Students on Genuine Learning
“Having teachers who understand the material and help me understand the process instead of just giving me the answer has really helped me out with the school year.” — Marielys
“Schools are not factories, they should be healthy learning environments where we are supported instead of stressed out.”
— Valancia
“I feel like there is a difference between doing the work just to do it and doing the work to understand it, and I know that I get more out of classes when my teachers focus on the latter. Having adults like these support me makes me more invested in my learning which also helps me better understand the material itself.” — Omari
Video featuring: —Juan
Video featuring: —Omari
“Students should be supported in taking on leadership roles that help us feel more involved in our classes.”— Trish
“The workload can be crushing and stressful, which interferes with our ability to engage with and really learn the material. When the workload is lighter, it is easier not only to plan and manage, but also to learn. We get to actually think about what we are being taught. When the workload gets to be excessive, we just have to get it done.” — Haverhill VIP Report
“I feel like graduation rates and test scores and stuff like that, they don’t even matter…you can be cheating your whole way through high school and you’d still graduate. I feel like what really matters in school is if you’re learning. I feel like in school I don’t go to school to learn. That’s actually ridiculous that I go to school every day to pass. I feel like the school should be graded on how the students are doing.”
— Focus Group Report
“In some of my classes, we do activities like Quizlet Live, which is a learning game that groups students randomly. The groups compete to answer the questions first. Those activities make me feel connected with the students and make me notice how much social interaction helps teenagers be themselves and feel young again.” — Amayra
“This second type of achievement is the version I think we should be aiming for. I like to call this genuine learning, learning you can hold on to. And this is why safe and supportive schools are so important. With safety, cooperation and community – rather than just memorization – all of our students will learn and achieve so much more.”— Jonathan
“Classes and the curriculum need to be structured so students feel connected to what they are learning. A class shouldn’t just be taught by the handbook. I don’t look forward to attending classes where someone just hands me a worksheet or packet and expects me to know how to do the work already, or to just read a textbook. The classes I look forward to the most are those where genuine and engaging learning is taking place.”
— Juan
Student Priorities — Students Speak Advocacy Project
This website is dedicated to the valuable lessons we can learn from students’ own experiences about how to create better schools. Decisions about schooling are often made without listening deeply to students themselves. But students are in the best position to understand what they need in order to do well in school.
A collaboration of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI), Harvard Law School and Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC). LEARN MORE