Using Student Voice to Assist Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Colonia High School's AP Psychology students have taken on the task of studying student learning. In Professional Learning Communities, the question of what “turns students onto learning” arose in almost every meeting. The staff wondered how to gain insight into how and why learning occurs, why it differs among students and what they could do as a staff to assist this process even further. The AP Psychology students were asked to take on the task by the PLC planning team to assist them in developing strategies to enhance learning. Once they studied student learning and different influences and factors of learning, the students turned their focus to studying the experience of classes and learning in the high school by interviewing their peers. The students reported their findings to the entire staff. This practice is having a significant impact on our school. The students are given a voice in their learning. All the students involved felt that this project would enhance their learning in some way.