Student voice

Having come back from the NNER conference, I am more convinced that student voice is a powerful condition for learning. Over the course of the last couple of days, I got to see two groups of students from Bulkeley High School in Hartford give presentations on various aspects of their curriculum and capstone projects. The Teacher Prep program is an excellent avenue for students to gain valuable skills in any college or career they choose. One part of the program consists of mini courses that students can take that enhance their public speaking and presentation skills. The kids that presented were very confident and interacted with adults with ease, not only in their presentations, but in question and answer sessions afterwards. By teaching students how to use their voice, and giving them opportunities to do so and improve their craft, we give students a great head start on their post-high school careers.