Title: The importance of giving students a voice
Headings: The importance of giving students a voice
The importance of giving students a voice
Content: However, this must be done carefully and thoughtfully. In instances where I have given students positions of leadership in my classes, I have always been amazed by the brilliance and innovation that follows. Personally, I feel that whenever students are given challenges, nearly all of them rise to the occasion and progress smoothly on the performance scale. In my extensive research on the concept of student voice and its impact on school reform, I found that by increasing student voice in schools, we succeed in mobilising students, who can help initiate and implement educational change. Listening to students identifying school problems and possible solutions reminds teachers and administrators that students possess unique knowledge and perspectives about their schools that adults don’t necessarily have. Students can raise tough issues that administrators and teachers might not highlight, including structural biases within schools. This enables students to step up their civic engagement, realising that they can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others. Students develop attributes and skills crucial to becoming involved and productive citizens, including tolerance, getting along with others respectfully, effectively questioning authority, and public speaking. Simply put, student voice inspires and empowers students to take charge of their education. Students should be made to feel that they matter and are included in the classroom and in the school whole-heartedly.