Learning Forward

Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.

Menu

Through students' eyes

Students offer fresh insights into social justice issues in schools

By Alison Cook-Sather
Categories: Collaboration, Continuous improvement, Reaching all students
August 2010
Like most policies and practices in education, agendas for achieving social justice in classrooms are defined and pursued by adults. Missing are the perspectives of those most directly affected by what educators decide and do: students. Research tells educators how to support diverse students’ learning and thus to foster more equal opportunities for school success. Methods include building teaching approaches around themes that are relevant to and that emerge from students’ own lives, developing wellinformed strategies for countering discriminatory and exclusionary tendencies in education, and creating situations within which students feel empowered and motivated to participate constructively in their schooling. But students are best positioned to teach educators how to construct such approaches, strategies, and situations. Only students can tell educators what it feels like

Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

Log In
   
Forgot password? Click here to reset
New User? Click here to register

Authors

Alison Cook-Sather

Alison Cook-Sather (acooksat@brynmawr.edu) is professor of education and coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Initiative at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

References

Cook-Sather, A. (Ed.) (2009). Learning from the student’s perspective: A sourcebook for effective teaching. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.

 

Cushman, K. (2009). Accessing students’ perspectives through discussion groups. In A. Cook-Sather (Ed.), Learning from the student’s perspective: A sourcebook for effective teaching. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.

 

Demetriou, H. (2009). Accessing students’ perspectives through three forms of consultation. In A. Cook-Sather (Ed.), Learning from the student’s perspective: A sourcebook for effective teaching. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.

 

Lodge, C. (2005, June). From hearing voices to engaging in dialogue: Problematising student participation in school improvement. Journal of Educational Change, 6(2), 125-146.

 

Nieto, S. (1999, May). What does it mean to affirm diversity? The School Administrator. Available at www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=14894.

 

Rudduck, J. & Flutter, J. (2004). How to improve your school: Giving pupils a voice. London: Continuum Press.

Rudduck, J. & McIntyre, D. (2007). Improving learning through consulting pupils. London: Routledge.

+ posts
Categories: Collaboration, Continuous improvement, Reaching all students

Search
The Learning Professional

Published Date
Reset

CURRENT ISSUE

Recent Issues

LEARNING WITH AI
February 2026

Generative AI can be a powerful tool for professional learning design and...

WHAT STUDENTS NEED NOW
December 2025

For all students to thrive, we need to understand who they are and what...

LEARNING COMMUNITIES FOR LEADERS
October 2025

Leaders need opportunities to connect, learn, and grow with peers just as...

MAXIMIZING RESOURCES
August 2025

This issue offers advice about making the most of professional learning...

×

Register your interest

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.