In this weeks lecture we looked at the child’s voice in the classroom, how this can be incorporated and the advantages of this.
Arguments for encouraging children’s voice in the classroom.
- Stimulates development of skills ( accountability, resilience , confidence, turn taking, debating )
- Children can bring in their personal experiences, making the learning more relevant to them
- Children can be ‘co-teachers’ and can help other children understand concepts using ‘child’s language’
- This also benefits the ‘co-teacher’ as by talking through a concept it will help consolidate it in their own learning
- Children can steer direction of learning, which in turn increases motivation
- Can add knowledge the teacher didn’t know
- Shows the child that their voice is valued which can be vital in relation to child welfare issues
(Catling, 2014)
How can we encourage children’s voice?
- Involve them in planning of new topics
- Set up projects or clubs and make them leaders and decision makers
- Help them develop a critical eye and skills on forming arguments
- Organise debates
- Organise ‘co- teaching’
(Cartling, 2014)
Arguments against children’s voice in the classroom (with solutions)
- Not all children are able to articulate their voice – Give them other ways to be heard, eg drawing, acting etc.
- Puts unnecessary pressure and stress on the child, especially with decision making – ensure that participation is voluntary.
- Could develop a lack of respect for parents, teachers, elders – ensure that rules are in place for these discussion times.
(UNICEF, n.d)
How does a teacher’s educational philosophy influence the implementation of approaches that encourage children’s voice?
- Teachers can struggle with giving away full control as they feel it is their job, however if the child does not feel their voice is not actually going to make a difference they will lose motivation to contribute again. Therefore it is not enough to just listen to the child, we must allow them to steer decisions too.
- It is part of teachers philosophy to be the educator, however in order to get the most out of the child’s voice we must sometimes be ‘co- learners’ and learn with the child.
- As teachers we are so busy and sometimes go for the quickest method of learning. However, so much more can be learnt for example during classroom discussions.
(Cartling, 2014)
If I am honest I have never put much thought into the role of children’s voice in the classroom, however now I feel I have a much greater understand of the benefits and how I can implement this in my practice.
References
- Cartling, S (2014) ‘ Giving younger children voice in primary geography: empowering pedagogy – a personal perspective’, International Research in Geographical and Environment Education, 23(4), pp. 350-372.
- UNICEF (n.d) Every Childs Right To Be Heard. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/french/adolescence/files/Every_Childs_Right_to_be_Heard.pdf (Accessed 18/09/18)
