Many of us in the profession are conscious of it: Not only are we asking how we are going to keep students engaged, but how are we going to keep them talking? How are we going to make sure they still have a voice in the classroom and share that voice, regardless of what that classroom looks like? Because students can certainly be engaged, but that doesn’t mean they are always heard.

For months, I’ve resisted writing specifically about Education in 2020: Remote and Distance Learning, Hybrid Learning, The Virtual Classroom, and so forth. It just seemed so specific to this anomalous year of 2020-21. However, this notion of student voice transcends such a strange and unexpected year–student voice is an “evergreen” idea. But this shift and attention to student voice actually started with me picking up the book by Diana Neebe and Jen Roberts, Power Up: Making the shift to 1:1 teaching and learning. Technology was going to have a major presence in my classroom regardless of a global pandemic and Google Classroom developing Breakout Rooms.

Regardless of where my students were, regardless of where I was teaching from, I needed to redefine and reimagine student voice in a 1:1 environment. Sure, it turns out that this was a useful reimagining given 2020-21, but this reimagining has pushed my thinking about what school could be (to steal from Ted Dintersmith). So here are three ideas I’m definitely holding on to and keeping in the classroom, because I’m able to amplify the voices of my students equitably, meaningfully, and safely.

The Jamboard

Google announced Jamboard in October of 2016, but it has recently gotten plenty of attention for sure (How to use Google Jamboard). Read up on this tool and its tricks. Not only is it a virtual whiteboard for the teacher, but I almost exclusively use it as a Classroom ThinkTank and bridge to getting students to “unmute” in Google Meets and share. I have students post a number of ideas on the “Board” and then follow-up with having them explain their thinking. These ideas have included some of the following:

• What’s been your favorite quote from something we’ve read throughout the course?
• What major concepts are prominent from the class so far? From the reading we just did? From the film excerpt we just viewed?
• What ideas are you thinking about for your Genius Hour? Your Impact Hour? (or any project for that matter).
• What are the elements of Gothic Literature or Romanticism? The elements of a good Podcast? The criteria of an impactful figure or idea in history? What makes someone a good Leader?
• I might ask them to post an idea they would use for a prompt in AP Literature and Composition.
• Any Reflection question about the class.

Then the follow-up is easy, since they’ve had time to think and make their idea public to the class. From there, I choose students to “unmute” and share. Why that quote? That’s a great idea; explain it to us? Can you go into depth and why you think that idea is impactful? I’m thinking about nothing but valuing their voice, praising every idea we’ve curated on the Jamboard. And it’s worked like a charm, getting them to practice valuing their own ideas.

*This also works with Google Docs. I recently shared an excerpt from the opening of The Great Gatsby about Tom Buchanan, read through the excerpt as students highlighted and made comments about his characterization. Once the comments poured in, it was simply a matter of having students unmute and speak to their insights and observations.

Philosophical Chairs

This is one of my go-to moments of class, since students have opinions, have an affinity to argue their points of view, and I can teach them how to do this respectfully in class. I use the Jamboard here, as well, but in a slightly different way. The Philosophical Chair in the physical classroom involves actual chairs in a U-shape (or something similar) to encourage a debate, with one end indicating a pro or more agreeable position and the other the con or disagreement with a statement or idea. The instructor poses or projects an argumentative statement (Gatsby is in control or The Monster is the most human of characters we’ve encountered or Death Row inmates should be allowed to donate their organs).

It’s important that this be a statement (vs. a question) where students can contemplate, take a position, and discuss with peers around them about how strongly they feel one way or another. In this way, the room gets calibrated. Neutral may not necessarily be the very middle of the spectrum; in fact, there may be no neutral at all. The room may feel strongly about the statement, merely indicating varying degrees of how strongly a student feels about an idea: I agree, but I don’t feel as strongly about it as Danny. 

I then tried this with Jamboard, in a 1:1 environment, designing a template with that very U-shape. Students created a post-it with their names; I posed the statements, and they moved their post-its along the spectrum according to how strongly they felt either way. But, remember, this is about voice. So then it was just a matter of choosing students one at a time to “unmute” and explain her or his position to the whole group. Where are you at and why on the Jamboard? And I can physically see where my students are allowing me to choose some interesting positions; and each student has the opportunity to explain her or his thinking: Engagement, Critical Thinking, and Voice… The trifecta!

The Chat Blast

Kids love to message. So I knew this had to be something I wanted to utilize regularly, if not daily. And I knew I wanted to begin or end a class this way, if not bookend the session with a Chat Blast–eventually, I found great moments to use this midway through our period, as well. And I love this, because it can be used in so many ways, and particularly for brainstorming or engagement that isn’t in need of something as formal as a Jamboard or Google Slide.

1. I pose an idea, a requirement, question, or ask students to share something from their writing or wherever.
2. I have them “load” it up in the chat–but don’t press enter yet (I don’t want other students distracted or feel like their idea may be off-track or wrong in any way).
3. I give them anywhere from 20-30 seconds, count down 3…2…1, and tell them to press “Enter”–> The Blast!

It’s from here that I can peruse the chat, identify some interesting, cool, off-the-wall ideas and ask that student to “unmute” and give us her thinking–similar to those follow-up questions I would use for the Jamboard ThinkTank or Philosophical Chair sessions. But the Chat Blasts are faster, simpler, and immediately engage the students.

At times I’ve had students free-write off-line at the beginning of class, then come back to load their favorite line from their creative writing or their thesis or insight–>then “blast” away. And if they know they are going to possibly share and explain, the chat now becomes prime real estate for thinking.

At first, they may not be ready or confident sharing their voices; but set this up as a routine in your 1:1 environment, allow them to practice and praise them along the way, and this will become a standard in soliciting student voices in your class. However, there is one thing I missed and started doing later in the game: Have the class peruse the ideas in the chat–because there are always some good ones–and get students to respond to another classmate’s idea: Hey, Tara, which idea in the chat do you really like? –and Tara gets the opportunity to respond, adding to that class community.

So Where Are We Headed?

It’s the Wayne Gretzky line: “Skate where the puck’s headed, not where it’s been.” I wanted to demonstrate to my students that we can be just as engaging, just as vocal, just as loud in this 1:1 environment. Student’s struggle without that guidance or direction at first; but be intentional with a Jamboard, be intentional in setting up a virtual Philosophical Chair; be intentional with that prime real estate of the Chat feature and you’ll definitely find that you don’t talk as much and students own can own the class again–and, ultimately, the learning.

But before we facilitate summative moments for students to use Flipgrid or produce other Video Commentary; before we get students to produce a 3-part Podcast on Anchor or 3-part YouTube series on a figure or idea in an Impact Hour (another task I tried recently), there still has to be those formative moments, those consistent opportunities to share out loud and be part of a class.

I want my class to skate where the puck is headed. We may slip on the ice or get checked into the board, or even whiff when the puck arrives–but we know what direction we are going or, at least, we are trying to skate that way. It’s a direction of community, collaboration, Jamboard-ing and philosophizing, and blasting with a voice.

Check out the Teaching Flashpoint podcast episode to that supplements this blog: “Where’s Your Student Voice?”