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Pupil voice: how can we listen better?
For years, Scottish schools have been talking about prioritising ‘student voice’ – but how many are really listening? In too many cases, it seems, pupil councils have become easy-to-ignore talking shops. Henry Hepburn visits a student conference to find out what having an influence in school really means to young people – and what they would change if they were given the chance
Scottish education conferences all tend to have some things in common: malfunctioning technology, an inability to stick to timings and bizarre catering choices – most memorably, the jam doughnuts piled high for the break at a healthy-eating seminar.
Over the years, there’s been another common feature: a lack of students. They are frequently mentioned, of course, but often in abstract terms. You hear about the numbers gaining certain qualifications or living in poverty or facing mental health problems. There is always genuine concern for them, whatever the issue, but “young people” often ...
Students taking control of their learning
The impact of “metacognition and self-regulation” – approaches designed to help learners think about their own learning more explicitly – shows up well in education research. The Education Endowment Foundation, in analysis published by Education Scotland on its National Improvement Hub, looks at available evidence and assesses both the financial cost and educational impact. For metacognition and self-regulation, “the verdict is that it has high impact for very low cost, based on extensive evidence”. The analysis states: “Metacognition and self-regulation approaches have consistently high levels of impact, with learners making an average of seven months’ additional progress. “These strategies are usually more effective when taught in collaborative groups so that learners can support each other and make their thinking explicit through discussion.” The evidence suggests that teaching using such strategies “can be particularly effective for low-achieving and older learners”. However, the benefits “can be difficult to achieve in practice as they require learners to take greater responsibility for their learning and develop their understanding of what is required to succeed”. There is “no simple method or trick” to make such techniques work, although the analysis states: “‘Scaffolding’ provides a useful metaphor: a teacher would provide support when first introducing a pupil to a concept, then reduce the support to ensure that the pupil continues to manage their learning autonomously.” Teachers are also advised to consider whether they have taught students explicit strategies on how to plan, monitor and evaluate specific aspects of their learning. Most studies on metacognition and self-regulation have looked at the impact on English or maths, although there is some evidence from other subject areas, such as science, “suggesting that the approach is likely to be widely applicable”. The analysis adds: “The approaches that have been tested tend to involve applying self-regulation strategies to specific tasks involving subject knowledge, rather than learning generic ‘thinking skills’.” Overall, costs are estimated as very low: most projects are estimated to cost less than £80 per learner.
What do students think would improve their school?
Students want more say over the courses their schools run, how school budgets are spent and the teachers that are recruited, Tes Scotland reported in October. It was also suggested that student wellbeing could be improved if every child was given a plant to nurture and tend. The comments were made by three- to 18-year-olds who took part in the Scottish government’s Learner Panel, designed to give students a platform to identify strengths and weaknesses in the education system. The students wanted to be consulted on “meaningful” topics at school, including budget decisions and – at secondary in particular – curriculum design, and expressed frustration that secondary timetabling methods often prevented them from taking more than one of a similar type of subject. They also called for greater recognition of “wider achievement”, as well as more outdoor learning, more continuous assessment and life-skills classes to “better prepare them for life after school”. The government report says that “one of the most widely discussed topics” on the panel was relationships with teachers, which were of “central importance”. Pupils’ ideal teacher tended to be one with “a positive attitude [who creates] an environment where the students feel comfortable and included”.
‘A school run by the kids’
“This is a school that’s run by the kids, not by the staff.” So said Kinloch Rannoch Primary head Islean Gibson in a Tes Scotland feature in January – and only half-jokingly. Children at the 24-pupil Perthshire school decide on the focus of learning for the entire year. That started five years ago when science was the theme, with subsequent years covering history and – this year – “innovation”. Pupils suggest how they might explore the theme each year, perhaps planning long trips to visit a science museum, Stirling Castle or the Forth bridges, or more left-field activities such as building dams or smelting metal to make a sword. Not every suggestion proves achievable. Teacher Shelagh Illingworth loves working at the school because it takes risks by devolving so much responsibility to pupils, meaning that teachers must teach “out of the box”. “If you’d come into the class yesterday, I’d have been making flutes out of carrots…you don’t know where you’re going to go,” she said. Gibson said that it can be “really scary” letting go of paperwork and planning but that learning is “much better” now, because pupils feel they have “ownership” of it.
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Henry Hepburn
Henry Hepburn is the news editor for Tes Scotland
