Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils

‘Having heard Professor Rudduck speak about the findings from the project and reviewed an article written for an academic journal, I cannot think of another book that covers the same ground with such a robust evidence base … The detail of what pupils actually tell us will change with the policy context … This is an important book. What pupils can tell us about how to improve opportunities for learning and how teachers can act constructively on what pupils say, avoiding the defensive reactions exhibited by some of the teachers in Rudduck’s study is very important. Do publish it.’ Professor Pat Mahoney, Roehampton Institute of Education, University of Surrey.

‘… I can attest to the growing interest in pupil voice and pupil participation (consultation) among educators in both academic and professional communities in many parts of the world. Amidst the rising and "bottom-line" demands to enhance pupil performance (outcome-based modes of accountability), many educators remain committed to the importance of more inclusive and authentic forms of pupil engagement (voice and participation) in classrooms and schools. The long-term program of research by Jean Rudduck and her colleagues has not only enhanced our understanding of why pupil engagement is so significant to pupils’ experience of schools but also documented how the improvement of learning is inextricably linked to increased and varied forms of pupil engagement. The proposed book by Rudduck and McIntyre respond to the need for a resource that provides both an articulate rationale for and explanation of engagement (in the form of pupil consultation) and a clear set of guidelines and examples of how this form of engagement will redefine and improve learning […] The field of study in pupil voice, pupil participation, and pupil consultation emerged in the late 1980’s and has steadily progressed with a noticeable "leap" in both research and application from 2000 onwards. The proposed book will become a seminal reference and, as such, will both remain current for the next decade and continue to be a standard reference in research on/with pupils for the foreseeable future.’ Professor Denis Thiessen, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada

'The growth of the pupil voice agenda in schools, and within research communities, means that this type of synthesis of ideas, alongside an evidence-base, was much needed.' - Learning and Teaching Update