George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Student Voice

Discover how students' input and expertise can help shape their classroom, their school, and ultimately their own learning and growth.

  • Student Voice

    60-Second Strategy: Participation Cards

    A quick formative assessment tool also encourages all students—even shy ones—to participate in discussions.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    Elevating Student Voice Through Senior Talks

    High school seniors build confidence by documenting their growth and learning in a speech presented to their families and the school community.
  • Student Voice

    Developing Agency With Student-Led Conferences

    When students lead meetings with their parents and teachers, they gain a voice in their education and develop skills like goal-setting and metacognition.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    Morning Meetings: Building Community in the Classroom

    Starting the day with this 15-minute activity helps students regulate their emotions and focus on the day’s learning.
  • New Teachers

    6 Opening and Closing Routines for New Teachers

    Check for understanding, manage your students, and build classroom community with these six opening and closing classroom routines.
  • Interest-Based Learning

    Explorations: Making Curiosity Part of the Curriculum

    Student-designed electives put kids' passions at the forefront of their learning.
  • Social and Emotional Learning

    Justice Committee: Using Restorative Practices to Resolve Conflicts

    Students at Pittsfield Middle High School are trained to mediate conflicts between their fellow students—and between students and teachers.
  • Formative Assessment

    6 Hand Signals That Bring Learning to Life

    Nonverbals are gestural cues that can help students quickly and respectfully communicate their reactions, needs, and levels of understanding in a fast-paced classroom.
  • Literacy

    New Teachers: Inspire Your Students to Write, Write, Write

    Introduce this low-pressure writing strategy to increase engagement and lessen anxiety.
  • Communication Skills

    Talking in Class

    Strategies for developing confident speakers who can share their thoughts and learning.
  • Student Voice

    Student-Centered Learning: It Starts With the Teacher

    Teachers encourage student-centered learning by allowing students to share in decisions, believing in their capacity to lead, and remembering how it feels to learn.
  • Assessment

    Assessing Learning Without a Test

    Challenging high school students to show their learning through a product of their own design brings out their creativity.
  • Student Voice

    Domingo: Somebody Just Like Me

    When students see themselves reflected in their teachers, it shows them that they too can succeed.
  • Inquiry-Based Learning

    Inquiry-Based Learning: The Power of Asking the Right Questions

    An inquiry-based curriculum requires both planning and flexibility, as well as a teacher knowing the students well enough to anticipate their interests and limits.
  • Student Voice

    When We Listen to Students

    If you want to know how to reach, engage, and best teach your students, ask them. Here are example questions and tips on how to ask them.