Listening to student voice

Abstract

Abstract This article explores value of listening to and heeding student voice. By doing so, teachers learn about life experiences of students, and about how these contribute to more formal learning environment of classroom. They also learn importance of explicitly articulating and adopting a relevant learning theory that acknowledges classroom as a learning community, and so enables learning. Introduction The ability to listen to student voice is, I believe, most significant enabling factor for building of caring, empowering relationships in development of a learning community. In this article, I discuss this belief in context of emerging contemporary world view and related understandings of and contextualisation. I also discuss a theory that understands learning holistically. This is enactivism. The theory of enactivism emanates from an ecological world view. This theory is useful, because an ecosystem and a learning situation exhibit similar characteristics. Belief in importance of truly listening to student voice emerged from my research in a Year 7 classroom. Year 7 is first year of secondary school in Victoria, Australia. It usually coincides with a move by student to a school different from that in which he/she completed seven years of primary schooling (the first year of schooling is called Prep: Preparatory Year). After presenting relevant literature, I include stories of students as they communicate them--because they speak so powerfully about experience we call learning in a connected environment (for more detail see Hamilton, 2005). Relevant literature Emerging contemporary world view Until second half of twentieth century, physical world was conceived as a series of contained entities arranged in a hierarchical order (Edwards, 1999; Macy, 1983; Morwood, 1997). The emerging contemporary world view understands everything as being interconnected. This world view does not see physical life as disconnected, separate entities, but as entities that are interrelated. As Macy (1983) puts it: What had appeared before as separate entities dissolve into flows, and are seen to be patterns in these flows--patterns that sustain each other by means of their relationships and exchanges. Atoms, cells, plants, people, societies.... All are dynamic patterns, or open systems within systems. They influence each other so deeply that it is hard to decide where one leaves off and other begins. (p. 119) Macy describes all of these systems as manifesting flexibility and intelligence, as they integrate and differentiate in order to survive. This involves a process that all must embrace in order to develop (Capra, 1996, 2003; Macy, 1983). Part of this interdependent process is to engage and enhance their own and each other's capacities (Macy, 1983, p. 31). The importance of is also emphasised in complexity theory, which states that systems, while consisting of parts, are best studied as wholes, since new properties emerge that cannot be predicted by an analysis of (Capra, 1996, 2003). As whole exhibits properties that are not evident in any of parts, the nature of whole is always different from mere sum of its parts (Capra, 1996, p. 29). Each element is described in terms of its relationship to other elements. All are connected and interdependent, and terms connectedness and interdependence are further developed by psychologists and educationalists. Connectedness and contextualisation Contemporary psychologists have developed term connectedness for expressing an essential ingredient for human living (Bernard, 1997). Discussion and debate continually returns to concept, and understands its enaction as absolutely essential, if schooling is to be effective (Bernard, 1997; Hill & Russell, 1999). …