Multimodal Pupil Voice: practical tools for improved student legibility (April to June 2025)
Module Lead: Dr Kelly Fagan Robinson
Though government-endorsed 'Pupil-Voice' initiatives aim to understand these alarming statistics from youth-perspectives, the predominance of English-centred/text-based Pupil-Voice excludes many vulnerable pupils' pressures/priorities from decision-making about them. This course will provide practical approaches to creative Pupil Voice delivery to reverse this trend.
This module frames multimodal, ‘autoethnographic’ (literally meaning: “self-life-mapping”) exploration and verbal/non-verbal articulation as key to Pupil Voice. Teacher training in practical Pupil Voice delivery takes a vital step toward opening communication pathways between young people, educators, and networks that support children (e.g. representation in EHC planning, true dialogue during PSHE/RSHE-delivery), while also facilitating creative ways for teachers to communicate their own needs, so that educators’ and students’ mental health become legible to support networks and policymakers.
Special focus on under-represented young people
Special focus will be placed on under-represented young people, supporting Pupil Voice as a built disposition for those differently-abled students, ESOL or disenfranchised young people who might otherwise not be represented in more language-bound Pupil Voice techniques.
Techniques include:
- Fieldnotes/unbound documentation (participant observation)
- Drawing/Mapping (proxemics)
- Informal interviewing technique (attentive listening)
- Voicing for another (Surrogate-voicing)
- Ethnographic collage
- Auto-ethnographic narrative
- Photovoice
Scheduled sessions 2025
Monday evening sessions on 12 and 19 May and 2, 9 and 16 June 2025 - 4.30pm-6.30pm (UK time) covering a survey of the multimodal ethnographic methods listed above;
Two Saturday day schools on 10 May and 7 June 2025 - 9.30am to 1.30pm (UK time).
Each Saturday school to include:
- Research keynote covering policy considerations; techniques; anthropological concepts
- Group work sharing from the previous 3 online seminar sessions
- Invited expert speakers
Assessment
Students will complete:
- A portfolio assignment in line with the work expected of 2x 1000-word piece of writing for each Saturday session
- A further 2000-word self-assessment exercise plus the completed portfolio of works for their final submission