Guest Blog: Dr Victoria Cook, Chartered College of Teaching
The pupil voice movement, which has become a worldwide movement of change in education (Rudduck and McIntyre, 2007), was given impetus by Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989). This states that every child has the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them and to have their views taken into consideration.
Of course, when seeking to include and listen to the ideas of others, we might not all agree. Learning how to engage in dialogue with people who hold different values to us is therefore crucial. As teachers, how can we support children to deal positively with uncertainty as they learn to navigate multiple perspectives in dialogue, ensuring that we do not gloss over differences that may reflect deep divisions?
Firstly, it is important to understand that not all discussions lead to an agreement. In practice, this means asking ‘authentic’ questions where there is no prespecified answer (Nystrand & Gamoran, 1991). An authentic question aims to generate genuine discussions where pupils may hold differing views. In seeking to explore what pupils think, rather than playing a game of ‘guess what is in the teacher’s head’, pupils’ opinions and experiences are valued. For example, asking pupils to discuss ‘why do you think people drop litter?’ is very different to asking them ‘should you drop litter?’ (Cook et al., 2022).
Navigating multiple perspectives in dialogue also requires a positive, open and flexible attitude towards uncertainty. Hypothetical, or provisional, language can be useful here. Words such as might / maybe / could / perhaps allow pupils to put forward ideas tentatively, helping pupils to feel more comfortable with uncertainty as ideas are gently poked and prodded by others. Pupils also need to be taught how to disagree respectfully and understand that it is acceptable to change one’s mind.
Ultimately, in generating genuine discussions where pupils might hold differing views, the aim is to encourage multiple perspectives to not only be accepted, but celebrated.
References/Further reading:
- Convention on the rights of the child (1989) Treaty no. 27531. United Nations Treaty Series, 1577, pp. 3-178. Available at: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1990/09/19900902%2003-14%20AM/Ch_IV_11p.pdf (Accessed: 23 May 2024).
- Cook, V., Maine, F., Fozzard, L. & McCaughran, B. (2022). Building cultural literacy through dialogue. In (Ed) Unleashing Children’s Voices in New Democratic Primary Education, Taylor & Francis, 145-159.
- Nystrand, M., & Gamoran, A. (1991). Instructional discourse, student engagement, and literature achievement. Research in the Teaching of English, 25, 261-290.
- Rudduck, J. & McIntyre, D. (2007). Improving learning: The pupils’ agenda. London and New York: Routledge.
