Student-Teacher Collaborative Dialogue in a U.S. Middle School

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  In Roundtable Session: Centering Student & Teacher Experiences in Educational Research

Abstract

When challenges arise in K–12 classrooms, adults often make decisions without input from students, who are experts in their own experiences. This paper presents two studies on student-teacher collaboration in addressing classroom problems. The first involved a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) study with middle school students and their teacher to identify and improve issues in their math classroom. The second examined how combining YPAR with Restorative Practices (RP) influenced collaboration. Data sources included interviews, field notes, recordings, and student-generated artifacts. Using a Critical Pedagogies framework, findings show that while YPAR encouraged dialogue, it did not foster critical consciousness. However, integrating RP promoted respectful engagement, even around sensitive topics. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Author

• Laura Fittz Parks, Fort Lewis College