A MiddleWeb Blog
We have probably all heard Dr. Jennifer York-Barr’s quote, “The person doing the talking is often the person doing the learning.” As we begin a discussion-based unit in my class, this is the quote that guides my practice.
I’m trying to find more opportunities for students to speak with each other in a variety of configurations while I coach on the side. By using formal and informal opportunities to talk, I’m helping students grow their vocabulary, build their community, and increase their confidence.
Through informal conversations, students become more comfortable with each other. All year long I start classes with the Question of the Day. This sometimes aligns with what we are learning, but most of the time it’s just a fun, provocative question to get them thinking. Students discuss their answers and then anyone who wants to share, can. It’s low pressure and gets students talking within the first 60 seconds of class.
Another way to encourage informal conversations is by playing games together. I love to play content-related games in my class, whether they are argument games like Snake Oil and Superfight or games related to what we are learning, like playing dreidel when we learn about Judaism.
The playful interactions my students have make them more comfortable talking with each other during the formalized academic conversations that follow. This has been especially helpful for the introverted students who get to joke and form connections. Students can’t hide while playing a board game, and I hope that it makes them less likely to want to hide when the academic talk begins.
Keeping it light and academic
You can keep things light while still encouraging academic discussions. This year I’ve used a free online editing tool to create “Find the Difference” images of the artifacts we will study.
Before learning what the Standard of Ur was, students examined images of it in detail and discussed where they saw things missing. When it was time to learn more about the artifact, they were already familiar with the small details.
Another academic activity that encourages discussion is using a hexagon punch to create hexagonal thinking activities. Students need to decide how to lay out the shapes to show cause and effect.
If you keep the same group that just played together in an academic discussion group, their formal talk should be improved because they’ve already established ground rules on how they will interact.
Having a class set of conversation norms helps, too! You could co-construct these with your class or just have them prepared in advance. Refer to them before every discussion activity and praise the students you see using them. Another helpful strategy is to set a discussion intention. You can offer a few for students to choose and they can also set their own, based on what they know about themselves.
A simple and structured way to get students talking is to have them summarize with a partner after reading a shared text. Partner A summarizes in 20 words, then Partner B does it in 10. The next round is 5 words, then 3, and then, finally, what is one word to summarize the text?
Another summary idea that encourages negotiation is to have students read a text and then decide what details fall into the categories “Big Deal, Kind of a Big Deal, Not Really a Big Deal, and No Biggie.” Give them four Post-it notes and let them decide what information belongs in which category.
Try consolidation
Students can also use Post-it notes to collaborate on a consolidation activity called “What is the question to this answer?” Put a topic in the center of a piece of chart paper, and then students need to think of an original question that they think nobody else will ask.
A final activity that can be done quickly is a snowball discussion. Students begin talking about a topic with one partner. After a set time, that duo needs to join another partnership. After that, the group of four will find another group to join with. This continues until the whole class is in a discussion.
As long as you have an engaging topic and questions to consider, this is a very easy activity to pull together, and it improves with each iteration.
The key is repetition
Discussion is a skill that improves with repetition, so frequency is key. Luckily, increasing student talk doesn’t need to be complicated. With good questions, structured activities, and routines related to habits of discussions, student talk will increase.
