Consulting Students on Classroom Practice, ‘Good’ Teaching and Teacher Performance

This book focuses on student voice and classroom practice: how students are consulted on classroom practice; the negative consequences of these consultations; the capacity of students to judge teaching; and the potential for students to be consulted on teacher performance. The book reports on qualitative data generated through interviews with 101 participants from seven schools - staff members from classroom teachers to school principals, and students. It maps out the variety of ways that students are now being consulted in relation to classroom practice in schools, and highlights some unsavoury consequences of these consultations. It also examines the views of staff and students on the capacity of students to judge teaching, and how they feel about students being consulted on teacher performance going forward. In doing this, close attention is paid to how experiences and perceptions can differ across different types of schools and schools in different settings.