training_jalandhar
TRANSCRIPT
Establishing a Culture of
CommunicationEngaging
Students in Talk
Trainer:Neeru Kumari
Let us find out …
• Asking questions and posing problems
• Voicing ideas using evidence• Listening to others• Monitoring for rigor• Responding to different ideas• Constructing understanding
During the sessions with the class, norms and procedures need to be established to create a culture for
talk.
These norms and procedures need to be posted and revisited
often.
Provide students with opportunities to
practice the types of rigorous discussions in
which you expect them to engage.
Like anything new that we learn, discussions need to be modeled and practiced!
Begin slowly…*Creating a culture of talk can begin with partners, small groups, or the whole group. *The first discussions in your classroom should emphasize the discussion process, rather than the content. *Debrief to determine what worked/didn’t work in the discussion.
What are some ways to model
and practice norms and
procedures?
Select a topic for the students to discuss:*Ask two students to model a “partner share” using the established norms and procedures.
*Practice active listening by asking one student to summarize what another student said.
*Ask a group of students to “fishbowl” a discussion, stopping frequently to talk with
the rest of the class about what they see and hear.
After modeling or practicing has occurred, ask the class what they noticed about the discussion process.
This helps students think beyond the topic to how
a rigorous discussion occurs.
Pose a problem around content – a math concept, a
dilemma posed in a piece of literature, a
hypothesis…
When a few students raise their hands to respond, the teacher can send a message about the kind of classroom culture and the kind of learning that’s going to occur
in the class by responding with something like:
“ I see Keshav has his hand up with an idea and I see that Vikash and Renu have ideas.
I want to hear all of your ideas but I want you to remember that it’s not just me you’re sharing with; it’s everyone in
the class. So, speak up so everyone can hear your idea. If you don’t have your hand up, your job is to listen to the
ideas your classmates are sharing and decide if you agree or
disagree with what they are saying. “
How do I help my students develop
effective communication
skills?
Turn and Talk strategy is useful when lots of students have ideas to share.
The teacher says: “Turn to your neighbor/partner and tell them what your thoughts are about….”
Journal Jot is a strategy teachers use when they want to give students an opportunity to collect and write their thoughts before sharing them out with the class. The teacher says: “Take a few minutes to write your thoughts about….”
Value Line Up is a strategy used by teachers whenthey want students to appreciate the differing views people have around a variety of topics/issues. The teacher says: “I’d like you to form a line across the front of the classroom. If you strongly agree, stand near this end of the line based on how strong your belief is. If you disagree, do the same at the opposite end of the line.”
Choose A Side is similar to Value Line Up. But, in this case, the teacher simply asks students to choose a side of the room to sit on that coincides with their beliefs about a rigorous topic or problem. During the ensuing discussion, students are invited to move to the other side of the room if a point made during the discussion sways their view.
Pass the Hat is a strategy teachers use to encourage students who might otherwise be hesitant to ask questions they have about complex ideas to pose these to the class. The teacher says: “I’m passing a hat around the room. Place questions you would like the class to address in the hat.”
Bell Ringers At the beginning of the class, the teacher posts an open-ended question/ problem on the blackboard for students to work on independently and then talk with a partner/small group about. This talk is a way to launch the lesson; students engage in critical thinking around a concept they will be working with during the day’s learning.
Role Play is a way to provide practice for behaviors the teacher wants the class to engage in. Sometimes this is done in “fishbowl” style with a group of students acting out a strategy, norm or procedure in front of the class with the teacher stopping the action frequently to talk about what the class is seeing/hearing.
How do I ensure that students are improving their communication
skills?
What makes this an opportunity
for learning?
The teacher can accept student ideas and “give them a try” for a few days, directing students who disagree to use the protocol developed by the class.
The teacher might model the type of interactions they are hoping for the students to engage in.
The students gain a better understanding of one another’s point of view while learning
important social communication skills.
How can I make talk equitable in the classroom?
Not all students are comfortable sharing their ideas in a public forum. You need to decide if it’s okay for them to be engaged through just listening. They might later share their understandings one on one or in writing.
Some teachers…
*Call on students with hands up
*Pull chits with names on
*Write names on a sheet of paper, as students raise hands, acknowledging with a nod that they wrote the name down. This frees the student to lower their hand and listen until the teacher calls on them. Students learn to jot ideas down so they don’t forget them. When called on, they say something like “I want to respond to what Keshav said a few minutes ago about ….” Or, “I was going to make a point about….. but Vicky already did.”
Are there tools the students can
use independently to make talk equitable?
Some teachers:• What will you do in this situation?
• What criterion will you adopt?
• How will you motivate the students to express their thought?
How do I encourage students to
develop their ideas?
Prepare Ahead of Time:Developing open-ended, higher level questions before the discussion helps to develop critical thinking skills. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great resource to learn how to write questions.
Assigning a reading, math problem, or science experiment before the discussion and telling the students they’ll be expected to share their under-standings with one another helps them come prepared with their ideas in their heads or jotted down . Learning how to “press” students to explain or develop their ideas helps to deepen their understanding.
“Teacher press”
Teacher Press Examples: Teacher Press refers
to really listening to your students’ responses and asking them to “tell me more” or “say it another way” when their ideas are unclear or need further development. New questions often stem from these exchanges. These also serve as places where students often agree/disagree with one another while deepening content knowledge.
• In what ways could you apply this learning to a new situation?
• Can you tell me more about…?• How will you/did you figure out ….?• Can you help me to see how this is
different/the same as… ?• I’m fascinated by …. Tell me more.• What do you mean when you say
….?• How can you help us understand
what you are thinking?• Can you think of another way you
might…?• What are the important ideas
or processes involved in this problem?
