Over the last few years, Falk has rolled out a series of thoughtfully chosen curricular frameworks and initiatives to unite the faculty in a shared teaching approach and improve the learning process for our unique, intellectually diverse students.

These frameworks include the Fundations structured literacy curriculum, Universal Design for Learning, new grading and (re)assessment practices, and Falk’s Progressive Education Tenets. Each change has been grounded in educational research and driven by faculty reflection and inquiry. While it’s undeniably important to turn to the data and lean into teachers’ expertise in this way, Director Jill Sarada says she and the leadership team decided it was also time to add a new piece to the puzzle: student voices.

When faculty returned for their back-to-school kick-off meeting in August, they weren’t met with faculty training sessions or school-wide directives like in previous years. Instead, day one included a small cadre of students, there to share breakfast with their teachers and present their perspectives on classroom learning at Falk. 

Over the course of the morning, students met with small groups of faculty and staff to share who they are, what helps them learn, what gets in the way of their learning, and what they wish their teachers knew about them. Each presenter, from grades two through eight, had a faculty facilitator to display their prepared slides and offer support as needed. At the end of each presentation, teachers asked questions to clarify and troubleshoot the issues their students raised. 

Although student experiences were unique and often contradictory, several common themes surfaced. Across all grade levels, students had opinions about group work, including when and how it functions best, the importance of a quiet, distraction-free work environment, and how teachers can optimize seating charts and partner assignments to help their students succeed. 

Once the presentations were over, faculty and staff took time to reflect on everything they’d heard. Cheryl Capezzuti, Falk’s K–5 art teacher, said she was overjoyed to see students in the building when she arrived on the morning of the first day. Students are really the heart of teaching, she said, and it was special to return to school with them at the forefront instead of immediately jumping into faculty meetings. She also gathered helpful feedback on her seating chart practices, which she plans to use as she prepares for the upcoming year. 

Michael Yalch, a Falk Middle School math teacher, said he was impressed by the students’ self-awareness. With minimal prompting and mediation, even the youngest presenters were able to describe what limits their learning and where they often struggle. What’s more, Yalch reflected, is that they did so with a complete lack of self-consciousness, something adults are not always capable of. 

The activity also confirmed the importance of Falk’s recent dive into Universal Design for Learning. Each student’s interests, needs, and obstacles are vastly different, a reality that UDL seamlessly addresses with its multiple options for engagement, representation, and expression of knowledge. 

Toward the end of the reflection, first- and second-grade teacher Kevin Goodwin asked if this activity could be repeated, a sentiment that several other faculty members seemed to share. Sensing how deeply students’ input had impacted and informed faculty, Sarada assured the room that this would be the first of many opportunities to hear and learn from the voices of Falk’s students.