Inside Education 432, Children’s Voice and Public Speaking with Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald (1-10-24)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.

This week on the podcast I speak again to Dr. Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald whose book Listen: How Child and Student Voice Can Change the World has just been published by Routledge. Among the topics we discussed are:

Among the topics were discussed were:

• Connecting to a network of Changemaker schools
• Getting interested in outdoor education inspired by a colleague who did Forest school training.
• Travelling as part of the Erasmus+ programme.
• Learning about peer mediation and the Student Council in Donabate Educate Together National School.
• The process of becoming recognised as a changemaker school.
• Studying for a doctorate on public speaking in primary school (focusing on self-efficacy and vocabulary development). She used the work of Albert Bandura.
• The paucity of research on public speaking in primary schools.
• The connection between children expressing their voices and public speaking
• Children have opportunities to practise public speaking in team sports settings, in church and in school-related events (e.g. science fair).
• How teachers already recognise student voice in their classrooms (e.g. taking children’s interests and likes into account, in discussions, circle-time activities, rotating class-captain roles, and in choosing pedagogies to promote learning).
• How Siobhán’s school developed the role of play leader, that rotates weekly. Play leaders keep an eye out for younger children, to bring out equipment at break times and ensure it is distributed fairly, push younger children on the swings, and helping children sort out issues themselves without involving adults.
• That which is most personal is most universal – why storytelling is a form of public speaking.
• Matthew Dicks and his ideas of “homework for life” and how this might help children find their personal voice.
• Limits on children expressing their voice.
• Creating a safe space for children speaking in public and involving students in co-creating the rules around it.
• Who the book Listen: How child and student voice can change the world is written for.
• How those who get to speak publicly tend to be the privileged in society
• Shy or reluctant speakers may need additional scaffolding to be encouraged to speak in public. This may include children with speech and language delays or difficulties, children with other additional needs and children for whom English is not their first language.
• What she learned from writing the book:  finding two extra hours in each day between 6 and 8 a.m.
• Teachers who want to write a book: If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Reach out!
• The Comfort Crisis, a book by Michael Easter was mentioned.
• She mentioned podcasts she likes including The Rethinking Education podcast by James Mannion; The Teach Middle East podcast with Christina Morris; and the Lead the Way podcast with Ann Byrne was mentioned.
• School 21 in London
• Her YouTube Channel.