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

Skerritt’s book offers a fascinating and provocative analysis of the unintended consequences of a policy emphasis on consulting students in schools. It will be of interest and use for teachers, school leaders and researchers who are concerned with the potentially perverse effects of ostensibly ‘emancipatory’ reform strategies. – Eve Mayes, Deakin University, AustraliaAs a former teacher with first-hand experiences of various student voice initiatives, Skerritt offers a much-needed critical take on the practice of consulting students on their classroom experiences. Anyone interested in the potential limitations, drawbacks and affordances of student voice practices would do well to read this book and learn from Skerritt’s nuanced analysis of the differences between management consultations, led by administrators, and classroom consultations, led by teachers, as they are perceived by stakeholders situated in particular school contexts. – Jerusha O. Conner, Villanova University, USAThis thoughtful and engaging account asks us how we can better understand student voice in relation to classroom and management practice, offering a heuristic device that is both sensitive to context and helpful in thinking more critically about the intricacies of consultation in schools. – Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh, Monash University, AustraliaConsulting Students on Classroom Practice, ‘Good’ Teaching, and Teacher Performance is a must-read book for everyone who is interested in student voice research. While optimistic about the need to consult students on matters of learning and teaching that affect them, Skerritt advocates for a more cautious optimism. He interrogates the popular assertion that all student voice is inherently positive, presenting a critical account of student voice in contemporary schools and classrooms. – Aspa Baroutsis, Southern Cross University, Australia

Craig Skerritt is Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester, UK.