicSRC: What does it mean to ‘take action’? • Student Voice Research and Practice Facebook Group • Student Councils and Beyond online • NSW State SRC: Following Up Represent 2012 • Connect from print to digital in 2013

Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00 Connect Number 197: October 2012 Thistudent Voice isIssue: clearly a buzz 3 “This is our rock, okay!”: Digital Literacy and Student phrase of the moment. So this issue Voice at Murputja Anangu School, SA Clare Ellis Sof Connect includes several practical 5 Where is Student Voice in schools? SoundOut and theoretical perspectives, as well as 6 Developing confi dence and leadership skills: reporting on an international series of U St Joseph’s Primary School, Springvale, Vic Alan Brew Student Voice seminars at Cambridge 7 Building better relationships for healthier choices: (UK) and a Student Voice panel held recently in Brisbane. Bayside College, Williamstown, Vic Anne O’Connor, Mindy Allott Like all such education terms (participation ... engagement ... involvement ...) ‘student voice’ can have many meanings, and can be PERSPECTIVES ON STUDENT VOICE: understood and enacted in diff erent ways. I must admit to initially 10 Patterns of partnership and the demands of having had some scepticism about the term, fearing its limitations deep democracy Michael Fielding - particularly in comparison to well-explored uses of ideas around 15 Student Voice panel in Brisbane ‘participation’. However, I can see that it may be possible to explore 16 Why it matters to me ... Emma Waheed and support practices under the ‘student voice’ heading and, in fact, 18 Convenient or inconvenient Student Voice to use the tensions and contradictions in the area to illuminate fruitful + Bullying: Student Voice? Adam Fletcher directions, discussions and understanding. 19 Second annual Student Voice seminar Julia Flutter Michael Fielding has researched, worked and written in this area for a long time. Earlier this year, he presented an address that explored 20 VISTA: Let’s hear your voice Scott Duncan, VISTA six meanings of ‘student voice’ under the heading of ‘patterns 21 VicSRC: What does it mean to take action? VicSRC Executive of partnership’. This address is reproduced here with Michael’s VicSRC Executive Training Michael Swift permission. The schema that he presents can have direct practical 22 NSW SRC: Following Up Represent 2012 The NERCATS use; I have already started using a variation of it with some schools Students learn the power of representation Erika Vass to explore both a description of their current practice, and also a framework for setting goals for improving learning and teaching. 24 Connect 2013: from print to digital Roger Holdsworth 25 News & Reviews: Student Voice Research and Practice Other perspectives are provided here from a beginning teacher Facebook Group: ‘Repositioning trust’; ‘Students as researchers (Emma Waheed), and also from Adam Fletcher from the US-based resources’; Student Councils and Beyond on-line SoundOut group. Adam challenges ‘romanticism’ around student voice – the uncritical applause that any form of ‘voice’ is ‘good’, by pointing 26 Connect Publications: Order Form Connect out that students exercise ‘voice’ in many ways and about many issues 27 CLEARINGHOUSE: Local and Overseas Publications; ... all the time. Yet we bring our own values to bear on how we respond Friends of Connect; Websites; Contribute to Connect to those voices, necessarily applauding some and criticising others, so seeing some as ‘convenient’ and some as ‘inconvenient’. I’m reminded of an article from Reddy and Ratna (2002) about ‘youth participation’, where Cover: they commented on Roger Hart’s Ladder of Participation by observing From the bus: Murputja Anangu School (page 3) that young people are participating all the time – in many ways. And, they said, the ladder is therefore not a scale of participation, but a scale Photos on pages 1, 3, 4, 5 by Clare Ellis of adult control and infl uence over (or even containment of) that participation (see: www.workingchild.org/Microsoft%20Word%20- %20A%20journey%20in%20children’s%20participation-revised. Why does Connect exist?exist? pdf).These ideas brought much of the ‘participation’ fi eld up with a Connect has been jolt and made us rethink how we looked on these concepts. published bi-monthly since 1979. Similarly, Dana Mitra, at the recent Brisbane Student Voice panel, It aims to: referred to ‘student voice work’, locating the area of discussion with institutional and other responses to ‘voice’: not about ‘voice’ itself (for • document student participation that occurs all the time), but how others (students, teachers, schools etc) approaches and initiatives; respond to students’ voices, and work with students in partnerships that • support reflective practices; • develop and share resources. both challenge and support students’ multiple and varied voices. And, as Michael Fielding notes in his article, student voice work cannot be ‘value-neutral’. There are strong concerns about its co-option for Connect: inauthentic uses. He asks: “What is all this activity for? Whose interests does ABN: 98 174 663 341 it serve? Is student voice a neutral technology or an inevitable expression Connect is edited and published by: Roger Holdsworth of a set of values and assumptions, not just about teaching and learning, 12 Brooke Street, Northcote 3070 Victoria Australia but about the kind of society we wish to live in?” What do you think? Phone: (03) 9489 9052; Web: www.asprinworld.com/connect Roger Holdsworth E-mail: [email protected] Connect acknowledges the support of the Australian Youth Research Centre, Next Issue: #198: December 2012 Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne Deadline for material: end of November, 2012

2 Connect 197: Murputja Anangu School, SA “This is our rock, okay!” Digital Literacy and Student Voice in Remote Indigenous Education “Welcome to Murputja Anangu School, Greta Valley Primary ... We are going to show you around our school.” t is in these clear and simple terms that the students from Murputja from CPC (pre school) through to middle Anangu School’s Ngintaka (Goanna) class introduced the film they secondary, with enrolment hovering Imade about their school day for the students at Greta Valley Primary around 30 students. School, in Victoria’s northeast. Anangu culture and language is an essentially oral system, which makes I am still struck by the significance Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara. digital modes of communication such of these opening words. Here are Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara are as films or radio a logical way for remote six Anangu students, living on the key languages spoken across students to tell their stories and connect their traditional lands in the central the APY Lands, along with Luritja, with students across the country or Australian desert, inviting a here-to- Arrente, and Ngaanyatjarra. Just 4.1 world. Over the course of a week, I unknown class of students in Victoria’s per cent speak only English at home, worked with a small group of upper- rural northeast to a virtual tour of their compared to 82.8 per cent across primary Anangu students to storyboard, school. It is in this moment, through Australia (ABS Census Quick Stats, film and edit a video about their school the exchange of information between 2011). day. They made this video to share two cultures by their children, that I Situated near the Mann Ranges, directly with the students at my next think the significance of digital literacy students attending Murputja Anangu placement school, Greta Valley Primary, to remote Indigenous education, School tend to live in family groups in Victoria’s King Valley. As I write this, I and mainstream classrooms and within the Nyapari and Kanpi homelands, am now working with the Greta Valley curriculum, is evident. each community comprised of around students to prepare a video to share In June 2012, I completed a 50-100 Anangu. The school teaches kids with the Murputja class in return. two-week teaching placement at the Murputja Anangu School in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the far northwest desert country of South Australia (SA), culminating in a week working with this upper-primary class to make the film. The APY Lands are home to approximately 2,440 Anangu people (ABS, 2011), a highly transient population, especially during periods of cultural or sorry business. In 1981, the SA Parliament gave Anangu people title to more than 103,000 square kilometres of land, and all Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra people who are traditional owners of any part of the Lands are members of Anangu

October 2012 3 All the Anangu students took routines, lunchtime football, and nations, and begun to learn some turns at directing, filming, and time in the classroom. Yet for all the basic Pitjantjatjara. Given my own appearing in the film they had file footage in the various media and very limited understanding of the planned together. I was struck by government organisations across language, the only challenge has how quickly this group took on Australia, these are scenes we don’t been to keep up with their demands the concept of an audience, with usually get to see. for more words and phrases. When frequent consideration given to what For, aside from the breath-taking watching the film, the interest and they might like to show the students beauty of the APY Lands and the affection students developed towards at Greta Valley. Given the way people’s dynamism of the film’s subjects, what the Anangu has been evident in their daily lives in remote Indigenous is unique about this footage is that responses, which ranged from: “They communities are represented in it is filmed through the eyes of the are pretty awesome!” and “The school an increasingly reductionist and Anangu students themselves. The is cool!” to “Is it hot?”, “Do they have negative fashion (Fogarty & Schwab, whole film is set to the sound of local shops? What do they eat?!”, and 2012; Sweet, 2009; Dickson, 2012), the Ngaanyatjarra men, the Irrunytju contrasting sentiments: “Why do they importance of ensuring Indigenous Band, singing Kalkkanya Puli Ilaringu live in the middle of nowhere?” to “It students are given a voice within the in Pitjantjatjara, which is a song would be awesome to live there.” national discourse was plain to see. about the powerful draw of returning This demonstrated to me the So too was its potential. The home to country. These sentiments potential for teachers to facilitate resulting film is a joyful, often bouncy are captured in the film’s gently cultural dialogue between students, glimpse into school and community commanding and unscripted coda, as opposed to adults delivering and life for these Anangu kids. With in which the camera is trained on the mediating narrow lessons or units of extensive footage of the school bus rolling hills that surround Murputja, work on the ‘other’. trips between the two homeland accompanied by a deceptively I had been initially sceptical about communities of Kanpi and Nyapari, simple explanation from an Anangu the level of interest the students at anyone who has travelled on the boy: “This is our rock, okay.” Greta Valley might show towards corrugated sand roads of central One of the many highlights of making a film about their school Australia will know what I mean this digital literacy project has been and community for the Murputja by ‘bouncy’. The film is an equally the process of exchange between students. This was informed by recent, proud and humble narrative of an Murputja and Greta Valley schools. To unsurprising PISA research that has average day at school, peppered facilitate this, and promote greater shown that Indigenous students have with a natural mix of Pitjantjatjara understanding of the rich diversity lower levels of digital literacy to non- and English (Dickson, 2012), and of Indigenous culture in Australia, Indigenous peers, across indicators of featuring the school bus trip, the Greta Valley students have been proficiency, access, and confidence homeland communities, camels, introduced to the striking map (Thomson, De Bortoli & ACER, 2012). camp dogs, school breakfast, hygiene of Australia’s 200 plus Indigenous My fear had been that the novelty

4 Connect 197: of a digital exchange might wear off Want to quickly for the Greta Valley students. However, just as with the Anangu know more? students, they embraced the demands The Murputja of their audience and demonstrated a Anangu School’s willingness and ability to think deeply website is: www. about what they would like to share murputja.sa.edu.au/ with their digital friends in the APY The Australian Lands. Broadcasting The resulting fi lm looks set to Commission has an become a challenge for the editing interactive Indigenous team, such is the rich array of footage Australia map: www. students are eager to share with the abc.net.au/indigenous/map/ References Anangu. It is my hope that both schools There is a series of fi lms Dickson, G (2012, July 20). How not to will continue this digital exchange produced by and about Northern report on Indigenous education [Web across the curriculum and years. Territory’s Ntaria School students, blog post]. Fully (sic) Crikey’s language Reconciliation between and exchanged with Tasmania’s blog. Retrieved from http://blogs. Indigenous and non-Indigenous Wynyard High School, as a result crikey.com.au/fullysic/2012/07/20/ how-not-to-report-on-indigenous- Australians is a process that of fi lmmaking workshops with Big education/ depends on the power and depth hART’s Namatjira project in 2012. of communication that occurs. This Fogarty, W & Schwab, R (2012). See: http://vimeo.com/channels/ Indigenous Education: Experiential digital exchange between Murputja namatjira/43585437 Anangu School and Greta Valley Learning and Learning Through For a powerful example of a Country, CAEPR Working Paper No. Primary is just one small example of the formal Indigenous language and 80/2012, CAEPR, Canberra importance of valuing and promoting cultural education in a mainstream Sweet, M (2009, March 3). ‘Is the media student voice in our classrooms school, see the Wiradjuri language part of the Aboriginal health problem, and cultures more generally. More program that has been established and part of the solution?’ Inside Story. particularly and urgently, as former in three primary schools in the NSW Retrieved from http://inside.org. Australian of the Year, Professor au/part-of-the-aboriginal-health- town of Parkes: Fiona Stanley has argued: “The more problem/ www.abc.net.au/local/stories/ that the dominant culture reports Thomson, Sue & De Bortoli, Lisa Jean & 2012/07/04/3538590.htm negative stories about Aboriginal Australian Council for Educational people, the more Aboriginal children Research (2012). Preparing Clare Ellis feel bad about being Aboriginal” Australian Students for the Digital Master of Teaching (Primary) (Dickson, 2012; Sweet, 2009). Who World: Results from the PISA 2009 Melbourne Graduate School of Education better to correct that record than Digital Reading Literacy Assessment. [email protected] Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press the children themselves?

October 2012 5 St Joseph’s Primary School, Springvale, Vic

SRC: Developing confidence and leadership skills e developed an SRC at St Joseph’s Primary School, Springvale last year (see Connect 190: August 2011) through the process of a WStudent Action Team of Year 5 students investigating what Student Voice meant and could (and should) be like at our school. We have continued to develop the approach where students investigate what other students at the school want and then work towards implementing these ideas. The SRC at our school now consists A lot of time has been spent of 20 Year 5/6 students. Sixteen students developing the confidence and were elected by the eight Year 5/6 classes leadership skills of the students. They are at the beginning of the year. (There is an excellent at taking minutes for meetings even mix of Year 5 and 6 students, boys and organising but they struggle to and girls.) The SRC also includes the two believe they have the ability to create school captains and vice captains. and develop their ideas. During the first six months of the year, the Deputy Principals worked together with all 20 students. The SRC worked to develop the MonsterChef Cupcake Competition for the 700 students at the school. They designed the entry form, certificates, In Term 3 the students broke into and posters for the two groups: Publicity and Rewards competition. They worked and Recognition being one group, and out the instructions for Environment and Social Justice being the the competition and other. Eventually we hope to work in four rehearsed so that they ran groups. the entire event. It was extremely successful. Recently the students rang Bunnings Warehouse to get assistance for organising a vegetable garden for the school. I was impressed with the manner in which they spoke to the events coordinator. They have written a letter asking for assistance. The students also created signs to promote the better use of our toilet blocks and discussed this by visiting and speaking to all classes about the issue. We are also promoting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through our school. The students are currently organising how our school can give rewards and certificates to students associated with this. They have created posters and are designing the processes for proving rewards and recognition related to these concepts. Alan Brew [email protected]

6 Connect 197: Bayside College, Williamstown, Vic Building Better Relationships

n 2010, ISIS Primary Care identifi edfor a high level Healthierof unhealthy behaviour well to thisChoices approach (Holdsworth et al. involving alcohol and other drugs (AOD), and sexual and reproductive 2001). A Student Action Team is a group of health (S&RH) within Melbourne’s western suburbs. The Department of students that works collaboratively within I the school body to identify and tackle a Health (2010) reported higher than average rates of sexually transmitted school or community issue. Generally, infections (STIs), while a number of local government areas in the West they will research an issue, decide on a displayed greater than average alcohol-related harm and illicit drug- project, and take action on it. Student related hospitalisations (HealthWest Partnership 2010). engagement is maximised when students have control over a project, choosing We know that strong, healthy Nurse at Bayside College Williamstown the topic and deciding how it is to be relationships can protect against poor was also eager to conduct a health addressed (Holdsworth 2003). Using this behaviour in both areas, particularly during promotion project seeking to improve idea, a Student Wellbeing Action Team adolescence. Adolescents with healthy communication and relationships among (SWAT) was set up. relationships and strong connections to students. family and community (including their Bayside Williamstown is a secondary Our fi rst lessons… school) tend to have fewer problems school for Years 7 – 9 students, located Initially it was intended that students with AOD and S&RH later in life (Herrman, in Hobsons Bay in Melbourne’s western representing all year levels and classes Saxena & Moodie 2005; AIHW 2003; Loxley, suburbs, with around 320 students from join the SWAT, with a particular focus Toumbourou & Stockwell 2004). diverse cultural backgrounds. It was on students at high risk of poor social With this in mind, staff from ISIS decided to take a collaborative approach, connectedness. However, restrictions decided to conduct a project with a conducting a project throughout the on timetabling meant that this was not local secondary school. It was envisaged 2011 school year to help students develop possible. Finally, the SWAT consisted of one the project would develop students’ skills to build stronger relationships. Year 9 class (about 20 students) with the communication skills and ability to relate A number of Australian schools have classroom teacher, school nurse and three to others, hopefully enabling them to successfully used a Student Action Team ISIS staff allocated time for the project. make better decisions around AOD and approach to address issues surrounding Sessions were run every two weeks S&RH now and in the future. The School AOD and S&RH, with students responding while the health issue and possible

October 2012 7 Lesson #3: More time should be dedicated to a SWAT early in the school year, as unforeseen school activities throughout the year can impact on the SWAT. Insuffi cient time can lead to students feeling disempowered and dissatisfied with the project outcome.

The students decided to focus on school pride, as they expressed concerns that the school was not seen as favourably by the community as it could be, and were eager to improve its profi le. By increasing feelings of school pride, it was thought that students would feel a stronger sense of connection with their school, thereby decreasing the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of poor mental health (Herrman, Saxena & Moodie 2005). In addition, school connectedness was identifi ed by the World projects were discussed. During the earliest Instead of the survey, the SWAT Health Organization (Herrman, Saxena & sessions, students were easily distracted. began brainstorming ideas for possible Moodie 2005) as a protective factor against This exposed a simple misunderstanding projects. At fi rst students wanted to look adolescents engaging in unsafe health between ISIS and Bayside staff as to how at the school canteen but, for a number practices and risky behavior, enabling the much the class teacher would be involved of reasons, this was outside the scope specifi c project to tie in nicely with the with the students during these sessions - and infl uence of the SWAT project. Now overall aim of the SWAT. particularly important when students are and throughout the project, the highly- The Year 9 class decided to create being rowdy! regulated school environment would a mural to improve the look and feel of A Memorandum of Understanding prove challenging and occasionally the school, and so foster a sense of pride was created and signed by ISIS and Bayside discouraging to students. Which leads in the school among the entire school staff , which eff ectively clarifi ed roles and us to… community. Students wanted the school expectations for all parties involved. This to be seen as a valuable and active part of Lesson #2: When working within would have been even more useful had their community, and chose a quote they a regulated school environment, it been created and signed before SWAT felt represented that idea: expect some blocks and detours classes began, which taught us our fi rst along the way. Anticipate them lesson. This lesson would turn out to be ‘Be the change you wish to where possible, but encourage the fi rst of many… students to think laterally and see in the world’ Lesson #1: However you decide work around these. to run your Student Action Team, it’s important that everyone has a clear understanding of the roles of all involved. Roles and expectations should be set out and agreed to by all involved, before the project begins! Deciding on a project… The SWAT aimed to survey all students and staff at the school, and so target an issue aff ecting the whole school community. But other school commitments slowly began eating up class time that should have been dedicated to the SWAT, consequently this worthwhile but time consuming activity could not go ahead. This pattern continued through the school year, leaving less and less class time for the SWAT.

8 Connect 197: Due to worries that a mural would be too easily defaced by Lessons aren’t just for students… graffiti, it was replaced with a mosaic. The inspirational quote by While the SWAT ultimately achieved its aim of helping Bayside Gandhi was incorporated into a mosaic design depicting a map students learn to build better relationships, the road was not of the world. ISIS staff encouraged the SWAT to take ownership a smooth one, nor was the project an unqualified success. of the project as much as possible. Students were broken into The whole-of-school approach initially envisioned did not groups with different tasks to perform, including marketing, function as intended and many on-the-go changes had to be school engagement and seeking donations of materials for the made. Meanwhile, the future of the SWAT program at Bayside mosaic from local businesses. During these sessions, students is uncertain. While acknowledging the success of the program, were easily distracted and difficult to engage. It was soon Bayside were hesitant to run another SWAT without the support realised this was, in part, because they were lacking some of of ISIS. Before embarking on a similar project in the future, ISIS the skills, knowledge or confidence necessary to perform these needs to look at ways to tasks. Unfortunately, time constraints make this project more had meant that planned training was sustainable and less unable to go ahead… difficult for schools to run Lesson #4: When planning a SWAT, on their own. allow sufficient time for training and As demonstrated by skill development in the early stages. the content of this report, Encourage input from teachers, as many valuable lessons they are qualified educators and were learned throughout can make suggestions based on the process and project the class’s abilities and preferred that are applicable not just learning styles. to the implementation of Student Action Teams but Being the change… also to anyone conducting Two full days were required to produce school-based projects. It is the colourful mosaic, with all students hoped that the lessons participating. Materials (mosaic tiles of this project will be etc) were donated by local businesses, valuable to others and will which were sent thank you letters enable them to conduct written by the students. The artist successful school-based involved was enthusiastic and passionate, which was felt and projects in the future. appreciated by the students. They enjoyed the practical nature Thanks go to all staff and students involved at Bayside of the task more than the planning phases. Students brought in College Williamstown for your help and enthusiasm while music to listen to and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of working working with us on this great project. together. Even students who had been less enthusiastic about the project initially, contributed well in these final stages… Anne O’Connor and Mindy Allott Anne.O’[email protected] Lesson #5: Hands-on activities help to maintain student [email protected] interest, while expecting students to perform unfamiliar tasks with insufficient preparation or training will lose it. References AIHW 2003, Australia’s young people: their health and The Year 9 students were pleased with how the mosaic wellbeing 2003, AIHW Cat. No. PHE 50, AIHW, Canberra. turned out, and were understandably very proud of it. Being part of the SWAT promoted the development of good collaborative Department of Health 2010, Surveillance of notifiable working relationships between the students, teachers and conditions in Victoria: Local government summary for ISIS workers. The students adapted well to the program and Hobsons Bay, Department of Health, Melbourne, Victoria. developed cohesiveness as a group. HealthWest Partnership 2010, Reducing harms associated with The results from the wellbeing survey (which was completed the use of alcohol and other drugs in the HealthWest pre- and post-project) indicated an increase in feelings of school catchment, HealthWest, Melbourne. connectedness among the participating students. Comments Herrman, H, Saxena, S, Moodie, R (eds) 2005, Promoting mental from the class teacher indicated that, following the SWAT project, health: concepts, emerging evidence, practice: a report students were happy to work with anyone in the class and were of the World Health Organisation, Department of Mental very accepting of each other. The deputy principal noted that Health and Substance Abuse in collaboration with the participating in the SWAT created a cohesive group, leading to Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and the University a ‘better fit’ in the school community. of Melbourne, The World Health Organization, Geneva. The mosaic has since been mounted on the outside wall near Holdsworth, R, Stafford, J, Stokes, H, Tyler, D 2001, Student action the school car park with a plaque naming participating students, teams 1999-2000: Working paper 21, The University of and the then-Year 9 students have moved on to Year 10 at the Melbourne, Melbourne. senior campus. The students remain proud of the mosaic, and are Loxley, W, Toumbourou, JW, Stockwell, T 2004, The prevention pleased to have left a ‘legacy’ at the Williamstown campus. of substance use, risk and harm in Australia: A review of the evidence, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.

October 2012 9 Perspectives on Student Voice Student voice: patterns of partnership and the demands of deep democracy

Taking stock of Student Voice At the College of Teachers’ annual Celebrating Student Voice Awards Ceremony on 16 May ecause in large part my lecture is a celebration of student voice, 2012 in London, UK, Professor it is important to begin by acknowledging that the range of work Michael Fielding delivered The that has developed in many countries across the world in the last two College of Teachers’ Biennial B Lecture: Student Voice: patterns decades has been quite remarkable. Thus we have: of partnership and the demands • Peer support – ie activities that purpose, namely teaching and of deep democracy, in which he suggest that young people benefit, learning. discussed the development of the both socially and academically, • Student evaluation of staff/the range of student voice work in from listening to each other’s voices school - activities in which students many countries across the world whether individually – eg buddying, express their views on a range of in the last two decades. coaching, mentoring and peer matters, sometimes after collecting teaching; or, more collectively – eg and interpreting data, either on Listening to the voices of prefects, student leaders and class individual members of staff, school young people is now actively and school councils and circle time. teams or departments, or the advocated by government • Student/teacher learning partner- school as a learning community departments in the context of eg students as observers, ships - in which students are given formal education and also within students as informants in teacher responsibility for working alongside the framework of childhood teachers and other adults in a consultation about effective teaching and learning, students services. Professor Fielding developmental capacity eg student- considers the very different led learning walks, students as co- on staff appointment panels, researchers and lead researchers, students as associate governors, readings of what student voice Students as Learning Partners (where student focus groups and surveys, is, why it has flourished as it has, teachers invite students to observe students as key informants in the what its strengths and weakness their teaching), student ambassadors, processes of external inspection are, and what its future prospects and student led learners. Not and accountability, and junior might be. In this article based only does much of this flourish at leadership teams. on the lecture Professor Fielding institutional level, it is also possible • Student engagement with the highlights four clusters of issues for individual teachers to undertake community – often through that seem particularly significant. a wide range of student voice work student-led initiatives like student within their own classrooms through action teams addressing issues an increasingly imaginative range such as environmental health, increasingly integrated multi-professional of practices supplementing the road safety or the development of framework of childhood services. There more familiar observation, video- mutual understanding and support has also been very substantial grass-roots recording, questionnaires, focus between generations; likewise interest in student voice from teachers, groups, interviews and diaries with youth councils and fledgling from young people themselves and from such things as collage, drawings, attempts to involve whole towns university researchers. That said, there are, learning logs and scrap-books, in student-oriented initiatives such of course, very different readings of what drama and role play, and suggestion as the UNICEF RRR (Rights Respect student voice is, why it has flourished boxes. Indeed, for writers like Jean Responsibility) program. in the way it has, what its strengths Rudduck and Donald McIntyre, the Listening to the voices of young and weakness are, and what its future classroom is the most important people, including very young children, prospects might be. arena for student voice work since, is now something that is not merely in their view, it is the classroom espoused, but actively advocated, by Emerging Issues that constitutes the dominant daily government departments and their In the course of this lecture I will highlight context and most important site of satellite organisations, both in the context four clusters of issues that seem to me the realisation of the school’s core of formal education and also within an particularly significant at this time. One of

10 Connect 197: the most important points to absences, student voice is inevitably and properly Thirdly, and as a consequence of the such as the voices of those deemed less saturated by values: it cannot be neutral particular view of democracy for which successful or less important in school and and to suggest otherwise is either a I am arguing, I wish to go beyond Hart’s society. We need to ask ourselves whose profound mistake or a convenient and Shier’s quite proper insistence that voices are heard and why, and reflect on subterfuge. we take seriously the power relations the nature and extent of the silences that that inevitably circumscribe or enable so often go unnoticed and unrecorded. Patterns of partnership: different kinds of engagement. Power Secondly, a very important strand of is not the only characteristic of human the literature argues for the entitlement how adults listen to and relations that prohibits or facilitates of rights-based approaches rather than learn with students in different kinds of outcome. Equally the condescending uncertainties of important, and especially so when taken patronage and circumstantial good will. schools into account with the calibrations of power, are relationships, ie the way we Thirdly, a number of writers Purposes, power and regard each other, the way in which our are concerned to expose exuberant relationships dispositions are directed and shaped by claims of participation as little more our willingness to treat each other as than glossy enticement into the Scylla In a moment I will illustrate the persons in our own right, as beings with of performativity and the Charybdis inevitable partiality of student voice, all the distinctiveness and possibility of perpetual consumption. Here the both in action and conception, but our uniqueness proclaims and the rich concern is that student voice becomes before I do I want to touch on the commonality our humanity presumes a tool of management, aping the key issue of power which will enable and requires. practices of quality assurance, sometimes us to move beyond the excitement of multiple examples and establish a (though thankfully rarely) through covert Patterns of partnership observation and rating of teachers. Even clearer view of the nature of student in less pernicious variants there are voice work being undertaken. Perhaps Leaving a fuller exploration of this real dangers of an unwitting descent the best known of the typologies that relational dimension of my proposals to superficial responses to poorly help us to differentiate in a searching until later, I set out below my typology: constructed questionnaires and the and discriminating way are from the Patterns of partnership: how adults predictable reproduction of standard field of youth participation eg Roger listen to and learn with students in schools notions of good teaching and learning Hart’s ‘ladder of participation’ (Hart, – which suggests six forms of interaction that migrate too readily into various 1992) and the equally interesting and between adults and young people within forms of box-ticking and professional useful, but less well-known ‘pathways schools and other educational contexts. dereliction. to participation’ developed by Harry These are Lastly, even when these dangers Shier (Shier, 2001). My own typology • Students as data source – in which are overtly avoided, there remain – ‘patterns of partnership’ – owes a staff utilise information about significant tensions for many teachers, considerable debt to both of these student progress and well-being leading pioneers. However, it differs in in particular, lack of institutional support, • Students as active respondents – in a number of important respects. Firstly, and unremitting pressures of curriculum which staff invite student dialogue whilst it offers a framework that has coverage and exam performance. There and discussion to deepen learning/ generic significance across contexts are also deeper issues that remain largely professional decisions and professions, it is also one which unaddressed eg whether the driving • Students as co-enquirers - in which force is an expression of consumerist draws distinctions about different ways in which young people and adults work staff take a lead role with high- ideology or democratic agency and profile, active student support the companion challenge of clarifying together that pay particular attention the appropriate relationship between to the complexities and specificities of • Students as knowledge creators professional expertise of teachers and the school-based environments. – in which students take lead roles with active staff support integrity and validity of learner-oriented Secondly, I have become approaches to education in both its more increasingly convinced of the need • Students as joint authors – in which restricted and more expansive senses. to name and explore participatory students and staff decide on a joint What these emerging concerns point democracy as a legitimate and course of action together to is a series of underlying questions, not increasingly urgent aspiration, not • Intergenerational learning as just about the successes and difficulties only in society at large, but in schools lived democracy – in which of student voice in the second decade themselves. Of course, many will there is a shared commitment to/ of the 21st century, but also about disagree with this, but my hope is that responsibility for the common good fundamental purposes eg What is all this some at least will not only warm to the In each of these ways of working, the activity for? Whose interests does it serve? naming of democracy as a legitimate power relations are different, thus not only Is student voice a neutral technology or aspiration to be overtly addressed on enabling or prohibiting the contributions an inevitable expression of a set of values a day-to-day basis in the processes and of one side of the partnership, but also and assumptions, not just about teaching culture of the school, but also welcome influencing the potential synergy of the and learning, but about the kind of society the incremental possibilities that my joint work and thereby affecting the we wish to live in? My own view is that typology supports and encourages. possibility of both adults and young

October 2012 11 people being able to listen to and learn with and from each other. In order to explore their possible resonance with the current and future realities of work in schools, I illustrate each of the six forms of interaction at the classroom level, the unit/team/department level, and at the level of the whole school. 1 Students as data source Staff utilise information about In the Students as data source mode (see Table 1) staff work hard to utilise student progress and well-being information about student progress and well-being. There is a real teacher commitment to paying attention to student voices speaking through the Classroom Lesson planning takes practical realities of work done and targets agreed. It acknowledges that for account of student test teaching and learning to improve, there is a need to take more explicit account scores and other data of relevant data about individual students and group or class achievement. At Unit/team/ Samples of student unit/team/department level, this way of working might express itself through, department work shared across staff say, samples of student work being shared across a staff group, either as a group form of moderation, or, less formally, as part of a celebration of the range of work going on. At whole school level, an example would be the now much School Student attitude survey more common practice of conducting an annual survey of student opinion on matters the school deems important. 2 Students as active respondents In the Students as active respondents mode (see Table 2) staff invite student dialogue and discussion in order to deepen their approach to student Staff invite student dialogue and discussion to deepen learning/professional decisions learning and enhance the professional decisions they make. Here staff move beyond the accumulation of passive data and, in order to deepen the learning Classroom Engaging with and of young people and enrich staff professional decisions, they feel a need to hear adapting explicit what students have to say about their own experience in lessons or their active assessment criteria engagement in contributing to its development via, for example, assessment- Unit/team/ Team agenda based for-learning approaches. Students are discussants rather than recipients of department on students views/ current approaches and thereby contribute to the development of teaching and evaluations learning in their school. At unit/team/department level, this active respondent role might express itself through, say, every fourth meeting having a significant School Students on staff agenda item based on pupil views/evaluations of the work they have been appointment panels doing. At whole school level, an example would be the inclusion of pupils in the appointment process for new staff. 3 Students as co-enquirers In the Students as co-enquirers partnership (see Table 3) we see an increase in both student and teacher involvement and a greater degree of partnership Staff take lead role with high-profile, active student support than in the previous two modes. Whilst student and teacher roles are not equal, they are shifting strongly, if not in an egalitarian, then in a more strenuously Classroom How can we develop interdependent direction. Students move from being discussants to being co- more independence in enquirers into matters of agreed significance and importance. While the focus learning? and the boundaries of exploration are fixed by the teacher, the commitment Unit/team/ Student evaluation and agreement of students are essential. At a classroom level this might involve, department of eg a History unit of for example, a shared enquiry into and development of more independent/ work interdependent ways of student working. At unit/team/department level, this kind of approach might express itself through student evaluation of a unit of School Joint evaluation of work, as, for example, undertaken by a group in a girls’ secondary school calling current system of themselves the ‘History Dudettes’. At whole school level, an example would be Reports a joint staff-student evaluation of the Reports to Parents system. Students as knowledge creators (see Table 4) deepens and extends the egalitarian thrust of the co-enquiry approach. Partnership and dialogue remain 4 Students as knowledge creators the dominant ways of working, but here it is the voice of the student that Students take lead role with active staff support comes to the fore in a leadership or initiating, not just a responsive, role. It is Classroom Development of students who identify the issues to be pursued and students who subsequently Student-Led Reviews undertake the enquiry/development with the support of staff. At classroom level, this has sometimes expressed itself through annual Student-Led Reviews Unit/team/ Is the playground which replace traditional Parents’ Evenings (where parents come to the school department buddying system to hear the teacher’s views about the progress of their child). At unit/team/ working? department level, a good example comes from a Student Year Council who School What is the cause of low were concerned that their playground buddying system was not working in level bullying in class? the ways they had hoped. At whole school level, students in an innovative secondary school used photo-elicitation as part of their enquiry into the causes of low-level bullying that went largely undetected by staff.

12 Connect 197: The Joint authors model (see Table 5) involves a genuinely shared, fully 5 Students as joint authors collaborative partnership between students and staff. Leadership, planning and Students and staff decide on a conduct of research and the subsequent commitment to responsive action joint course of action together are embraced as both a mutual responsibility and energising adventure. At Classroom Co-construct eg a classroom level, this might express itself through the co-construction of, for Maths lesson example, a Maths lesson. At unit/team/department level, this might take the form of a Research Lesson in which, say, three staff and three students co-plan Unit/team/ Develop a ‘Research a lesson, observe it, meet to discuss the observation data, plan version two in department Lesson’ for the the light of it and repeat the process. And all of this endeavour is undertaken department on behalf of the team/department and their students. At whole school level, School Joint student and staff this kind of approach might express itself in a jointly led Learning Walk. Here a Learning Walk focus or centre of interest is agreed and the school (and any other participating institution) becomes the site of enquiry within which the focused Walk is undertaken. Finally, the Intergenerational learning as lived democracy approach (see 6 Intergenerational learning Table 6) extends the shared and collaborative partnership between students as lived democracy and staff in ways that (a) emphasise a joint commitment to the common good, Shared commitment to/responsibility and (b) include occasions and opportunities for an equal sharing of power and for the common good responsibility. At its best it is an instantiation and explicit acknowledgement of Classroom Students and staff plan the creativity and promise of intergenerational learning. lesson for younger At classroom level, it might involve staff, students and museum staff planning students a visit to a museum for younger students. At unit/team/department level, this Unit/team/ Classes as critical friends might take the form of classes acting as critical friends to each other in the wider department in thematic conference context of a thematic or interdisciplinary project within and/or between years. At School Whole School Meeting whole school level, this might express itself through the development of Whole to decide a key issue School Meetings that are such an important iconic practice within the radical traditions of both private and publicly funded education.

Democratic fellowship and the demands of deep democracy Deep democracy Whilst deliberately naming democracy as a form of partnership Democracy is about more than fixing and tweaking and that is pre-eminently desirable and incrementally achievable nudging incentives to make markets work better...(It) is in schools through something like the patterns of partnership about much more than maximising GDP, or satisfying between adults and young people, it is important to say consumer preferences. It’s also about seeking distributive a little more about the view of democracy on which such justice; promoting the health of democratic institutions; advocacy rests. In so doing it is also important to relate it to and cultivating the solidarity, and sense of community that earlier arguments about relationships as a key component democracy requires. Market-mimicking governance – at its in the nexus of power and purposes that define and enable best – can satisfy us as consumers. But it can do nothing to the intergenerational work that schools and the wider make us democratic citizens. (Sandel, 2009: 4) practices of society intend and develop. Relationships as an Of course, many will disagree with Sandel and with me: integral component of the nexus of power and purpose in but that is as it should be. Democracy is an essentially contested reconfiguring our aspirations and practices is fundamentally concept and part of its health and legitimacy depends on the tied to, though not exhausted by, a view of democracy that disagreements which make up its ideal aspirations and its daily insists on the link between the personal and the political, enactment. As I suggested earlier, the same is true of student between democracy’s purposes and the means by which it voice: it cannot be a neutral technology. The machinery of seeks to realise its intentions. democracy, and student voice as one of its many instantiations, Democracy is much more than a collaborative mechanism must articulate and enable the kinds of human encounter, the by which we agree our aspirations, take action, hold each kinds of living and learning which democracy intends. other to account and revise or renew our commitments in The practical realisation of deep democracy will the light of public deliberation. It is primarily a way of living ultimately and immediately depend on the lived dispositions and learning together at the heart of which lie the three and values, on what writers within this tradition have often mutually conditioning commitments to freedom, equality called fellowship, or what I, for reasons sketched out below, and community. Certainly, it transcends the now ubiquitous call democratic fellowship. Democracy needs fellowship intrusions of the market in much contemporary theory and to forestall, for example, the tyranny of a populist or racist practice of democracy. As Michael Sandel has so eloquently injustice: fellowship needs democracy in order to forestall, for reminded us, example, the wistful reaffirmation of hierarchical communities Democratic governance is radically devalued if reduced in which all come, once again, to know and love their place. to the role of handmaiden to the market economy. For me, as for writers like the great Scottish philosopher John

October 2012 13 Macmurray, fellowship is the point of fellowship perspective not only insists presentation of the achievements and politics. Indeed, politics ‘has significance on the necessity of emancipatory values aspirations which lie at the heart of the only through the human fellowship guiding its development, it also requires Review process. They also transcend an which it makes possible; and by this its a similarly open and creative set of exclusive preoccupation with reductive validity and its success must be judged’ dispositions and understandings that measurement and the myopia of (Macmurray, 1950: 69–70). Democratic provide the motivational energy and performance: here young people are fellowship is not just the point of politics, responsive engagement at the heart of asking profound, practical questions but the precondition of democracy’s its aspirations. about what it means to lead a good life, daily development and future flourishing: not merely map a partial picture of some ‘the extent and quality of such political Democratic fellowship in action of its narrower components. freedom as we can achieve depends in How, then, might democratic fellowship the last resort upon the extent and quality engage with the lived realities towards Reaffirming and renewing of the fellowship which is available to which I have gestured in my six-fold radical democratic sustain it’ (Macmurray 1950: 69). Human ‘patterns of partnership’? Space permits fellowship is at once the precursor to only one or two examples: traditions of education and hope of democratic politics which is A democratic fellowship reading of My hope is that my patterns of partnership both its agent and an important site of its the classroom example of Partnership typology and the democratic fellowship prefigurative enactment. ‘The democratic 1 - Students as data source in which perspective for which I have argued will slogan - liberty, equality fraternity - staff utilise information about student not only challenge the domination of neo- embodies correctly the principles of progress and well-being might draw liberal perspectives, but also provide a human fellowship. To achieve freedom attention to and encourage a teacher practical means towards the realisation of and equality is to create friendship, to to go beyond test data and draw democracy as a way of living and learning constitute community between men’ on her emerging knowledge and together and of schools as themselves (Macmurray, 1950: 74–75). understanding of the student’s range examples of democracy in action. If we supplement this relational view of involvement in many areas of the However, practical steps of the kind I am of democracy which presumes, nurtures curriculum, and on her developing suggesting will not be enough to support and anticipates more inclusive and more knowledge and appreciation of the and sustain the development of schools generously conceived forms of human young person in both formal and as democratic learning communities. We sociality with a number of other allied informal and school and non-school also need at least two other enabling considerations, a fully fledged democratic situations, including those in which she commitments. fellowship perspective will interpret and is developing her agency as a public These are, firstly, an analytic tool that act on the patterns of partnership with actor in communal and interpersonal helps us to identify key factors that not very different understandings, intentions contexts. only name what we are committed to, but and results to those who approach them A democratic fellowship reading of also points to the core elements that are from market-led, neo-liberal standpoints. the classroom example of Partnership necessary to sustain and develop our work Three such considerations seem 4 - Students as knowledge creators over time. Secondly, we must actively and to me particularly apt here. Firstly, there in which students take a lead role with extensively draw on radical democratic will be an optimistic, enabling view of active staff support would bring out traditions of public education: we must, what young people are capable of that the fact that students themselves have in other words reclaim our histories, was at one time much more widely responsibility for organising the Annual for without them we are prisoners of a held by, amongst others, the now Review meeting by liaising between contextless present and an impoverished much maligned progressive education themselves, their teachers and their future. movement. Secondly, there will be an parents, about mundane but important The first of these imperatives, which acknowledgement, tacit or otherwise, practicalities. These would include, for I have explored in some of my recent that those more open views of young example, the student attending to the work, will not detain us here (see Fielding people are partnered with both a respect physical details of the meeting such as and Moss, 2011). I do however, wish to and a regard for what the children’s rights seating arrangements that reflect who draw this lecture to a close by saying movement has done so much to develop and what are the central focus of the just a little about the second imperative, in the last two decades. Thirdly, and this imminent dialogue. It would also bring about the necessity of countering what is the point it is important to press most out the student’s leading role in the E.P.Thomson once tellingly called ‘the insistently here, attention will be paid to moral and existential conduct of the enormous condescension of posterity’ relationships, to care as well as to rights, encounter as well as the establishment (Thompson, 1968: 13). My strongly held justice and power. When teachers and of clarity about outcomes and the view is that there is a necessary link students begin to work in these new resulting responsibilities of each of the between our pasts and our capacity to ways they are not just redrawing the partners involved. Furthermore, in some understand the present and shape the boundaries of what is permissible and of the best examples I know of, the future in ways that our values demand thereby jointly extending a sense of fellowship dimensions of the Review and our hopes suggest. Russell Jacoby is what is possible: they are also giving Meeting involve not just the teachers entirely right in his judgement that any each other the desire and the strength and parents, but a group of the young society that has lost its memory has also to do so through their regard and care person’s peers who act as critical friends lost its mind. ‘The inability or refusal to for each other. In sum, a democratic to the student in the preparation of the think back takes its toll in the inability to

14 Connect 197: think’ (Jacoby, 1977: 3-4). We cannot think the present or the future unless we think our pasts. More sombrely, the great Czech novelist, Milan Kundera, reminds us that: ‘The struggle of man against power is the References struggle of memory against forgetting’ Bloom, A. A. (1953) ‘Self-Government, Kundera, M. (1982) The Book of Laughter (Kundera, 1982:3). Study and Choice at a Secondary and Forgetting, London, Faber. Modern School’, New Era 34 (9): 174- Just as there is no one history, so Macmurray, J. (1950) Conditions of 177. there is a plurality of alternative traditions Freedom, London, Faber. reflecting particular standpoints, Case, H. (1966) ‘A Therapeutic Discipline Sandel, M. (2009) ‘A new politics of the preoccupations and aspirations. Following for Living’, New Era 47 (7): 131-136. common good’, Lecture 4, BBC Reith the advice of Roberto Unger, we must Fielding, M. (2005) ‘Alex Bloom: Pioneer Lectures, 30th June. find our genealogies, not merely inherit of radical state education’, Forum 47 Shier, H. (2001) ‘Pathways to participation: them (Unger, 1998: 235). For me that (2 & 3): 119-134. openings, opportunities and genealogy would include, for example, Fielding, M. (2010) ‘Whole School obligations’, Children and Society, 15 the pioneering work of Alex Bloom in Meetings and the development (2): 107–117. the East End of London from 1945-1955 of radical democratic community’, Thompson, E.P. (1968) The Making (Bloom, 1953, Fielding, 2005), Howard Studies in Philosophy and Education, of the English Working Class, Case’s work in a residential special school published online 13 November. Harmondsworth, Penguin. in Hertfordshire, England from 1958-1972 Fielding, M. & Moss, P. (2011) Radical (Case, 1966, Fielding, 2010), and Lawrence Unger, R.M. (1998) Democracy Realized, education and the common school: Kohlberg’s work in the USA during the London, Verso a democratic alternative, Abingdon, 1970s and 80s (Kohlberg, 1980, Fielding, Michael Fielding Routledge. 2010). For readers of this paper and for m.fi[email protected] recipients of College of Teachers awards Hart, R. (1992) Children’s Participation: the genealogies will be different. The From tokenism to citizenship. Florence: UNICEF International Child PROFESSOR MICHAEL FIELDING is key point, however, is the necessity Emeritus Professor of Education at the of commitment: you must choose a Development Centre. Institute of Education, University of historical narrative that expresses the kind Jacoby, R. (1977) Social Amnesia: a London. Well known for his work in the of student voice work you admire and the critique of conformist psychology fields of radical education, student voice, kind of future to which you aspire. There from Adler to Jung, Hassocks, school leadership and professional is no neutral ground to occupy. Harvester Press. learning, Michael brings a perspective strongly influenced by person-centred, Student voice is not a technique Kohlberg, L. (1980) ‘High school radical democratic traditions of publicly devoid of aims or purpose: those purposes democracy and educating for a funded education. If we forget history exist, either explicitly or, more frequently, just society’, in R. Mosher (ed) Moral or marginalise purposes we may get implicitly in the policy context or wider education: a first generation of somewhere faster - but not where we zeitgeist that gives energy and resonance research and development, New need to go. to its contemporary appeal. York, Praeger: 20-57.

Perspectives on Student Voice

Student Voice Panel in Brisbane he 17th Annual Values and Leadership Conference, • Samantha McClelland, Year 12 student, Balwyn High School held in Brisbane at the start of October, featured a panel and (ex) executive member, VicSRC, Vic; Tof Australian and US speakers around ‘Student Voice and • Roger Holdsworth, Youth Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate Participation in Australian Schools’. The panel was convened School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Victoria and by Professor Dana Mitra, Director, Willower Center for Ethics editor of Connect; and Leadership, Penn State University, USA. • Dr David Zyngier, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Vic. This innovative session brought together Australian Panelist presented brief outlines of their work and involve- researchers, practitioners and policy makers to examine how ment in the area of ‘student voice’ and then took part in a issues of student voice and participation are conceptualised conversation about current dilemmas and successes related to and implemented in schools. Panelists were: voice and participation. Questions to the group focused on key • Dr Kaye Johnson, Department for Education and Child issues in the field including how to mobilise support for voice Development, SA; projects, issues of sustainability of long term work, and positive • Lynne Searle, Principal, Gosford High School, NSW; and negative outcomes of previous efforts. • Eve Mayes, former teacher at Condell Park High School and For further information and summary of the panel, contact graduate student at University of Sydney, NSW; Dana Mitra: [email protected]

October 2012 15 Perspectives on Student Voice

… asking for student Why it matters to me... opinions and, listening o speak and to be heard: it’s a plea at the heart of every human to student voices, being. It is especially important to acknowledge this desire within reminds teachers that Teducational dimensions, specifically in acknowledgement of the students possess voice of the child. Student Voice is an important social issue and, as a beginning teacher, I wish to explore the ways in which I can respond unique knowledge to it in my classroom. and perspective about Although schools are designed for for democratic and educational their schools and their young people, they are rarely designed engagement is incredibly important to learning, which adults in co-operation with young people (Osler me and vital to the way I see myself as 2010). School, it seems, is something that a teacher. cannot replicate. happens to students: they are recipients Such a focus on the relationships (Mitra, 2007: 728) of an educational process. This ‘banking’ between students and those around concept of education (Freire 1996), in them (for example fellow students, and to be understood, both in terms of which students are seen as empty minds teachers, parents, administrators, the placing themselves within the classroom that are to be filled by the knowledge of community) helps to open up the notion but also as individuals and human beings the teacher, locates students as inferior to of Student Voice as a holistic approach, within the world. This kind of holistic adults and hence devalues their opinions. rather than treating it as an issue that is approach attempts to facilitate students On the contrary, their perspectives, and only relevant in specific circumstances as participants (as opposed to recipients) consequently their needs, are matters with select individuals for example, of importance to them and to their within their learning environment. education. Valuing students To develop such an approach is a is about ways in which we, as complex task but I think it can be more teachers, respect their human effective in offering avenues that enable rights and, compatible with real Student Voice than offering limited our ethical standards, which opportunities where they may be able to we apply to adult citizens. express themselves or see others speak Student Voice highlights on their behalf. the ways in which education, “Recognising and building on the democracy and social knowledge and competence of students, justice are tightly linked, in enabling them to make decisions about responding to the strong their own investigations, and ensuring desire for a reciprocal that they can experience positive relationship between teachers outcomes that make a difference to and students. Osler (2010: 80) their environments – these seem to be illustrates this through the principles of effective and engaging following student quotes: learning in any classroom.” (Holdsworth “I would feel better at school if 2012: 12) teachers treated me the way they like to be Student Representative Councils. Such As teachers, there are many ways treated.” representative committees often focus of helping to enable or disable student on leadership and upon developing “I think by being respected for who I am and voice. Many of these are foundational but the skills of the few students elected or what I am will make me a better student.” often overlooked; the ways in which a appointed to elite positions (Holdsworth teacher talks to or shouts at their students, “If you complain about the teachers no 1998: 9). punishes, restricts rewards and generally action is usually taken. If a teacher complains As a teacher, the biggest difference exercises authority can all be seen as about you, you always get a report, warning I can make is to be very aware of ways that hinder positive relationships. and a very big investigation. I have always tokenistic gestures or mere symbolic Alternatively (and referring back to the wondered what has happened to equal representations (both of which often idea of reciprocal respect and the ways rights?” eventuate in what may be called a we can treat and value another human “[It would help] if they [teachers] listened ‘false voice’). Rather, Student Voice is being), actions such as active listening, once in a while to our views instead of an underlying perspective that should valuing opinions, engaging students thinking they’re always right. If teachers inform teaching both on a day-to-day as partners in educational planning, want respect they should give students basis and in the larger sense of the in research, teaching, evaluating, and respect too and they should also respect our school and the way it is run. To take decision making are positive steps ideas and our views.” such a holistic approach with the issue toward opening avenues for effective The idea that a positive relationship is to form foundations of respect and communication and creating a dialogue based upon understanding, respect build positive relationships that can with students. These indicate the moral and fairness can be the pivotal point help every single student to understand and ethical (as well as pragmatic) reasons

16 Connect 197: why students should be consulted about to guide and direct a certain way of learning, Bibliography their schooling. while also being open to the unknown. In Chomsky, Noam. On Democracy and “It is argued that there is an increasing order to help me in the creation of this unit, Education. New York: Routledge, 2003 I have been referring constantly to Connect need for engagement of students more Dewey, John. The Child And The directly with the immediate purposes and to a key section in the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT): Curriculum, The School And Society. for their learning. The curriculum must Combined edn. Chicago: The University include the capacity and willingness of A learning environment that promotes of Chicago Press, 1956. students to act upon their learning - to independence, interdependence and produce something of value, to be valued self motivation: Dewey, John. Democracy And Education: An introduction to the philosophy and to value one’s self as someone who - Provides opportunities for students can ‘make a difference’ - that goes of education. Sioux Falls: NuVision to make individual and collaborative Publications, 2009. beyond the teacher and beyond the decisions about how they will classroom.” (Holdsworth 1998: 4) undertake learning tasks Fielding, Michael. ‘New Wave’ Student Voice and the Renewal of Civic Society, - Ensures class discussion is not London Review of Education, Vol. 2, No. 3, dominated by the teacher’s voice November 2004. - Canvasses student opinion Fletcher, A. Meaningful Student - Ensures students are encouraged Involvement: Guide to Students as to be involved in determining the Partners in School Change, created aspects of a particular topic that for SoundOut.org in partnership with they wish to cover, and design their HumanLinks Foundation, 2005, retrieved own assessment tasks 31st March 2012: www.soundout.org/ - Ensures not all decisions relating frameworks.html to all projects, research and investigations are made by the Foundation For Young Australians, Real teacher Engagement with Real issues: An Evaluation into the ruMAD? Program, (See: www.education.vic.gov.au/ 2008, retrieved 31st March 2012: www. studentlearning/teachingprinciples/ fya.org.au/media/publications/ principles/default.htm) Currently, and as a result of my Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy Of The research on this issue, I am developing Both of these sources lead and inspire Oppressed. tr. M.B. Ramos. London: a unit plan that seeks to address and this kind of approach in the classroom. Penguin, 1996. incorporate a real Student Voice through It has been very challenging to allow Holdsworth, R. ‘Engagement...Hope... curriculum negotiation. The underlying enough scope for students to have the requirement is to teach drawing Optimism...Enthusiasm’, Connect, no. 193, opportunity to own their decisions as a February 2012. techniques to a class of approximately whole group and also individually, and 29 Year 9 girls at a Catholic Girls College to create a classroom where all voices are Holdsworth, Roger. Schools that create in the inner city suburbs. Within the heard and all students can move from ‘voice real roles of value for young people, framework of this learning outcome, I to action’ within the unit. Although this has 4th UNESCO International Conference, would like to facilitate the students in been admittedly a daunting process for Bangkok, 1998. designing their own task and end result. me, such challenges are very welcome, Holdsworth, R. Connect, Back Issues I hope that, through understanding and and it has really helped to affirm the Online, Retrieved March 2012: www. participating in the decision-making, validity and value of the implementation of asprinworld.com/Connect1/contents. students can effectively engage in how real Student Voice. This is one of the most html they learn and what they learn. The most important aspects of teaching for us to Manefield, John et al. Student Voice: difficult aspect for me has been knowing consider. In the end, students are the most A historical perspective and new where to create boundaries (if any) and important stakeholders – what they say directions. Melbourne: Department of understanding my role as a teacher in this should matter and should effect change. Education, 2007. kind of environment. It is difficult to plan an unpredictable unit (and perhaps a Emma Waheed Mitra, D. Student Voice in School contradiction), and to reconcile my need [email protected] Reform: From listening to leadership. As cited in Thiessen, D. & Cook-Sather ed. International Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School. Dordrecht: Springer, 2007. Osler, Audrey. Students’ Perpectives on Schooling. England: Open University Press, 2010. Pearl, A., Grant, D. & Wenk, E. ed. The Value of Youth. Davis CA: Intentional Dialogue Press, 1978. Thiessen, D. & Cook-Sather ed. International Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School. Dordrecht: Springer, 2007

October 2012 17 Perspectives on Student Voice

Convenient or Inconvenient Student Voice? tudent Voice is being thrown around these days as something special, unique, and never wrong. The simple fact is that while Bullying: Student Voice? Sall children and youth in schools are powerful beyond measure and n a lot of educators’ minds, important beyond words, ‘Student Voice’ is nothing that should be ‘student voice’ only happens romanticised or put on a pedestal. It should be integrated, normalised, Iwhen adults direct learners to and mainstreamed, but not worshiped or seen as infallible, because share their thoughts in ways that’s simply not true. that are acceptable in schools. Whether embedded in the Student Voice is any curriculum, listened to through expression by any learner adult-led student forums, or anywhere in any school about guided in carefully moderated anything, for any purpose. Many well-meaning adults in school websites, student voice is often who advocate for Student Voice painted as the cuddly, friendly, and are often talking about what is convenient precursor to ‘student convenient for us as adults. engagement’. Convenient Student Voice ... However, after more than a happens whenever adults decade of working with schools know who is going to speak, across the US and Canada to promote what is going to be said, Meaningful Student Involvement where its going to be shared, researcher Michael Fielding showed, throughout the education system, I when its going to happen, and what there are numerous considerations have discovered that student voice the outcomes are going to be. Adults that determine whether Student is a multifaceted reality that occurs might not have written the script, Voice is deliberately embraced within throughout schools, all the time. but what is said is no surprise to us. schools. Race, socio-economic status, Today I define ‘student voice’ as any This can include the young person gender, sexual orientation, educational expression of any learner about any speaking to the school board, the attainment, or other identities frequently facet of education. It is shared by the student advisory council, and the determines whether or not Student kid who runs out in the hallway after student researcher program. It can Voice is heard, engaged, interacted class and scribbles “Mrs Jones Sux!”, also include the traditional student with, approved of, or denied, ignored, or as well as the student government leaders in your school or education penalised. president who writes a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. It’s program, the debate club, or the My work with SoundOut has the girls texting answers to the test action learning program in class. taught me that there is much more under the desk, as well as the debate Inconvenient Student Voice ... Student Voice happening than adults team captain speaking at the mock ever approve of: Inconvenient Student is when young people express government event. themselves at school in ways that Voice is all over. It’s a matter of whether This shows us how bullying is aren’t predictable. They share ideas, adults actually want to hear it. I built the clearly an expression of student voice. shout out thoughts, take action, SoundOut website after conducting an While inconvenient and disconcerting, reflect harshly, or critique severely. international scan of Student Voice in approaching bullying from this They write, draw, graffitti, paint, the early 2000s. My booklet Stories of understanding can allow educators play, sing, protest, research, build, Meaningful Student Involvement shares to discern the genuine source of why deconstruct, rebuild, examine, and some of what I found. bullying happens. Repressed actions, do things that adults don’t know, What do you think? Where does ideas, knowledge, and beliefs need understand, approve of, or otherwise Student Voice have a role in your an appropriate outlet, and schools predict. Inconvenient Student school, convenient or otherwise? Is are positioned to engage both young Voice can be students graffitting on there anything you can do to embrace people and adults in learning through lockers at school, bullying, texting Inconvenient Student Voice? Are there Meaningful Student Involvement. test answers back and forth, joining times when Student Voice might be gangs, or protesting teacher firings inconvenient for you, but convenient for Learn more about this from the and bad cafeteria food. other adults? new SoundOut Focus Paper: Student Voice and Bullying. It’s available online The difference between these Adam Fletcher at http://tinyurl.com/9oxohjc two approaches depends on location, [email protected] position, and circumstance. As UK www.SoundOut.org Adam Fletcher

18 Connect 197: Perspectives on Student Voice

Second Annual Student Voice Seminar Draws Wide Range of International Participants and Inspires New Projects hile there are many definitions of ‘student voice’, there are also Peter Felten, Elon University, USA, people doing work focused on students as active participants offered some thoughts on productive and partners in educational practice, research, and reform who do disruptions, a theme he has addressed in W various contexts, including the editorial he not use the term at all. What are the similarities and differences across wrote for an issue of Teaching and Learning these efforts? What might theorists, practitioners, policy makers, and Together in Higher Education called ‘Monet students themselves, who work in various contexts on different kinds Moments and the Necessity of Productive of projects, have to learn from one another? Disruption’. Sara Bragg, Open University, UK, Exploring these questions was Alison Peacock, Head of The challenged participants to judge by what is the impetus behind the first student Wroxham School and National Leader of done rather than what is claimed in student voice seminar, called Student Voice: the Cambridge Primary Review Network, voice work, and she worked through some of Past Efforts, Current Trends, Future presented a video of her primary students the possibilities and pitfalls both of student Possibilities, held on July 1, 2011. As part and let them speak for themselves about voice and of the ways we conceptualise it. of a month-long residence as The Jean the ways in which Alison and her colleagues Rudduck Visiting Scholar in June and July have created ‘a listening school’. Drawing on these provocative arguments, as well as the rich set of of 2011, Alison Cook-Sather, Professor While last year’s gathering facilitated insights and approaches each participant of Education and Coordinator of The learning about similarities and differences brought to the seminar, teams formed to Andrew W. Mellon Teaching and Learning across levels and contexts, 2012’s seminar pursue particular ideas or practices. Taking Institute at Bryn Mawr College, worked focused on supporting the development advantage of the rare opportunity to talk with Julia Flutter and Helen Demetriou to or extension of cross-context or cross- and plan together, one group of teachers bring into dialogue differently positioned level projects. During the two days of from several different schools in the UK participants in education (teachers, ‘Strengthening Links Across the Lines’, planned how they might assess, map, students, policy makers, researchers) from participants were invited to consider and coordinate student voice efforts in across levels (primary, secondary, tertiary) overlapping realms of theory and practice their schools. Another group, composed and contexts (Australia, Brazil, Canada, — student voice in assessment and research of participants from multiple contexts, England, Italy, The Netherlands, Scotland, in primary and secondary educational focused on how to create networks across Spain, the United States and Wales). contexts; students as change agents at different countries through which theories The 2011 event was the first cross- the tertiary level; and teacher research and and practices of student voice work could level, cross-context gathering of its kind. students as researchers at the primary and be documented and further developed. A Rather than present a series of papers, secondary levels, and the Scholarship of third cross-context group plans to explore this seminar afforded participants the Teaching and Learning at the tertiary level. ‘transitions’ as a particularly critical time opportunity to explore different notions They clarified their own commitments in for students and will be continuing their and practices of student voice through one or more of these realms and sought to exploration through generating material a series of conversations that cut across connect up with others in different contexts on students’ experiences of transitions to differences of role, context, and practice. to pursue programmatic, research, and/or be disseminated through an e-book. And In addition, several contributors offered writing projects. a fourth group has taken up the notion more in-depth discussions of their work: Like last year, this year’s seminar also of ‘dissonance’ as a generative framework Michael Fielding, of the Institute included opportunities to hear briefly for conducting research within tertiary of Education, University of London, from people doing especially innovative educational contexts in several different UK, spoke on ‘patterns of partnership’: and exciting work that would provoke countries. partnerships between young people and discussion and extend our thinking about Next June (2013) will be the adults as a form of ‘radical collegiality’, as a student voice: third of the student voice seminars. form of ‘inter-generational learning.’ Mike Neary, Dean of Teaching and Participants are looking toward presenting Jean Courtney and Andrew Learning at the University of Lincoln, UK, their works in progress, inviting scholars, Pawluch, of the Ontario Student Voice talked about his work on the student as practitioners, and students from around initiative, instigated by the Ministry of producer, through which he argues that the world to participate, and mapping Education in Ontario, Canada, spoke about students are the subjects of the intellectual new ways forward. For further information their work on the SpeakUp program, process of teaching and learning, and a about the seminar and its outputs, or to demonstrating how an entire province progressive pedagogy involves reinventing register interest for attending the Student can gather a wide range of student voices the politics of production from within, Voice Seminar 2013, please contact: and present their experiences of teaching against and beyond the current social Julia Flutter: [email protected] and learning to the Ministry of Education. relations of capitalist production.

October 2012 19 Let’s hear your voice! THE STUDENT VOICE he Student Voice is a regular segment within each Some ideas about what your students might talk about episode of The VISTA Podcast. are... TThanks to a new addition on our podcast website, we have • The best thing about being on the SRC is.... made it even easier and quicker for teachers and students to • I think it’s important our school has an SRC because.... provide audio feedback that can be included in future episodes • Something great our SRC has done this year is... of The VISTA Podcast. All you need is a device with an internet • Something I have learnt from being on SRC is.... connection and a microphone. • If I was the principal of my school I would.... Simply head on over to our podcast website at: • If I could change one thing about the world it would be.... http://vistapodcast.global2.vic.edu.au/ We look forward to hearing from you ! where the following pop-up will appear on the side of the THE TEACHER VOICE page. ISTA’s aim is to support all Victorian teachers working in Vschools who are undertaking the role of SRC Teacher Adviser. To ensure our organisation is best catering for your needs, we are currently undertaking a survey to collect data about the working conditions for SRC Teacher Advisers, Click on the SEND VOICEMAIL button and hit START the work being undertaken by Student Councils and ideas RECORDING. about how VISTA can best help and support you in your role. The link to access the survey is available from the VISTA website at: http://srcteachers.ning.com The survey will remain open for the duration of Term 4 and all participants will receive a fi nal copy of the report.

EPISODE #5 OF THE VISTA PODCAST eep your eyes (and ears) out Once you have completed your recording, you have the for the next episode of The option of hearing it back, re-recording your work or sending KVISTA Podcast! Our next episode it through. features an interview with the winner of the VISTA SRC Teacher Adviser Award, Jessica Bambridge from Frankston High School. In her interview, Jessica shares details of the projects undertaken by SRC students, details of other leadership programs on off er and strategies for running Student Councils. Episodes of The VISTA Podcast can be downloaded from the podcast website or through iTunes.

VISTA currently receives no additional funding to operate its programs and relies heavily on memberships to support its programs. Visit us at http://srcteachers.ning.com or e-mail us at [email protected] for details on how to join.

20 Connect 197: Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC)

What does it mean to ‘take action’? VicSRC Executive Training group of students may be asked or challenged to take action f you’ve been elected for the first around an issue or topic. For example, the VicSRC Executive time to the State Executive of a student organisation, what do you has been directed by students at the VicSRC Congress to ‘lobby’, I A need to know? What would prepare ‘look into’, ‘support’, ‘advocate’ or ‘develop’ in several areas. What sort you for that responsibility? of practical action outcomes are possible? What should Executive This year I was elected to the Executive members aim to achieve? of the VicSRC. Along with 12 other members of the 15-student Executive Also, if students start to think 6. Make a press release for print, radio (many of who are new to their positions), about appropriate actions at a state or TV; I recently attended a VicSRC training and level, these ideas might also be useful 7. Show the issue visually eg through planning camp in Malmsbury. To get us for students in similar situations in a video or animation - and share ready for our roles in 2012-13, we had schools when they think about their this; guest speakers talk to us, we organised practical action outcomes. what we would be working on for the 8. Create a website; year and, most importantly, we completed Previously, students in Student 9. Lobby decision-makers personally many team building activities so that we Action Teams had defined their actions (1:1 meeting) or by phone: go and would work effectively as a group. under headings of the ‘four Es’: see them and ask for their support; After an initial briefing about the • Engineering 10. Develop a campaign: petition, camp, some team building exercises and • Enforcement twitter, facebook group - and get it games enabled us to get to know each • Encouragement to go viral. other a little better. This was built on with a • Education low ropes course (focusing on supporting Students recognised that the first each other) and the highlight of this part Brainstorming around an issue step was to do some serious research of the camp: the giant swing ... 14 m high! under these headings (eg setting them about their issue: finding out about Each of us participated - even those who up as column headings in a little chart) its meaning and details; investigating were afraid of heights - and had a great led students to think of many examples what others thought; checking what time. of actions they could take. was already happening. We also started work on the resolutions that were passed at Congress. At a recent VicSRC Executive They would then think about Training Camp, students extended on These are the topics that, as a group, we will what outcomes they wanted, and be working on for the next 12 months. We this model by thinking of the practical what would be the most effective actions they could take to achieve decided on our individual portfolio areas, actions to achieve these. The nature talked about how to do an effective job in outcomes within their various issue/ of the issue will determine which of these and began our plans. We also learnt topic/portfolio areas. They came up the above practical actions are most more about the history of the VicSRC: what with ten ideas: appropriate. we, the new Exec members, are inheriting. 1. Write up examples of current practices There was training and discussions about Maybe there are more as case studies; meeting procedures, how to take effective possibilities. minutes, how we can better represent 2. Develop a resource for SRCs, schools secondary school students and what we or individual students to use; If you have examples of actions you have taken, or ideas about other can do to get them involved. 3. Write a letter or a proposal to a things you could do, please share After the camp, I’m feeling much decision-maker; them. more confident in my ability to represent 4. Organise an event: a conference, Victorian secondary students in the forum, professional development etc; What does it mean to you to: organisation. ‘take action’? 5. Write an advocacy article for Michael Swift publication in a journal; Roger Holdsworth & VicSRC Executive VicSRC Executive 2012-2013

The VicSRC receives funding support from the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and is auspiced by and based at the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic). It can be reached there on 03 9267 3744 or, for the cost of a local call from outside Melbourne on 1300 727 176; or by email: [email protected] www.vicsrc.org.au

October 2012 21 New England Regional SRC, NSW

Following Up Represent 2012 he New England Region held its NER SRC Conference: Represent The night activities included a very 2012 at Lake Keepit Sport and Recreation Centre from Wednesday competitive trivia contest and a dance 5th to Friday 7th September 2012. Seventy students from across the party with the theme Beauty and the Geek T – with some very interesting outfi ts!! region attended the Conference . The NERCATs The Conference was organised The Term 3 Regional SRC meeting and facilitated by the ten students who was also held at the conference with Contact: c/o Rebecca Maybury, attended the State SRC Conference the fi nal reports from our NSW SRC Student Welfare Consultant -South, known as the NERCATs!! and SCAT representatives and the usual New England Region school reports. The NER SRC Executive [email protected] Students took part in a variety of Team launched a competition to design workshops created by the NERCATs, a regional SRC logo. and based on similar themes from the workshops at the State Conference. The workshops included: • Strategames: Using games to highlight the need to work together (equity through games); • Mind Matters - Fantastic Five: Focusing on the 5 key elements of wellbeing; • We’re All In This Together: Focusing on tolerance and respect of diff erences in our schools; and • SRC Ethics 101: The ‘real SRC’: election processes, constitutions, SRC structure, the aim of SRCs in our schools. The groups also took part in rock climbing and initiative activities run by the Sport and Recreation Staff . The whole group took part in leadership activities focusing on what it means to be a leader.

22 Connect 197: 25th NSW State SRC Conference: 2012 Students learn the power of representation conference for students, organised by students, has highlighted the power of Student Councils to advocate and Aensure that their voice is heard. The annual NSW State Student “The workshops were incredible; Representative Council Conference was being able to captivate a room full of organised by 20 students selected onto teenagers at once was really awesome,” the SRC Conference Action Team (SCAT). said Barakah Raashed from Sefton High As part of the action team, decision School in Sydney’s south-west. “It was making and time management were insightful to help encourage our young important factors that were learnt in leaders to think outside the box and order to create this conference. bring something new to life.” “Being a part of the 2012 SCAT team This year’s conference theme, has allowed me to be confi dent, calm and Represent! encouraged SRCs to consider collected throughout the leadership role their core business. Central School in the New England because I had a great support network The questions focused on during region, said he left everyone in the room behind me,” Gillian Rae from South the conference included: with “fabulous new ideas, feeling very Grafton High School said. • What do SRCs spend their time enthusiastic and motivated to work in our This network included SRC advisers doing? SRC”. Jake Henzler of Killara High School and • Who do SRCs represent? The memorable nights were fi lled Jacqueline Ellis from Northern Beaches • How do SRCs connect to school with drum beats, trivia and a disco themed Secondary College in Manly, and student decision-making? coordinator, Noel Grannall. All That Glitters in which everyone came • How are SRCs recognised within the together and participated with full Gillian said she was honoured to be school? and enthusiasm. part of the organising team. • How effi cient and eff ective are SRCs? Muirfi eld High School representative “I have had the chance to participate Keynote speaker, Roger Euan Moyle said he learned valuable in the fantastic initiatives and been able Holdsworth, Senior Research Associate leadership and SRC skills that he could to have an insight into SRCs - to be able to at the Australian Youth Research Centre bring to his school. acknowledge that we have the capable (University of Melbourne), maintains a “It was one of the most intense and power to make real decisions and have a strong commitment to the roles of value enjoyable weeks of my life,” he said. voice,” she said. for young people in school and during his A range of activities and workshops talk concentrated on eff ective SRCs and Erika Vass were included in the conference program. possibilities for Student Action Teams. Year 11, Campbelltown High School Polly McKinnon from Bundarra

October 2012 23 Connect 2013: from Print to Digital n April 2013, Connect will produce Current Subscribers its final print publication - with issue If your subscription expires before issue 200 (see I200. However, this does not mean that your mailing label for this information), we’d ask Connect will cease, but simply that it you to renew your subscription as normal. If your will only be available electronically after subscription expires after issue 200 (and you that date. You will be able to regularly therefore will have ‘credit’ with Connect), we’ll contact you individually to see what you want to do. download your own copy of Connect Options could be to leave the credit as a donation from the Connect/ACER website (where to the work of Connect, or receive an earlier issue of back copies are currently archived): Connect to discharge paid subscription obligations, research.acer.edu.au/connect/ or to receive a Connect publication in lieu of those The good news is that Connect will then issues. We’ll send this letter out early in 2013. become FREE at that point: no more subscription 2012-2013 Issues costs. Since current subscriptions barely cover printing and postage, without those costs At the moment, all issues prior to the last six (ie all but we will be able to meet our commitment to the last 12 months’ issues) are already freely available providing information, stories, case studies and on the Connect/ACER website. The process of adding resources to the widest audience at no cost. back issues (from 2011 and 2012) will continue, with one issue added every two months until April. How It Will Work Starting in May 2013, we’ll then progressively add If you have the address of the Connect/ACER site, the remaining issues – approximately one a week you will be able to simply check it for any new – until all issues are on the website in June 2013. material. However we know that this seldom Content happens. So we will develop an e-mail ‘subscriber’ list (free) to notify you when a new issue is posted Connect will continue to carry practical stories and on the website. This e-mail will contain links resources - from and for primary and secondary to take you to an index of that issue’s contents schools – about student participatory practices (on the asprinworld site) and also directly to a in classrooms and school ... in curriculum, downloadable PDF of that issue (on the Connect/ governance, networking, community and so on. ACER site). This e-mail subscription list will open Those stories and resources will continue to at the start of 2013. A priority invitation to join be your stories. You are encouraged to contribute that list will be sent to all current subscribers. your experiences and learnings for others to read. Connect free, on-line ... starting June 2013

All about Student Action Teams, including some hyper-linked mini-case studies, at: www.asprinworld.com/student_action_teams

24 Connect 197: News and Reviews

Student Voice Research and Students as Researchers Resources Practice Facebook Group The research process www.facebook.com/groups/studentvoicepage/ • Find a focus/develop questions (that are manageable and interesting) This is a recent and open facebook group established by Dana • Think about your own experience and that of others Mitra. It provides a valuable community of people working and in that area interested in this area - in Australia, USA, UK and elsewhere – as • Decide what is the best way to investigate the topic well as access to useful resources and examples. For example, here is information about an entire issue of the UK-based Management • Design the research tool e.g. interview, photographs, in Education journal about Student Voice that is freely available, written responses and an extract from Resources for Students as Researchers • Run a pilot to test your ideas for data collection provided by the US-based What Kids Can Do. • Gather evidence (data) You can easily log on and join the group at the above address. • Sift and analyse the data • Make conclusions Repositioning trust: a challenge to • Report of findings inauthentic neoliberal uses of pupil voice • Follow up the findings Tips from Students Researching Students Gerry Czerniawski, University of East London, Cass School of Education and Communities, • You only get answers to the questions you ask. Be sure to ask the same question in different ways. Stratford Campus, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ, United Kingdom Email: [email protected] • Be careful how you word your questions. Poor questions get poor answers. Questions that lead At a time when ‘trust’ is argued by many to be on the wane people can only give you answers you want to hear. within post-industrial societies this article examines a case • Survey teachers and students, especially on the study of pupil voice brought about through collaboration same issues. There are big differences in each group’s between a secondary school (for pupils aged 11−16) and experience of school - and those differences matter. a university located in a large conurbation in southern • Explain what your research involves and why it’s England. Building on data from focus groups and individual important. Talk to both students and teachers interviews with pupils and teachers, the author suggests in advance of administering the survey. Remind that for pupil voice to be truly effective and transformative, students that it’s not a test - or a joke. Tell them how policy-makers, academics and practitioners need to move you’ll use the results. away from the ‘synthetic trust’ that typifies many pupil voice initiatives to one where authentic trust forms the • Use a free online survey website. Students and cornerstone of all professional relationships in schools. teachers can answer surveys online and get organized data back immediately. Try SurveyMonkey.com Management in Education: From: http://mie.sagepub.com/content/26/3/130. www.whatkidscando.org/specialcollections/ abstract student_as_allies/pdfs/saa_samplesurveys_final.pdf

‘Student Councils and Beyond’ On-Line! We’ve almost run out of print copies of the first Connect publication: Student Councils and Beyond (from 2005). And many of the ideas have subsequently been reflected in the Represent! kit from the VicSRC (www.vicsrc.org.au/resources/represent). So we have made all of Student Councils and Beyond (a compilation of articles and resources from many earlier issues of Connect) available on-line for FREE. It can be downloaded (as one document or in sections) as PDFs from the Connect website. Find it at: www.asprinworld.com/connect

October 2012 25 Connect Publications: Order Form Tax Invoice: ABN: 98 174 663 341 To: Connect, 12 Brooke Street, Northcote VIC 3070 Australia e-mail: [email protected]

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26 Connect 197: Clearinghouse

Contribute to Connect Anyone may submit an original article to be considered for publication in Connect provided he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorised by the copyright owner or owners Local and Overseas to submit the article. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works, but by successfully submitting the article to Connect, Publications Receivedj transfer such ownership of the published article to Connect on the Connect receives many publications directly or indirectly relevant understanding that any royalties or other income from that article will to youth and student participation. We can’t lend or sell these, be used to maintain publication of Connect. but if you want to look at or use them, contact us on: (03) 9489 9052 or (03) 8344 9637 Australian: ASPRINworld: Australian Teacher Magazine (North Richmond, Vic) Vol 8 Nos the Connect website! 7, 8; August, September 2012 Inspire (DEECD, Melbourne, Vic) Issues 8, 9: September, October www.asprinworld.com/Connect 2012 Professional Educator (Australian College of Education, Connect has a website at ASPRINworld; Carlton, Vic) Vol 11, Issue 5; July 2012 ASPRIN is the Australian Student Participation Resource and School Journal (Lighthouse Christian College, Springvale, Vic) Information Network (“a cure for your student participation 2011 headaches”) – a still-emerging concept. The section Connect Student Advocate (VicSRC, Melbourne, Vic) Vol 6 No 4; October of the website is slowly growing, with information about 2012 subscribing, recent back issue contents and summaries of and TLN Journal (Teacher Learning Network, Abbotsford, Vic) Vol order information for Student Councils and Beyond, Student 19, No 2; Winter 2012 Action Teams, Reaching High and Switched On to Learning. YAPRap (YAPA, Surry Hills, NSW) October-November 2012 There are also links from the indexes of recent issues to their archived PDFs (see below). Youth Research Centre Annual Report (Youth Research Centre, Carlton, Vic) 2011 Youth Studies Australia (Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Connect is now also Studies, Hobart, Tas) Vol 31 No 3; September 2012 archived and available electronically: International: research.acer.edu.au/connect Management in Education (British Educational Leadership, All issues of Connect are being archived through the ACER Management and Administration Society/Sage, UK) Vol 26 Research Repository: ACEReSearch. Connect issues from No 3; July 2012: The Space Between - Positioning Student #1 to #180 are available for free download, and recent issues Voice at the Heart of Leadership in Education; available at: can be searched by key terms. See the ASPRINworld site for http://mie.sagepub.com/content/current index details of recent issues, then link to and download the Northwest Education (Northwest Regional Educational whole issue you are interested in. Laboratory, Portland, Oregon, USA) Vol 13 No 3; Spring- Summer 2008: ‘Student Engagement Takes Center Stage’ www.informit.com.au In addition, current and recent issues of Connect are now available on-line to libraries and others who subscribe to Friends of Connect & By subscribing at a higher rate, the following have helped RMIT’s site – a site that contains databases of Informit keep Connect going. We gratefully acknowledge receipt of many Australian publications. You can access whole issues the following contribution since the last issue of Connect: of Connect as well as individual articles. Costs apply, either by a library subscription to Informit’s databases, or through Supporting Subscribers: individual payments per view for articles. Kim Stadtmiller (Whittlesea Youth Commitment) Bundoora (Vic)

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October 2012 27 www. Subscription and asprinworld. materials order com/Connect Connect On-Line! form: page 26 ack issues of Connect from 1979 to late 2011 (that’s almost 32 years! – from #1 to #191) are now all freely Bavailable on-line! Thanks to the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), back issues of Connect have been scanned or up-loaded and are now on the ACER’s Research Repository: ACEReSearch. You can fi nd these issues of Connect at: research.acer.edu.au/connect The left-hand menu provides a pull-down menu for you to select the

Number 189 issue number > browse; the front cover of the issue is displayed, and you Number 183 Connect June 2011 Connect June 2010 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341 can simply click on the link in the main body of the page to download a ���������������������������� PDF of the issue. Recent issues are also searchable by key words. ���������������������������� ������������������������������� ������������������������������� Availability ��������������������� ��������������������� The last 12 months of Connect (ie the last 6 issues) will continue to be ���������������������� ������������������� available ONLY by subscription until April 2013. Issues will then be ����������������� Whole Cohort Student Action Teams �������������� in Primary & Secondary Schools progressively added to this site and new issues made freely available ����������������� �� ������������������������������������ ���������� ��� �������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� there from June 2013. • Elementary Students Empowered to Be the Change: Bhutan �� ���������������������������� ��������������������������������������� Also • Once Upon a Time When Things Went Wrong: A Cautionary Tale, SA ��� �������������������������������� ����������������������������� • Three Secondary SRC Stories: Victoria �� ����������������������������� in this • Our Student Councils in Our Schools: 14 Primary SRC/JSC Stories: Victoria issue: • VicSRC: Congress 5: Will you be represented?; Representing for Change; ����������������������������������� SRC Awards; VicSRC Voice at Public Education Forum This ensures that Connect maintains its commitment to the sharing of ideas, • Reviews and Resources: Questions that Connect; VicSRC Cluster Kit Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00 stories, approaches and resources about active student participation. Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00 Number 188 Connect April 2011 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341

Planning a Student-Led Digital Literacies and Media Unit

�� �������������������������������� ��� ����������������������������������� �� ��������������������������� ���������� ��� ����������������������������� ��������������������������������� ������������������������������������� �� ��������������������������� ���������������������������� �� ������������������������������������ �����������������������������

Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00

Number 187 Number 181 Connect February 2011 Connect February 2010 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341

��������� ����������� Values-based Peer Mentoring Let us know Students Taking Responsibility for the Next Leadership Generation

������������������������� ����������������������� ������������������������������ �� ����������������������������� ��������������������������������� There may be some gaps or improvements necessary. As you use this �� ������������������ ���������� • Reviewing Opportunities for Student Voice and Leadership �������������� Also • Student Councils: What Could They Do? �� ������������������� ������������������������ in this • Making Informed Food Choices at School: A Student Investigation resource, let us know what you fi nd. (If an issue of Connect seems to be • Exploring Cyber Culture: Working in Partnership with Year 9 Students �������������������������������� • Improving Values in our School Community: A Student Action Teams approach �� ������������������������� ������������������������������� issue: • Setting Up A Student Action Team: First Steps missing, check the issues either side, as double issues show up only as one • Victorian Regional SRC Conferences 2010: VicSRC Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00 Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $4.00 issue number.) If you have any ideas for improving this resource, please Number 185-186 Connect October-December 2010 supporting student participation ABN: 98 174 663 341 let us know.

Students Most importantly, please USE this resource. investigating and acting to improve primary to secondary school transition: Three Back copies of Connect are stories of Student Action ���� ������� Teams at ����� work available on-line for free!

������������������� ������������������������������������������������������ ������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ������������������� ������������������������������������������������� ��� ��������������������������� � ���� ��������������������������������������� � ���������������������������� ���� ���������������������������������� research.acer.edu.au/connect/ Print Post Approved: PP 340646/0008 ISSN 0158-4995 $6.00

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