Ensuring equality

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Challenge: can you create a wordle based on what students tell you would make an ideal classroom?

Key elements of student voice

Students are not "one size fits all"! Teachers should be using personalising learning for everyone.

Students should get more one-to-one support in the form of mentoring (peers and teachers) to ensure they meet their learning expectations.

Students should be allowed to "skip grades" or make progression outside of the normal path if they are ready.

Students should be taught in a way that promotes meta cognition, meaning that students should understand HOW they learn and HOW they can develop they can "teach themselves". The idea is to support students but help them to develop their independence through discovery/inquiry based learning.

Everyone should have an IEP, not just those with SEN or exceptional needs. The purpose of an IEP is to identify strategies that support the learning of the student including identifying areas of strength and areas for development. This should be in place to personalise learning for every student to reflect their individual needs and preferences.

Everyone is a learner...even the teacher!

Student voice matters! Include students in planning rules, procedures, activities, school life and all aspects of the school community...they have a voice that should be heard.

Students and teachers should be learning together in a collaborative space. Teachers should be willing to learn from students as well, in developing curriculum, activities and strategies to create engaging ways to teach the curriculum.

Makes lessons and activities useful

Embrace diversity and recognise that education should not be without a narrow ethno-cultural vision. Remember that "27% of Ontario students are born outside of Canada and 20% are visible minorities. Toronto, the main city in Ontario, is one of the most diverse cities in the world.” Include everyone's culture and experience in the classroom to make them feel included.

Give clear learning objectives and explain WHY students are learning the topic/lesson. Link it to the real world and explain WHY it is relevant to life outside the classroom. Link lessons to life lessons as much as possible to make students active citizens that can make a contribution to the wider community, within and outside of school.

Plan lessons that incorporate elements that students find enjoyable such as a including music, sports, props to promote active learning and the use of technology. Ask students what they enjoy to create a collaborative learning space.

Students want to make use of e-learning and would like more games and resources to be put online to help revise/do work at home.

School should be a safe place where students feel emotionally and physically safe to express themselves without fear of prejudice, bias and judgement. Teachers should be approachable and have a sense of humour so that students feel comfortable talking to them.

Happy people learn more - this means that if a teacher is happy and makes the effort to model that behaviour it will be infectious.