TRAIN
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MORE RESOURCES:
training presentations, note-catchers, and exit card examples.
STEP 2: TRAINING YOUR TEAM
Train student consultant group in instructional coaching, protocol facilitation, and mining their own classroom experience for relevant insights about teachers' projects and activities.
What activities can you participate in with your Student Consultants to surface what teaching moves work (and don't work!) for them? How can you explore what equity looks like in a classroom together? How does training fit into your school schedule, and how can it continue throughout the year to address the evolving needs of your Student Consulting team?
IN PRACTICE
At High Tech Middle Chula Vista, our team of Student Consultants participated in a week-long Equity and Student Leadership Seminar to equip the students for their work. The seminar covered the program logistics (things like when they would facilitate tunings for teachers and how often we would meet as a full Student Consulting team). The majority of the time, however, focused on the students discovering who they are as learners, defining equity, and practicing facilitating protocols and offering helpful critique.
After each day of the seminar, I gathered data via exit cards about the students as learners and their understanding of equity and student voice and choice in the classroom. The training seemed to help them understand the program, but if we had more time, I would have liked to examine some common practices teachers use to support equity and surface their experiences with those practices. This discussion might have encouraged even more of an equity focus in their work.
At the end of the training, they received official Student Consultant badges to wear during their tunings.
At High Tech High Media Arts, training takes place three times per week as part of a year-long X-Block, a 40-minute elective class at the end of the day. After training, students can use this time to debrief with partner teachers, schedule tunings, or touch base with teacher facilitators and other Student Consultants.