SoundOut facilitates dynamic learning for educators, administrators and others.
Through SoundOut, Adam F.C. Fletcher offers five distinct workshops designed to support classroom practice, school climate, school improvement and more. SoundOut workshops are designed to provide educators with tools for engaging nontraditional K-12 students in learning and leadership, as well as create new ways to engage the disengaged. Tools and techniques allow participants to learn meaningful ways to cultivate and strengthen student voice, student leadership, classroom climate, and building culture.
Workshop 1.
INTRO TO MEANINGFUL STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
This workshop is a brief exposure to the purpose, practice, and outcomes of our dynamic approach to school improvement. This workshop engages participants in placing meaningfulness at the middle of school, allowing them to see beyond the academic achievement paradigm in order to become more successful. Participants explore frameworks, discuss research and identify examples to increase their capacity for action. They also learn how to design opportunities specifically for their roles, and how to engage in student/adult partnerships that can transform education.
Participants in this workshop will…
- Understand the need to move beyond student voice
- Learn the basics of Meaningful Student Involvement
- Identify new ways to engage students in their classroom, building and beyond
Workshop 2.
ENGAGING EVERY STUDENT
Focused on making every school engaging for every student, this workshop explores classrooms, hallways, principals’ offices and beyond. Participants examine different practical, purposeful ways to infuse student voice throughout K-12 schools, districts and beyond. Focused on learning and culture, this workshop can inspire and engage everyone. This workshop invites participants to explore methods to discuss this topic beyond failure and towards practical action.
Participants in this workshop will…
- Develop their own thinking about student engagement and think about current practices
- Understand there is already breadth of opportunities for all students to engage in schools
- Identify ways student engagement happens across curriculum, instruction, classroom management and beyond
Workshop 3.
POWER WITH PURPOSE
This workshop examines ways to increase every students’ personal and collective power to improve education in school and beyond. Participants use tools, discover patterns and identify real ways to increase student power, purpose and potential. Examining meaningful examples from around the world, the emphasis is on practical action to improve schools. This highly interactive workshop focuses on skill-building and group discussion, and provides participants with opportunities to explore power in schools. By focusing on positive environments and partnerships with students, participants learn to overcome resistance and negativity, too.
Participants will…
- Consider practical ways student power can improve learning, teaching and leadership
- Explore the relationships students have to power at school, among students, and between students and teachers
Workshop 4.
ENGAGING THE DISENGAGED
In this interactive workshop, participants are introduced to a set of tools to help them engage in reflective practice that can create inclusive excellence for historically disengaged learners. Participants experience hands-on exercises, dialogue, and work with The Cycle of Engagement. They are introduced to roadblocks to engagement and are given opportunities in a safe setting to temporarily put aside their own perspectives in order to experience others’ perspectives on student engagement. These new tools allow them to take student engagement to new levels.
Participants will…
- Examine their beliefs and ideas about student engagement
- Explore research-supported tools and strategies to engage learners
- Determine practical, applicable steps to improve student engagement in their settings
Workshop 5.
SUSTAINING EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
Focused on moving schools from passive responses to practical actions, this presentation shares real ways to keep student/adult partnerships at the core of K-12 schools. Participants learn about processes, activities and other hands-on ways to sustain Meaningful Student Involvement every day.
Participants will…
- Look at relationships between students and educators in their schools
- Identify research-driven best practices to improve schools through partnerships
- Learn dynamic, engaging new ways to foster partnerships in classrooms and beyond
Workshop 6.
BIAS IN STUDENT VOICE
Discussing the topics of race, gender, social class, and more are vital in schools; understanding how discrimination affects student voice is essential too. Often misinterpreted, discrimination in student voice affects every students’ agency and potential in their daily experience of schools. In this workshop, we we consider practical action steps to help us move forward together toward more equity and less oppression in student voice. Adultism, implicit bias, stereotypes, microaggressions, privilege, and oppression frame the workshop with self-awareness and awareness of others’ diversity are integral to our learning.
Participants will…
- Talk about the role of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in K-12 student voice
- Explore different ways to engage student voice in classrooms and beyond
- Identify actions to address bias and discrimination in learning, teaching and leadership in education
Workshop 7.
SOUNDOUT STUDENT VOICE CURRICULUM TRAIN-THE-TRAINER
An interactive workshop, this material focuses on students transforming education. It is designed for students in grades 8-12 and can be used in a variety of settings, including Leadership classes, Service-learning requirements, School improvement teams, Student governments, Advisory periods, Social science courses, and Self-directed learning programs. Written by Adam Fletcher, the curriculum is research-driven, student-tested, and school improvement-focused. Educational packages, including professional development for adults and training for students, are available.
Participants will…
- Explore the basis for this curriculum, including the assumptions, understandings, and background of its development, testing and implementation
- Become familiar with the SoundOut Student Voice Curriculum, including lesson plans, handouts, the facilitator guide, and other tools
- Identify practical considerations for planning and implementation
To discuss topics, prices, availability and other details, contact Adam.
SoundOut Education Consulting 