Spectrum of Voice: Developing Self-Regulation, Autonomy, and Agency

According to Eric Toshalis and Michael J. Nakkula in their toolkit “Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice,” a student’s voice demonstrates a commitment to the facilitation of agency and to the creation of policies, practices, and programs that revolve around the learners’ interests and needs.  “In this era of standardization, the practice of elevating student’s voice might seem counter-cultural but given the importance of agency, autonomy, and self-regulation in learning, it is really rather commonsensical.”

Without motivation, there is no push to learn.
Without engagement, there is no way to learn.
Without voice, there is no authenticity in learning. 
Toshalis and Nakkula

Toshalis and Nakkula explained that the spectrum of student-voice-oriented activities is where students can start articulating their perspectives as stakeholders in their learning to directing collective activities. They can move from data sources to leaders of change. The goal is for learners to have a voice in the partnership, activism, and leadership roles. As one moves from left to right across the spectrum, then roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority grow.

Voice gives students a chance to share their opinions about something they believe in. There are so many aspects of “school” and “learning” where students have not been given the opportunity to be active participants. Some students, especially those that are concerned about extrinsic factors like grades, may not feel comfortable expressing their own opinions. Giving students a voice encourages them to participate in and eventually to own and drive their learning. This means a complete shift from the traditional approach of teaching compliance that develops a “learned helplessness” to an encouraging voice where there is authenticity in the learning.

The idea of “school” is supposed to be about building relationships that develop a culture of learning. If you ask students what they think about school, you open the door to discussions about them wanting to be heard, having their teachers care about them, and about teachers really listening to what they are saying. When teachers and students engage in meaningful conversations based on real-world issues where they have a voice in decision-making, then they are building a collaborative community of learners. Dropout rates, student achievement, and workforce readiness will improve by integrating students’ voices in the classroom and in society.

“Encouraging voice refers to those pedagogies in which youth have the opportunity to influence decisions that will shape their lives and those of their peers either in or outside of school.” (Mitra, 2009)

Expression

A child comes to school with preconceived ideas about what it means to be a learner. They may have been taught at home to obey and follow directions at school. Or you may have a child who was taught to ask questions. Voice is personal at any age at even this level. As the teacher introduces a lesson, they determine the students’ prior knowledge. Students may volunteer their own opinions, praise others, or possibly object to what they are asked to do. The teacher asks questions inviting students to provide the right answer or encourages students to come up with more questions. The teacher can be working at giving students more voice in different activities such as art or constructing something in a makerspace. However, at this level, students tend to be more compliant and present a sense of learned helplessness. Students may be more interested in what their grades will be or if what they are learning will be on the test.

• How do you identify a student is at the Expression level?
• What can teachers do to encourage the student to feel more comfortable in the class?

Consultation

The teacher invites students to take surveys and polls for a consensus on issues. The students consult with the teacher to share how they learn best and have conversations about their strengths, interests, and challenges. During the consultation, the teacher and student determine the most appropriate tools, resources, and learning strategies to support their learning. This is where the teacher starts developing the relationship with each student that changes as they learn. The student discusses how they plan to meet their learning goals and the best way to assess what they learned with the teacher. These conversations validate them as a learner. The teacher then designs the lesson from the feedback, surveys, and opinions to determine the best instructional strategies based on the diverse students at the extremes based on Universal Design for Learning.

• How do teachers identify a learner is at the Consultation level?
• How can teachers work together on activities that empower a student’s voice?

Participation

Students define their learning targets with the teacher, how they plan to meet learning goals, and articulate how they will demonstrate mastery with evidence of learning. The student’s voice is encouraged because now they are more invested in how and what they learn. They are encouraged to attend meetings and participate in brainstorming ideas. Each student is working alone or with others where they use the design thinking process around different topics either individually or in groups. They are responsible for how they design and meet their learning goals. They demonstrate evidence of their learning and their participation in a group.

• How can you involve learners in goal setting and defining learning targets?
• What type of evidence will be expected to demonstrate mastery?

Partnership

Learners take on roles in decision-making in the classroom and school, i.e. committees, clubs, student council, etc. As part of a member of a project or group, they are learning together and how to collaborate. They learn from and teach each other and design and create together. Learners contribute to the design of lessons and projects based on their interests and questions. You will see learners in multiple areas in the room working in pairs, small groups, one or two students in a corner of the room, or a learner working one-on-one with the teacher. Some learners are sharing information virtually. You may even notice a group where one learner is leading a brainstorming session with their peers using collaborative tools. The noise level changes and is beginning to sound more like a coffee shop with “controlled chaos” or “messy learning.” You are now hearing an exciting buzz of voices from around the room.

• How do you see the Partnership level in your class? 
• Is it possible for teachers to let go and empower learners to take on more responsibilities for their own learning?

Activism

Learners have identified an authentic, real-world problem or challenge that they want to tackle. You may see learners in the hallways or other areas in or outside of the school with excitement about information or resources they discovered that could solve the problem. They are brainstorming ideas and generating solutions. Learners are using technology effectively to make connections and build a network of peers. They are showcasing evidence of mastery demonstrating how they tackled the problem. They may even create a call to action in an exhibition, on a website, or for their peers. This is where learners are starting to advocate for themselves and are developing self-regulation skills. This is also where you see learners protesting about crucial local and national issues like gun control and school safety. You will see more learners at this level participating in global projects like the UN Sustaining Development Goals.

Leadership

This is where learners take on a leadership role around their passions, interests, or what they want to do to make a difference. They believe in the cause to the point that it drives everything they are doing now. They self-direct their learning and take responsibility for the outcomes. The teacher takes on the role of advisor, providing feedback and any support needed in finding connections and resources to meet goals around what each learner believes is their purpose for learning. They take on their purpose to make a difference and change the status quo. This is where learners are advocating for others and what they believe in and have autonomy and agency. You may see learners running for office, for school boards, for planning commissions, or running political campaigns. Their voice not only matters, in their leadership role they make sure their voice is heard.

• Are there learners in the class who started out at the Leadership level? 
• How might teachers step back and encourage learners to take on leadership roles?

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“Young people want to be heard. They have ideas and perspective on their lives and the world around them, and when their voice is incorporated in learning, good things happen.” [Source: McCarthy, John. Activating Student Voice Empowers Learning. p.65] 

There are so many aspects of “school” where students have not been given the opportunity to be active participants in their learning. Some learners, especially those that are concerned about extrinsic factors like grades, may not feel comfortable expressing their own opinions. Providing opportunities for learners to have a voice encourages them to actively participate in learning, to own and drive their learning, and eventually to discover their purpose for learning.

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Thank You to Sylvia Duckworth @sylviaduckworth (http://sylviaduckworth.com) for designing the graphics for the Spectrum of Voice. I welcome you to use and share the Spectrum of Voice. You can download the graphic by right-clicking on the image (Control-click on a Mac) with a link back to this blog post. If you have questions, you can contact me at [email protected].

References

• Bray, B. UDL and the Why of Learning. Rethinking Learning. October 23, 2017.
• McCarthy, J. Activating Student Voice Empowers Learning. Openingpaths. org
• Toshalis, E. and Nakkula, M.”Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice” Students at the Center.

Related Websites

• Levels of Engagement
• Development of Ownership
• Opportunities for Choice
• Closing the Skills Gap
• Episode #36: Shift This! to Implement Gradual Change with Joy Kirr
• Episode #32: Connect, Collaborate, Create with Sylvia Duckworth
• Episode #114: Human-Centered Learning with Katherine Prince
• Episode #127: Amplifying Voices of All Students with Hedreich Nichols