Student Voice - Pandora's Box or Philosopher's Stone - Essay Example

From this research it is clear that the modern concept of allowing student involvement within the arena of teaching learning is relatively new to UK, though the concept is not new in other parts of the world. Despite the various recent modifications made within UK educational system, it is seen that students are rarely asked to take part, thus remaining largely unheard, during reform processes. To make education more representative, views of the students must be listened to and given its due importance.

However, incorporating student’s voice does not merely involve modifying the results of the existing educational systems or locating resolutions to various existing problems. Instead, it deals with modifying processes, methods through which the students can affect the course of education. Here the authors believed that that UK educational system should be so reformed that it would function as per the student’s requirements, instead of the students adjusting themselves to the system. Such radical modifications entail changes at almost all levels, including changes within the basic UK educational culture, and the relationships between students, educationists, and the schools, where there must a disposition on the part of the educationists and policy makers to listen to the students.

Students must necessarily be encouraged so that they are become more directly involved in decision-making processes related to their education. The notions of student voice includes various activities that promote discussion, speech, reflection and activities on issues that are related to learners along with its effects on teachers, school staff and the surrounding society. Often this method comprises of methods like peer support, buddying, and other measures that promote and allow the learners to air their opinions and bring about various suitable changes modifications.

Such measures include the formation of the creation of school student councils, school boards having students as members, students as members of staff appointment board, researcher-student and the enterprises for ‘child-to-child’ activities that promote leadership amongst the learners, while supporting ‘active citizenship’ through the cooperation of these learners in various community based activities and projects (Futurelab, 2006). In its attempt to bring in students’ voice, the UK Government has mentioned categorically its desire to create a more customised form of an educational system, where the mode of teaching would cater to the needs of the students, and not the other way round.

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