Amplify Student Voices: Equitable Practices to Build Confidence in the Classroom

Learn how to cultivate student voices and facilitate equitable participation so that young people are prepared to speak up and lead when the moment calls for it.

In a world where public speaking often determines whose needs are addressed and whose values prevail, how can we create brave classroom spaces where young people can effectively express their thoughts and advocate for themselves and others?

In Amplify Student Voices, AnnMarie Baines, Diana Medina, and Caitlin Healy introduce Expression-Driven Teaching to show how centering youth voices and expression in the classroom meets both academic and social and emotional learning goals. The authors promote instruction in various forms of public speaking—storytelling, debate, poetry, presentation, and self-advocacy—as a way to pursue equity in education and counter the oppression that has long silenced the voices of marginalized groups.

This engaging book features extensive first-person accounts from young people who describe their journey toward effective public speaking and how it has helped them affirm their identity, confront life's many challenges, and pursue opportunities with increased confidence. Their insights also inform and supplement the authors' practical recommendations and how-tos for incorporating the various public speaking formats into everyday instruction at all grade levels and across subject areas.

Both informative and inspiring, Amplify Student Voices challenges traditional notions of "good" public speaking, broadens its definition, and demonstrates how to engage learners to create a world that is more inclusive and just.

AnnMarie Baines, PhD, is the founder and executive director of the Bay Area nonprofit organization The Practice Space, which elevates underrepresented voices and supports young people and adults in developing authentic, clear, and engaging voices through public speaking. In addition to more than 20 years of experience coaching public speaking in West Contra Costa, California, and Boston Public Schools, she has held faculty positions at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley. She is a two-time winner of the competitive Title Nine Pitchfest Nonprofit Edition. Baines received her PhD in learning sciences from University of Washington, her teaching credential from Boston Teacher Residency, and a master's degree in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Diana Medina, a senior staff member at The Practice Space, is a first-generation Mexican American poet, educator, and storyteller born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has worked in the nonprofit sector uplifting communities of color for the last 16 years. Medina is an alumna of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and the Education Pioneers Graduate Fellowship. In 2021, she released her debut poetry collection Healing Out Loud through Alegria Publishing. Her writing has also been featured in Modern Latina magazine and StoryCenter. Medina holds a bachelor's degree in political science from California State University Northridge and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

Caitlin Healy, a senior staffer at The Practice Space, is an educator with more than 15 years of experience teaching youth of all ages, as well as adults. Before joining The Practice Space team, she taught social studies for seven years in public schools, where she helped coach teachers on project-based and blended learning. As a program coordinator for San Francisco Peer Resources, Healy supported high school students by facilitating peer education workshops for more than 1,000 middle and high school students. She uses her background in alternative education to advocate for youth pushed to the margins by public school systems. Healy has a master's degree in education and a teaching credential from Mills College and a bachelor's degree in American studies from UC Santa Cruz.