“There must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change
that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness
that are linked to efforts to transform structures.”
― bell hooks, Killing Rage: Ending Racism 

Amplifying Student Voice

Using High Operational Practices to facilitate student depth of understanding, with their frame of references leading to student installations.

The sessions always begin with, and include within, community building exercises to facilitate student’s voices being individual and as a collaborative effort. Their cultural frame of reference is about relevancy and equity consciousness. The processes in the video clips below (Elementary, Middle School and High School Students): 

• Community Building Exercises
• Powerful Questions (e.g. on ‘social justice’)
• Inductive Categorization of their Questions (modeled with a small group, then all do in small groups)
• Defining in Context with a Circle Map (Thinking Map®) for organizing thinking with the Frame of Reference) things that matter to the students. The frame of reference expands on the why and the how.
• Creating an installation at the school
  • First the students are modeled with only using a pad of sticky notes, and writing utensils
  • In modeling we pick one idea, consider locations to post and then dialogue how we might post an installation to have our message seen and heard
  • It is helpful to model in the location of the modeling
  • In small groups each group creates an installation on a social justice issue (if that is the initial powerful questions topic) that matters to them 
• Installing the installations
• Gallery walk with the whole group to all the installations following the protocol:
  • The creators of the installation provide a brief overview
  • Positive observations
  • Questions
  • Next installation

Elementary School and Middle School

High School