[Day 8] After the Honeymoon Phase: Maintaining Your Student-Centered Practices ~ How Student Advocacy Transforms Your Classroom
As student-centered educators we want students that are confident, and prepared to be leaders wherever life takes them. This work starts in our classrooms, when students can advocate for their needs.
How do your teach your students to advocate for themselves? Where do you create space for students to speak up on things that aren’t working for them? When do you let them play a larger role in deciding the future of the learning in the classroom?
These are questions that we need to ask ourselves as we move through the school year and strive to maintain our student-centered practice as the honeymoon phase of back to school wares off.
Being intentional and direct with the ways we teach students to advocate for themselves makes our job as student-centered teachers even easier, but one of the hardest parts of using student voice in our classroom is fighting against the ways our students have been silenced by the education system before they got to us.
We are going to get the best information on our students needs when they aren’t scared to open up, and teaching our kids how to advocate for themselves is one of the first steps.
Student advocacy is about empowering our students to speak up for themselves, voice their needs, and actively participate in their education. It’s not just about giving them a platform but also teaching them how to use it effectively. When we support students in becoming their own advocates, we’re helping them build confidence, leadership, and the tools they need to navigate their education and life beyond school.
So how can we foster student advocacy in our classrooms?
Here are a few strategies to consider:
Encourage Self-Reflection: Give students time to think about their learning, struggles, and successes. Regular reflection helps them articulate what’s working and what isn’t, making it easier for them to advocate for changes or seek support when needed. And you’re in luck! We have the perfect resource to help you with that: I’m Just a Kid, What Can I Do? The Guided Journal to Help You Find Your Way
Provide Opportunities for Choice: Whether it’s letting students choose topics for projects or decide how to demonstrate their learning, giving students choice allows them to take ownership of their education and speak up for what they’re passionate about. Want to learn more about this? I did a whole podcast about it!
Model Advocacy: Share your own experiences of advocating for yourself—whether it’s in a professional setting or personal life. When students see you standing up for your needs, they learn that advocating for themselves is both possible and necessary. Sometimes we even have to advocate for ourselves in our classrooms with our students, they need to see that too!
Create a Safe Space for Dialogue: Regularly check in with your students, individually or as a class, to discuss how they’re feeling about the learning environment. Make sure they know their voices are heard, and follow through on any actionable feedback they provide.
When we prioritize student advocacy, we move beyond managing behavior or pushing content; we build a classroom culture where students feel empowered to shape their educational journey.
Try this today:
Take 5 minutes at the start or end of class to ask your students how they feel about their learning in your class so far this year and what changes would help them succeed. This not only strengthens their advocacy skills but deepens your understanding of how to meet their needs.
Let’s kill two birds and commit to supporting our students as advocates for themselves and their learning.
Stay tuned and see ya tomorrow!
On the Podcast:
You can also listen on Apple Podcast, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Resources:
Black on Black Education Documentary: Watch our full origin story on YouTube.
Catch up on the Podcast: Check out our OVER 100 episodes taking a dive deep into the transformative power of student voice and student-centered practices in the Black and Brown community.
Buy ONE OR MANY of Our New Guided Journals: Get your copy for just $12.99 on Amazon. It’s a fantastic tool to help find your way. There is both a TEACHER & STUDENT version.
Contact: If you want to learn more about our Student Action Board, email me at eva@blackonblackeducation.com.
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Website: Visit us at Black on Black Education