Student Voice | Scott Cairney | TEDxYouth@OSC
The speaker argues that true student voice requires more than just platforms like student government; it demands genuinely internalizing student perspectives to improve educational outcomes. The core concept is that generating diverse ideas requires diverse perspectives, as illustrated by the speaker learning about Pokémon from his own children. The ultimate recommendation is for all institutions to consistently listen to stakeholders—students, parents, and staff—to facilitate gradual, positive transformation.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker, former Pokémon enthusiast, now using Pokémon analogies to discuss education.
- The speaker has children who love Pokémon, leading him to teach basic concepts like "team composition" to them.
- The speaker currently serves as an 11th grade advisor and occasionally teaches 11th graders.
## Theses & Positions
- Generating a high volume of good ideas requires incorporating a lot of different perspectives, which is the definition of Divergent thinking.
- Schools must move beyond merely acknowledging student voice (e.g., through student government) to actively incorporating students into decision-making processes.
- The most crucial factor for positive educational outcomes is the relationship between teacher and student, especially when students feel they have a say in the educational environment.
- No expert knows everything, and the most significant knowledge gaps are often filled by those from different perspectives, like students.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Divergent thinking:** A process used to generate a large number of good ideas by incorporating many different perspectives.
- **Student Voice:** Not just having platforms (like student government) but having their perspectives truly heard and integrated into decision-making.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Student-led Curriculum Development:** The speaker approached the topic of Ethics by asking his 11th graders *how* they wanted to learn it; the resulting conversation led to a better lesson plan.
- **Involving Students in Policy:** True student voice involves making students part of meetings where major decisions are made, such as those determining school policies or new bell schedules.
- **Implementing Feedback:** After gathering input via student surveys, the key is not just noting the suggestions but consistently following up by communicating, *"we listened and so now we need a second round of this."*
- **Decision Authority:** Ultimately, the decision-making authority for outcomes (policy changes or classroom changes) must remain with the responsible parties (principals or teachers).
## Examples & Cases
- **Pokémon Expertise vs. Children's Knowledge:** The speaker, an expert, was taught Pokémon knowledge (type matchups, evolutions) by his children, showing the unexpected source of true knowledge.
- **Teaching Ethics:** When unsure how to teach Ethics, the speaker asked his 11th graders for input, leading to a lesson better than what he had originally planned.
- **School Governance Example:** The lack of student government presence when heads of departments and grades meet highlights the gap between saying students are leaders and making them part of decision-making meetings.
- **The "Hewlett-Packard" parallel:** Citing the sentiment, *"if only we knew what we know we would be great,"* suggesting that the knowledge currently held by stakeholders is often unknown.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Student Government:** Existing mechanism mentioned, but critiqued for its superficial function.
- **Student Surveys:** A common tool, but effectiveness is questioned if feedback is not acted upon and reported back to students.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Tension in Divergent Thinking:** This process always comes with tension because people naturally argue over how things *should* be done.
- **Listening Depth:** It is insufficient merely to put students in a meeting; the critical skill is the depth of listening—*"how much are you internalizing that."*
- **Ultimate Authority:** The decision-making authority for outcomes ultimately rests with the responsible administrative body (principals/teachers).
## Methodology
- **Consultative Dialogue:** Posing open-ended questions to students about their preferences (e.g., *"how would you like to learn ethics?"*) to guide curricular approach.
- **Feedback Loop:** Implementing a two-stage process: 1) Collect ideas (surveys/meetings); 2) Report back and prompt for next steps ("What are your thoughts about how we approach that?").
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Institutions (schools, parents, companies) must take the time to genuinely listen to stakeholders.
- The goal of involving students is twofold: it helps the students grow by validating their ideas, and it helps the school grow by incorporating new perspectives.
- The challenge is to shift from merely *having* student input mechanisms to *structurally integrating* them into authority.
## Implications & Consequences
- **Positive School Transformation:** Embracing student perspective allows the school to evolve positively by validating student ideas.
- **Interpersonal Growth:** It improves student growth by making them feel heard and by showing them that their ideas are valid.
- **Systemic Limitation:** The system cannot bypass the need for designated decision-makers to take ultimate accountability for outcomes.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"It's not enough to just to collect cute little Pokemon you have to think about what kind of Pokemon you know want how to do team composition battles how to explore use items."*
- *"my student my children were allowed to speak and not only that but I learned so much from them about something that I was an expert of which brings me to my topic student voice."*
- *"if those 10 people all think really similar and come from similar backgrounds and similar experiences those ideas are very likely to be similar but if they come from vastly different backgrounds and they come from multiple experiences then those you might actually get a hundred ideas from 10 people giving you 10 ideas."*
- *"I had a lesson about ethics from talking to my students about it now I understand that this is not practical for every single lesson but one of the big key takeaways from this was that my lesson got better and I know it's definitely a better lesson what I had in mind by simply asking the students how do you want to do this."*
- *"how much are you listening to what they're saying how much are you internalizing that that is a huge part of student voice as well"*
- *"no expert knows everything and no person knows nothing"*
- *"I challenge everyone and I not just schools I challenge parents I challenge administrators and other companies take the time to listen"*