Consulting pupils about teaching and learning

published:  June 2005

This month our summary is based on the work of a three-year network project on consulting pupils about teaching and learning. It was part of the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP).  The research consisted of a number of projects, directed by Professor Jean Rudduck. Our summary is based upon:

Consulting pupils: What’s in it for schools?, Flutter, J. & Rudduck, J. (2004) London, RoutledgeFalmer.

Consultation in the classroom: Pupil perspectives on teaching and learning, Arnot, M. McIntyre, D. Pedder, D. and Reay, D. (2003) Cambridge, Pearson Publishing.

Students as researchers: Making a difference, Fielding, M. & Bragg, S. (2003) Cambridge, Pearson Publishing.

Consulting pupils: A toolkit for teachers, MacBeath, J. Demetriou, H. Rudduck, J. & Myers, K. (2003) Cambridge, Pearson Publishing.

Consultation in the Classroom: Developing dialogue about teaching and learning, Arnot, M., McIntyre, D., Pedder, D. & Reay, D. (2003) Cambridge, Pearson Publishing.

The researchers found that pupils had much to say about teaching and learning. When their perspectives were taken seriously they felt more positive about themselves as learners, could understand and manage their own progress better, and felt more included in the school’s purposes. They believed that what they said made a difference.  Consulting with pupils was also beneficial to teachers - it helped them understand how to support pupil engagement and build more open, collaborative and communicative relationships with their pupils.

In this month’s RfT, we report on pupils’ perspectives on several different aspects of teaching and learning, including:

·         pupils’ engagement with learning

·         pupils’ confidence in their abilities as learners

·         pupils’ understanding of the criteria for 'good’ work

·         the impact of pupils’ friendships on their learning

·         how the way time is managed in school impacts on pupils’ learning.

We also report on:

·         the impact of student-led research projects - where students worked alongside their teachers to bring about a change in practice.

We think that these insights into both pupils’ and teachers’ experiences will be interesting to teachers and could help them to support their own pupils’ learning more effectively.

About the terms used in this summary

Usually when writing an RfT, we use the term 'pupils' to denote primary aged children and 'students' to denote those of secondary age.  However, in this summary, in keeping with the terms used in the original research projects, we use the term 'pupil consultation’ to cover all ages and the term 'student’ when referring to 'Students as Researchers’ (SaRs) projects at both primary and secondary level.