Pupil voice: comfortable and uncomfortable for teachers - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Pupil voice: comfortable and uncomfortable for teachers

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how the teachers used the pupils' ideas with their classes ... overestimated their pupils' capabilities e.g. their group working skills ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Pupil voice: comfortable and uncomfortable for teachers


1
Pupil voice comfortable and uncomfortable for
teachers
2
Key issue addressed by the study
  • This study explored
  • pupils views about lessons
  • teachers reactions to pupils comments
  • how the teachers used the pupils ideas with
    their classes

3
Ideas pupils gave for improving lessons
  • Pupils suggested
  • interactive teaching If he asked more questions
    then wed become more alert
  • linking new learning to something familiar
  • being given greater independence - We enjoyed
    writing stuff that we found out ourselves
  • collaborative learning to help them express
    themselves and develop understandings

4
Criteria teachers applied to the pupils ideas
before using them
  • Teachers needed the pupils suggestions to be
  • practical
  • popular with the class
  • likely to be effective
  • educationally desirable

5
The suggestions teachers found acceptable
  • Helpful suggestions were those that
  • asked their teachers to extend existing or
    previous practices (e.g. investigative work)
  • encouraged teachers to persist with innovative
    ideas
  • were sensible, practical and purposeful (e.g.
    discussing wrong results more)

6
What happened when the teachers tried out their
pupils ideas
  • Three different experiences
  • two teachers grew increasingly enthusiastic
  • two experienced success in the short-term
  • two teachers experiences were unsuccessful

7
Experiencing short-term success
  • Two teachers
  • decided to include e.g. more collaborative and
    practical work
  • successfully incorporated the ideas into their
    teaching
  • six months later their teaching was no different
    to before
  • felt constraints of normal school routines had
    made some ideas unrealistic

8
Growing enthusiasm for pupil voice
  • Two teachers
  • initially had difficulty incorporating pupils
    suggestions
  • persisted
  • felt the changes they had made had improved pupil
    motivation and independence
  • continued to consult pupils

9
Encountering problems with using pupil voice
  • Sometimes the teachers
  • overestimated their pupils capabilities e.g.
    their group working skills
  • were disappointed with the results e.g. having
    more discussion created more noise

10
Comfortable learnings
  • There was no need for the teachers to feel
    concerned about pupils commenting on their
    teaching because pupils
  • made constructive suggestions
  • knew what helped them to learn
  • often asked teachers to extend existing or past
    practices

11
Challenges of pupil voice
  • The researchers noted how
  • those pupils teachers most need to hear from are
    the most difficult to consult
  • genuinely responding to pupil voice involves a
    change in the balance of classroom power
  • concerns about complying with statutory
    requirements led some to view pupil voice less
    seriously e.g. relegating pupils ideas to the
    end of term rather than building them into lessons

12
Who were the children in the study?
  • Year 8 pupils from three secondary schools
  • Two English, two mathematics and two science
    classes

13
How was the information gathered?
  • Six pupils broadly representative of each class
    interviewed individually about three lessons
  • Transcripts of the interviews fed back to
    teachers who were interviewed a few days later
    about their reactions to the pupils ideas
  • Researchers investigated teachers use of their
    pupils ideas
  • Each teacher was visited again the following
    academic year to see whether they were still
    using pupil voice, and if so, how

14
How can teachers use the evidence in this study?
  • The teachers tended to act on practical
    suggestions which the pupils agreed with
  • Would having a whole class discussion help your
    pupils to make practical and popular suggestions?
  • Pupils wanted to be trusted to learn and to
    collaborate with their peers more
  • Would your pupils welcome more opportunities for
    collaboration and greater autonomy in their
    learning?

15
How can school leaders use the evidence in this
study?
  • Some teachers in the study had more success
    articulately when they persisted than others when
    responding to pupil voice
  • Would collaborating with colleagues help
    teachers to evaluate and explore together their
    pupils suggestions and how they might respond to
    them?
  • Would taking an interest in how pupils
    suggestions work out help colleagues to persist?

16
Follow-up reading
  • Study reference Pupil voice comfortable and
    uncomfortable learnings for teachers McIntyre,
    D., Pedder, D., Rudduck, J. (2005) Research
    Papers in Education, 20 (2) pp. 149-168
  • Summary available at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/re
    search/themes/pupil_voice/comfortable/

17
Feedback
  • Did you find this useful?
  • What did you like?
  • What didnt you like?
  • Any feedback on this Research Bite
  • would be much appreciated. Please email
  • your feedback to
  • research.summaries_at_dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
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