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Students pen a wish for their school

Adhyayan was the collaborative partner at the recently concluded National Education Conference of Don Bosco Schools, India (NECDBS 2014). The four day educational conference saw Principals and senior teachers from over 150 Salesian Network Schools congregate in Mumbai at Don Bosco School, Matunga. The overarching theme of the conference was Leading Salesian Schools in the 21st Century.

Adhyayan was provided a space to interact with delegates, students and visitors in the stall area. Two features of the stall particularly engaged visitors: our KPA wheel and the School Wish Postcards.

The KPA wheel 

Visitors were asked to vote on “Which aspect of schooling impacts student learning outcomes?” through the Adhyayan KPA wheel.

At the end of day 2, the maximum votes went to Quality of Teaching and Learning and Class room relationships, while Student Voice only garnered a single vote.

However, while this voting was happening at the back of the stall, students were clamouring to fill in the Adhyayan Wish Cards to voice their hopes for their school. Adhyayan will soon be sending these cards to their schools.

“The students were very enthusiastic about filling the cards out, and often would fill in a card and then go and call their friends to fill out the cards too” Shares Poonam Choksi, Programme Lead, AQS, Adhyayan. “The wishes students had touched on a variety of things from infrastructure to bullying to sports.”

Click on the images below to read what the student’s wishes were.

So, what does good look like when it comes to student voice? The AQS diagnostic makes the following reccomendations:

The school welcomes involving students in shaping the day to day organization and the ‘organization’s rules’. In lessons, students regulary review their own learning, with the teacher and other students. Student views are taken into account when planning the curriculum. 

Adhyayan has launched a Student Leadership Competition to help student leaders share their ideas for their schools with the rest of the nation. Read more about it here. Signing up for this competition is one way to get your students engaged in the day to day functioning of their school and bring student voice alive in your classrooms and corridors.
Keep following @AdhyayanEd on twitter and our FaceBook page for more resources on student voice and leadership and how you can provide an engaging space for it in your school.