lv reps toolkit
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Congratulations on being elected as a Class, Curriculum or Executive Rep!!This booklet provides the key information required to be a Learner
Voice Rep and how best to use the information you collect over the
next year to improve Chelmsford College.
Your Learner VoiceCo-ordinator
I’m Donna, your Learner Voice Co-ordinator.
I’m really looking forward to working with
you this year. My role includes helping
you to listen to the students and organise
their views to represent the College as a whole.
As a Rep you now have the opportunity to create a real change and
improve the academic wellbeing experience of students here at the
College.
Try to talk to your fellow students, not just during your Learner Voice
tutorials and find out about their positive and negative views on their
College experience. Make sure that you put them on to the intranet
otherwise change will not come about!
Overall, the more effort you put into being a ‘Rep’ the more you will
get out of it - so make the most of this fantastic opportunity and most
importantly, enjoy it!
Tel: 01245 265611 x3436email: [email protected] [email protected]
Welcometo the
Lea
LearnerVoice
What is a Rep?Rep is short for ‘Representative’, which should give you a clue: Your job is torepresent the views of others in your class.
It’s not about you getting what you want,it’s about you helping others to getwhat they want.
So your job is to collect the view of thepeople you represent, discuss them with other representatives and see how you might make them happen.
your voice to help others
your voice
positive changes
DISCUSS
Organise students to take actionBe the voice
of students to staff, governors and other adults
What does a Rep do?
Dothelegwork:Don’t always ask staff to dothings for you, see how muchyou can do yourself beforeyou ask for help - you’llget things done quickerand build more respect.
Take notes:Carry a notepad or you could use your phone to take notes about what people tell you and what you have to do.
MovearoundtheCollege:See lots of people, go to meetings.
Alwayslisten:Be available for people to speak to, but also listen to what people say to one another about College-what works, what annoys them?
Think asbout it:Before you suggest an idea, think about what questions you might be asked. Prepare answers.
Watch and learn:What are you doing that works, that people like? What do they like about it, can you do that with your next project.
You’ll need broad shoulders:To really make a difference you’ll need to put work in. Are you up for it? If not, who are you letting down.
On the other hand:You’re there to represent everyone, so you need to try to understand the point of view of people you don’t agree with, you may even need to present that view to someone else.
What’sinyourheart:
Every
one c
ares a
bout
what
happ
ens t
o the
m at Coll
ege.
Find o
ut wha
t the
y wou
ld lik
e
to ch
ange
and s
ee if
you c
an
help
them-th
at’s h
ow yo
u’ll
get m
ore in
volve
d!
How do I collect views?
regular Learner Voice meetings
12-2 pm drop-in sessions - MS Monday / LSA Tuesday / PR Friday
on-line - intranet forums, learner voice eamil address or CC Experience
facebook page
poll questions
informal chats
Class meetings not happening?Top Tip:
Atthestartoftermwriteapolicyandputinit:
why meetings need to happen (e.g.so everyone’s voice can be heard)
when they will happen (e.g. every week at a specific time)
what will happen (e.g. feedback from class reps; discussion about most important issues to tackle; any actions agreed)
deliver of Learner Voice tutorials
meeting notes to be displayed on the notice boards, intranet andCC Experience Facebook page
CREATE
COLLECT ideas or views
RECORD it or write it down - check it with the person whose idea it is
TELL the person whose ideait is what has happened
EVALUATE whether this has worked for them
EXPLAIN what you can do and when they will hear back from you
ACT on what you said you would do
How do meetings work?
Before the meeting
Make sure you know what is going
to be discussed - you should get
an agenda (a list of things to be
discussed) at least a week before
the meeting
Check with the people that you
represent what they think of these
issues - remember you need to share
their views, not just your own
If you want to bring up an issue, you
should let the person running the
meeting know as soon as possible - if
the agenda is out a week before, you
need to let the Learner Voice
Co-ordinator know before then
Things you should bring up in a
meeting should be about ACTION
- what you want to DO. So write
down what the problem is and what
you intend to do about it, so that the
other people in the meeting can see
easily whether they agree with what
you are suggesting.
Action Teams
Decide
proposal 1:proposal 2: proposal 3:
At your first meeting
what should I be asking?
come up with a set of rules to make your meeting work well
You might want to limit how many questions each person can
ask - this means people have to think carefully about what is
important to them, don’t just ask questions because they like
the sound of their own voice.
Key questions to ask in a meeting
To make sure your meetings are about ACTION and not just talking,
everyone needs to be careful about the questions they ask. Here are
a few examples:
I don’t understand...can you explain that a bit please?
Where will you get the time/money/people for this?
How do you know students want this?
Who here will make sure this happens?
When will it happen by?
how do
I respond?
How do I run a meeting?The person who runs a meeting is called ‘the
Chair’, these will be elected by the Learner
Voice executive team.
The chair has four main jobs:
1. Make sure everyone sticks to the rules.
2. Make sure everyone can put their point across
3. Make sure the meeting stays on time
4. Make sure the meeting is about action
ThebestChairsspeakverylittleinmeetings. If you’re chairing, set yourself a challenge: Howlittleyoucansaywhilststillmakingsureeveryoneelse participates?
Hello, let’smake a start
Our first proposal is
from...(hand over to them)
Everyone take 10
seconds thinking time
I just want to get a
quick reaction from everyone
(To stop people repeating). So
you agree with XYZ.
Thanks
Does anyone object?
(You may need to have a vote)
The general feeling is that
this is a good/bad idea.
Does anyone have any questions.
We’re running out of time for this
issue, so who wants to take
responsibility?
(let this person suggest what they will do.)
So, we’ve decided X will do Y by Z.
What are minutes?Minutes are the notes taken in a meeting, they let everyone know what was
discussed and decided, but most importantly they should tell everyone what
they are going to do and by when.
Your Learner Voice Co-ordinator can supply a copy of these to you.
Helpful tips for meetingsLearn from the past: Talk to former Reps, students or teachers and ask them about their
experience at meetings.
Collect student’s views:Make sure you talk to your class regularly to make sure you get
everyone’s views.
Be prepared:Make sure you know all the information for your next meeting, where it is
being held? At what time? Look at the intranet and Learner Voice Boards
around the College for this information.
Participate:Want to be the best Rep? Make sure you participate in the meetings and
raise any issues that you have noted down.
How do I present an idea?You’ll have loads of ideas suggested to you as a rep. Often you’ll need to
present them to someone else to see if they can go ahead; it might be at a
Learner Voice meeting, to the Principal or the Board of Governors. Whoever
you’re presenting to the idea’s the same: show them that you’ve thought
through what you need to do.
A great first step is to set targets - this will help you understand if this is a
good project too and form the basis of your project plan.
What exactly are you trying to do?
How will you know when you’ve done/got/made enough?
Have you checked this is ok with all therelevant people?
Who are the relevant people?
Can you really do this?
Do you have enough time?
Do you have enough money?
Do you have the skills?
Do you have the equipment?
When does it need to be done by?
When will you check that you are meeting your
targets?
Simple
Measurable
Agreed
Realistic
Time-limited
How do I get it doneOnce you’ve got your idea and plan of action, try to think of what questions
you might be asked (have a look at the ‘what should I be asking’ page for
some ideas of the kinds of questions. Make sure you have answeres for
them. Do research before you present an idea: try to get an idea of who
supports you, how much things will cost, how long it will take, etc.
Also think about who you’re meeting with-will they be influenced by how you
talk, or how you’re dressed? If so, make sure you speak and dress in the
way they won’t object to.
Make it easy for the person you’re presenting to say to respond with a ‘yes’.
Idea
Plan
Act
Evaluate
Set targets
Break it down
Carry out your plan
Check against targets
Get agreement that you can do it
Who will do what by when
One person checking everyone is
sticking to the plan
Check against targets
The importance of being a good Rep As a Representative you are expected to:
Be visible and ensure you wear your Rep lanyard at all times.
Check your College email for updates and future meeting agendas.
Attend Learner Voice monthly meetings.
Deliver a tutorial session once a month.
Add issues that your class want you to put on to the LV intranet.
Talk to fellow students, one-to-one, in groups or as a whole class.
Encourage students to check the intranet, Facebook (cc experience)
and Twitter for updates on the College and events.
Follow-up on any agreed action points from the meetings you have
attended.
Feedback information from meetings to the students in your class.
Refer students with individual problems to appropriate sources.
Maintain a record of your representative activity with V Inspired.
Pass over information to the next Rep.
Run and lead campaigns/initiatives throughout the year highlighting
student’s views and beliefs.
Most importantly ask for help when you need it.
Key benefits of being a LV Rep
Improve the quality/delivery of your education
Excellent inclusion on your CV
A learning opportunity for gaining important skills such as,
assertiveness, communicating, listening, public speaking,
time management, being a team member.
Transferable skills for future employment.
Meeting lots of new people from all 3 campuses.
Get involved, Learner Voice activites can be alot of fun!
01245 265611 x3436email: [email protected]
Lea
LearnerVoice
Check out our
facebook page
Information EveningMonday 22nd April 2013
6pm-8.30pm
Fast Track Online Registration
www.chelmsford.ac.uk
Experience
CC
Join the student CC Experience facebook page for news and updates:
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