Produce a 10-minute podcast that explores a key perspective relevant to children and young people, examining its impact on life quality and life chances. The discussion should be informed by relevant research, policy, and practice, and critically consider how voices can be heard or unheard and the effect this has.

Formative assessment: During an in-class activity, students will work in pairs to record a short discussion on a key topic or theme related to children and young people’s voices. They will respond to guided reflective questions, critically considering both their understanding of the content and their experience of the discussion. This exercise is designed to support the development of reflective thinking, communication skills, and confidence in engaging with complex subject matter.

This module explores the central question of whether all children and young people have an equal voice in contemporary society, with particular attention to how culture, background, life chances, and social positioning shape participation and representation. Students will examine children’s rights and policy discourse, considering how constructions of phase of the lifespan influence educational practice. The module engages with current and emerging issues in education and early childhood services, including but not limited to; safeguarding, equality and inclusion, curriculum debates, and deprivation, and encourages critical reflection on professional responsibility.

1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of key perspectives on children and young people, and how contemporary issues shape their life chances.

Programme Learning Outcome: Knowledge & Understanding, Digital Literacy

2. Critically reflect on children’s and young people’s rights, as well as related policy and practice to inform your professional judgement.

Programme Learning Outcome: Reflection

The teaching, learning and assessment strategy for this module has been designed to be accessible, inclusive, and digitally enhanced, recognising that you bring valuable practical experience to share. Your prior knowledge will be used as a foundation for discussion, simulation-based activities, and collaborative problem-solving, enabling you to reflect critically and engage with contemporary issues in education. You will be an active participant in your learning through a blend of online and face-to-face sessions, group work, practical simulations, and individual tasks. These activities are structured to strengthen your academic, digital, and research skills, while supporting the development of sustainable learning practices such as independent inquiry, reflective thinking, and responsible engagement with resources. Some sessions will require prior reading and independent research to inform your contributions and deepen your theoretical understanding.

Digital tools and platforms will be used to ensure flexible access to materials and to model technology-enhanced approaches relevant to the education sector. University workshops will connect your experience with current thinking in teaching, learning, assessment, literacy, and numeracy, supporting your ability to apply ideas in planning future work. You will also collaborate with peers to prepare and present work, building key employability skills such as communication, teamwork, and professional judgement.

A range of methods will be used to provide supportive and varied learning opportunities:
* Lectures: Delivered face-to-face or online to introduce and explore key theoretical concepts.
* Tutorials: Small-group or individual sessions to discuss academic and work-related issues and extend your theoretical understanding.
* Guided reading and supported self-study: Booklists and reading tasks that enable you to engage critically with relevant debates and strengthen your research and information literacy skills.

Throughout the module, you will have opportunities to:
* Work collaboratively with others
* Develop interpersonal and communication skills
* Plan, share goals, and function effectively as part of a team
* Present written and oral arguments with clarity and academic rigour

Professor Laura Lundy outputs and model
Media Centre and Podcasting Spaces
Education and Early Childhood academic journals

Barlow, A. and Ewing, J. (2024) Children’s Voices, Family Disputes and Child-Inclusive Mediation: The Right to Be Heard. 1st edn. Bristol: Bristol University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47674/9781529228939.

Balagopalan, S., Bray, D., Buhre, F., Formesyn, N., Hanson, K., Josefsson, J., Nakata, S., Ofosu-Kusi, Y., Reynaert, D., Roets, G., Roose, R., Sandin, B., Tabak, J., Tchermalykh, N., Twum-Danso Imoh, A. and van Daalen, E. (2023) The Politics of Children’s Rights and Representation. 1st edn. Edited by B. Sandin, S. Balagopalan, K. Hanson, and J. Josefsson. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Cappello, G., Siino, M., Fernandes, N., Arciniega-Cáceres, M., Almeida, A., Barra, M., Bradt, L., Casanova, J.R., Chronaki, A., Cox, M.V., del Moral-Espín, L., Devlieghere, J., do Ó Corrêa, E.M., Eßer, F., Enn, Ü., Figueras-Maz, M., Gallego-Noche, B., Gazzinelli, J., Gonçalves, C., Jäde, S., Kanellopoulos, P.A., Kioupkiolis, A., Lecusay, R., Madalozzo, V.A., Martins, F., Moraitopoulou, E., Moreno-Romero, C., Nikonanou, N., Nilsson, M., Olsson, L.M., Palacios-Esparza, M.-J., Pantazis, A., Pechtelidis, Y., Roose, R., Rosendo-Chacón, A.M., Sarmento, T., Savvani, S., Serván-Melero, C., Silva, D., Tomás, C., Tourne, J.,Tselepi, N., Viseri, E. and von der Heyde, J. (2024) Educational Commons¿: Democratic Values, Social Justice and Inclusion in Education. Edited by G. Cappello, M. Siino, M. Arciniega-Caceres, and N. Fernandes. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

All texts provide multiple perspectives and criticality students can model.

Do all children and young people have an equal voice in today’s society? This module invites you to explore rights, voice, and representation in contemporary education. You’ll engage with real-world debates, current policy, and professional practice, examining how factors such as culture, inequality, and safeguarding shape children’s experiences. Through applied learning and reflection, you’ll develop the confidence and skills to become an ethical, inclusive practitioner who can make a meaningful difference in children’s and young peoples lives.