Rusul Alrubail
Student Voice
@RusulAlrubail
Forest Of The Rain Productions interviewed Rusul Alrubail, Educator-in-Residence at Design Cofounders on the value of the student voice in creating high performing students, classrooms and schools.
What is Student Voice?
Rusul: To me student voice is providing the space, culture and environment that supports and advocates for students’ thoughts, ideas, feelings, and opinion through different mediums. Student voice can be supported through many different platforms in the classroom and school to represent the students and give them autonomy and control over their own education.
What impact does creating a school culture that promotes Student Voice have on student achievement and engagement?
Rusul: Research often indicates that student achievement is directly linked to student engagement. This makes student engagement to be an essential conversation to have when it comes to student success in the classroom. Now the question that many teachers ask is how do we engage students in the classroom in order for them to succeed in learning?
Student voice holds the key for many of those questions. A classroom and a school that supports students and their autonomy and voice often also works to engage students in learning. When students feel they have some sort of control over choice, format, activities, discussions, deadlines and other elements in the classroom their engagement increases, thereby increasing student achievement.
What are the benefits of a culture of Student Voice?
Rusul: There are countless benefits to supporting a culture of student voice. The first and foremost is that learning in the classroom shifts from teacher-centred learning to a student-centred one. Students will be able to work with the teacher to facilitate a learning environment that supports their individual learning needs. At the same time, a culture of student voice allows students to be in charge of their own learning, which in turn increases critical thinking, synthesizing, problem-solving, creativity, taking initiative and leadership.
Another great aspect of a culture of student voice is the meta-cognitive feedback that the teacher is able to receive on her own pedagogical strategies and teaching in the classroom. When students are able to take charge in facilitating and giving feedback on their own learning, the teacher is able to use that as feedback to tailor her teaching to meet their needs. Teaching will be a constant process of facilitation and collaboration to achieve learning goals.
Can the Student Voice culture co-exists in an educational landscape grounded heavily in state standardize testing?
Rusul: I always try to think from the individual mindset as opposed to collective, when it comes to things outside of my own control. In other words, what can I do on my end to support the students? Yes standardize testing is not ideal to support or even close to fostering a culture of student voice; however, there are things within the teacher’s immediate environment that she can control and as a result that fosters a culture that promotes student voice. For example: if students are working on a project-based learning unit, give students an opportunity to select their own topics. A teacher can also helps students by providing some guidelines to those who need it, but also supports the students if they would like to break out of those guidelines.
What are ways schools can empower the Student Voice?
Rusul: Schools can empower student voice by supporting students when it comes to equity, diversity and culture matters. When students see that they are accepted in their own school, they will be more inclined to participate in their own learning. Fostering an inclusive culture for students can mean different things, from policy/procedure to events and school activities. Schools can learn more about their student body by reaching out to their community and the parents. This type of outreach usually helps with creating the first steps to a pathway of inclusivity that supports student voice.
Is there a downside to expanding the Student Voice in areas such as curriculum design, developing classroom norms and other areas typically the domain of teachers and school administrators?
Rusul: I don’t think there is a downside but there are definitely important elements to consider. When schools work to provide a platform for student voice, they need to facilitate the conversation so that student voice is representative of the diversity of students in that school.
Schools also need to create a strategy whereby student voice conversations have a tangible outcome and are implemented appropriately and not dismissed. Many times there are student representatives on school guidelines/policy conversations; however, to take in their feedback and implement it requires an extra step, one that the school needs to support.
At the end of the day, we need to remember that at the heart of teaching and education is the student, and supporting their voice is the first step to improve education.
BIO
I am an Educator-in-Residence at Design Cofounders, where I help with the development and facilitation of Education pathways in Design & Entrepreneurship communities in Toronto. I also teach composition and literature. I am passionate about teaching & learning, student voice, professional development, writing and literature. I am currently working on The Writing Project, an essay writing platform for students, because I believe that writing gives students a voice. When students are empowered and inspired their voice translates into meaningful words that have the power to change the world.
To find out more about Rusul Alrubail click here!
What is Student Voice?
Rusul: To me student voice is providing the space, culture and environment that supports and advocates for students’ thoughts, ideas, feelings, and opinion through different mediums. Student voice can be supported through many different platforms in the classroom and school to represent the students and give them autonomy and control over their own education.
What impact does creating a school culture that promotes Student Voice have on student achievement and engagement?
Rusul: Research often indicates that student achievement is directly linked to student engagement. This makes student engagement to be an essential conversation to have when it comes to student success in the classroom. Now the question that many teachers ask is how do we engage students in the classroom in order for them to succeed in learning?
Student voice holds the key for many of those questions. A classroom and a school that supports students and their autonomy and voice often also works to engage students in learning. When students feel they have some sort of control over choice, format, activities, discussions, deadlines and other elements in the classroom their engagement increases, thereby increasing student achievement.
What are the benefits of a culture of Student Voice?
Rusul: There are countless benefits to supporting a culture of student voice. The first and foremost is that learning in the classroom shifts from teacher-centred learning to a student-centred one. Students will be able to work with the teacher to facilitate a learning environment that supports their individual learning needs. At the same time, a culture of student voice allows students to be in charge of their own learning, which in turn increases critical thinking, synthesizing, problem-solving, creativity, taking initiative and leadership.
Another great aspect of a culture of student voice is the meta-cognitive feedback that the teacher is able to receive on her own pedagogical strategies and teaching in the classroom. When students are able to take charge in facilitating and giving feedback on their own learning, the teacher is able to use that as feedback to tailor her teaching to meet their needs. Teaching will be a constant process of facilitation and collaboration to achieve learning goals.
Can the Student Voice culture co-exists in an educational landscape grounded heavily in state standardize testing?
Rusul: I always try to think from the individual mindset as opposed to collective, when it comes to things outside of my own control. In other words, what can I do on my end to support the students? Yes standardize testing is not ideal to support or even close to fostering a culture of student voice; however, there are things within the teacher’s immediate environment that she can control and as a result that fosters a culture that promotes student voice. For example: if students are working on a project-based learning unit, give students an opportunity to select their own topics. A teacher can also helps students by providing some guidelines to those who need it, but also supports the students if they would like to break out of those guidelines.
What are ways schools can empower the Student Voice?
Rusul: Schools can empower student voice by supporting students when it comes to equity, diversity and culture matters. When students see that they are accepted in their own school, they will be more inclined to participate in their own learning. Fostering an inclusive culture for students can mean different things, from policy/procedure to events and school activities. Schools can learn more about their student body by reaching out to their community and the parents. This type of outreach usually helps with creating the first steps to a pathway of inclusivity that supports student voice.
Is there a downside to expanding the Student Voice in areas such as curriculum design, developing classroom norms and other areas typically the domain of teachers and school administrators?
Rusul: I don’t think there is a downside but there are definitely important elements to consider. When schools work to provide a platform for student voice, they need to facilitate the conversation so that student voice is representative of the diversity of students in that school.
Schools also need to create a strategy whereby student voice conversations have a tangible outcome and are implemented appropriately and not dismissed. Many times there are student representatives on school guidelines/policy conversations; however, to take in their feedback and implement it requires an extra step, one that the school needs to support.
At the end of the day, we need to remember that at the heart of teaching and education is the student, and supporting their voice is the first step to improve education.
BIO
I am an Educator-in-Residence at Design Cofounders, where I help with the development and facilitation of Education pathways in Design & Entrepreneurship communities in Toronto. I also teach composition and literature. I am passionate about teaching & learning, student voice, professional development, writing and literature. I am currently working on The Writing Project, an essay writing platform for students, because I believe that writing gives students a voice. When students are empowered and inspired their voice translates into meaningful words that have the power to change the world.
To find out more about Rusul Alrubail click here!