Today's guest blog is hosted by Rebecca Coda. Rebecca is an accomplished educational author and publishing agent with a passion for amplifying powerful stories. She has co-authored and contributed to five influential books in education, including Escaping the School Leader's Dunk Tank and Let Them Speak. Beyond the classroom, she has published her father's personal Vietnam War journal and her daughter's heartwarming picture book about an alligator family. Learn more about Rebecca and her current projects at www.rebeccacoda.com.
Guest Blog by Rebecca
When students want to be heard, they amplify their voices one way or the other. Academic excellence, problem solving, Socratic thinking, and rigorous teaching happen when students are seen, heard, respected, trusted, and/or understood. Perceptions are based on schema and come in many forms. As Generation Z and Alpha proclaim their truth either passively or aggressively, digitally or in person, and in a healthy or unhealthy manner, they are heard. So why not leverage students' voices to amplify academic excellence?
If academic excellence is your goal, then students must be empowered to speak their truth in an authentic relationship with the goal of improving the teaching and learning experience in schools. When educators strategically amplify student voices, these narratives provide useful insights for reforming or transforming classroom community learning experiences. Student voice yields the augmented power to catalyze and make an even bigger difference than educators are already making. You hold the power to become a voice activator and to Let Them Speak!
As a mother of autistic teenagers on IEPs, student voice has mattered more to our family than ever before. Raising teenagers in a world inundated with artificial intelligence, augmented reality, gaming, live media feeds, social media, Cosplay, anime, Grok, Chat GPT, political divides, reverse discrimination, and commercialization is exhausting. The effort that teachers and parents must exert seems to have exponentially magnified, overnight. But what if I told you the answer to these dynamically complex issues facing public education was as simple as methodically and systematically activating student voices with the intent to amplify the teaching and learning experience? The educators who "get my kids" are action-oriented relationship builders who simply want to offer the best possible experience to all clients, their students. Social justice or injustice issues plaguing schools diminish when student voice is activated. Amplifying their voices leads to purpose, success, and community belonging.
Although the book is filled with vignettes and examples of voice activation success scenarios, below are five simple steps you can infuse in your teaching today that will connect people, solve problems, promote belonging, and accelerate academic success, under any circumstance. Here are a few snippets from Let Them Speak! How Student Voice Can Transform Your School.
AMP 1: Initiate the Let Them Speak! Trust Building Pledge
"I deserve to be happy. I am important. I add value to my family, my school, and the world. I pledge to use my voice when things don't seem right. I am committed to trusting, learning & growing each and every day. Most of all, I deserve Success & Happiness!" (free download)
AMP 2 Mine for Student Purpose-Driven Talents
I am good at….
People like me because…
I contribute meaningfully by…
AMP 3 Ask Students Customer-Service Style Questions as Clients
What do you value most about your learning experiences at our school?
What don't we, as educators, understand about you, the students, at this school?
What have we failed to recognize about you or your experience as a student at our school?
AMP 4 Transform Triggers through Written Narratives
This involves listening to students, casually and organically, having them write down their advice or insights, and then using their thoughts as a tool to solve real problems in schools. What if we intentionally checked in with our students, gathered their feedback, and used what they say to improve long-standing practices that have grown outdated and ineffective? After all, isn't perceptual (qualitative data) just as important as the quantitative data we gather from testing? Let Them Speak! Provides narrative examples of how these plotlines, when shared as a third point, powerfully alter outcomes in classrooms, schools, and entire school districts.
AMP 5 Celebrate Dignity, Gratitude, and Growth
The spirit of student voice can also be a saving grace for teachers and school leaders across the nation. Student voices can heal, motivate, encourage, and even thank those who work hard each day to provide vanguard learning experiences for students. Empowerment breeds academic achievement and achievement breeds dignity, gratitude, and growth.
Empowering students to improve academic experiences in the learning environment is the heartbeat of a voice activator. When adults understand their unique, innovative, and complex viewpoints, students academically deliver so . . . Let Them Speak!
"Student empowerment is not about teacher domination of the classroom; it is about guiding students, but still allowing them to learn and grow on their own." -Grace Ghali, student
"If you want me to be the best version of me, then walk with me and talk with me, and I will share with you what impacts me the most." -Karissa Wade, student
"It is obvious to me that when a teacher is truly invested in my success, it is because they take time to ensure that my classroom experiences meet my needs. The day I have a voice in my education is the day that I will truly learn." -Sal Shaboan, student
If you enjoyed these voice activation steps then you will want to explore the Eight Comfort Zones in Let Them Speak! If you are already a voice activator, I would love to hear your experiences and narratives and how they ignited student success and activated quality teaching and learning in your school(s)!
- Rebecca
Thank You, Rebecca!
Let Them Speak!
We say, “Student voice matters,” but are we really listening? This book will inspire you to find out what your students really think, feel, and need. You’ll learn how to listen to and use student feedback to improve your school’s culture. All you have to do is ask—and then Let Them Speak!
More info →
