In classroom discussions, students work with multiple ideas and have to balance new ideas with their original conclusions. Importance sometimes of silent writing before talk. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion. Several students conclude that the answer always comes after the equal sign. Socratic seminar bingo by building book love instructional strategies. The rest of the class stands in an outer circle surrounding them. Apr 28, 2012 discussion can be used in multiple ways when teaching, wholeclass approach and small group approach however we will focus on looking at wholeclass discussion. That is foolisheven if the curriculum director mandated small group teaching. Her most recent book, which contains a more extensive discussion of teacherstudent interactions that contribute to building students intelligent habits of mind, is teaching for thinking today. Typical wholeclass strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations. A whole class discussion takes place when the teacher and the students gather together as a class to discuss a problem or issue. Four case studies serve as useful discussion prompts to share practice. Jess had completed some observations across the school so had an idea what was happening in different year groups.
Strategies book meeting room 10 author new strategies intermediate teaching reading in small groups meeting room 11 balancing wholeclass and individual goals intermediate teaching reading to small groups, either of the playbooks, and conferring with readers meeting room 12 moving to a new level intermediate or advanced. Then every student pairs up with a partner and they discuss the question for two to five minutes. My goal in this book is to share effective whole class discussion strategies that will help you support your students as they learn mathematics with conceptual. I made the transition to whole class reading this year. Similarly, the idea that conferencing oneonone about a book for 25 minutes is going to take kids to the same depth of interpretation with a text that a group or whole class discussion for 3060 minutes is strikingly unconvincing. As a result, they make new mathematical connections. Whole class teaching attitudes to education, to the role of teachers, to the methodology of teaching, both in general and in the school classroom, have changed quite dramatically in the last few decades. Effective class discussions class discussions can be utilized in seminar and lecture courses, and their variety allows instructors to fit particular strategies to class needs. I met with jess, our y5 leader who is in charge of reading, to discuss how to move forward with wholeclass reading in our school. In this strategy three to five students stand in a small inner circle. Five guidelines can build students higherorder thinking skills. In this model, the focus is shared between the instructor and the students throughout the information exchange. May 30, 2016 the big list of class discussion strategies by jennifer gonzalez shares discussion strategies different than those offered above.
It helps students explore a diversity of perspectives. Jun 02, 2017 i made the transition to whole class reading this year. Classroom discussions university of maryland teaching. The advantages of presenting instruction to the whole class are attractive to many teachers. General structure of the book first section, for student a 1 second section, for student b 67 third section, for students c, d, and e 3 fourth section, wholeclass discussions 191 discussion strategies by unit unit 1. Oct 05, 2017 one of the first paired discussion strategies i used as a student teacher was the good old thinkpairshare or, as i call it, elbowbuddy talk. The ela classroom is all about the exchange of ideas and. One of the first paired discussion strategies i used as a student teacher was the good old thinkpairshare or, as i call it, elbowbuddy talk. When the class needs to come together as a whole, they gather on a carpeted area near the class library. Strategies for engaging all students, building higher level. Improving indepth mathematical thinking and learning is a tool box for teachers, preservice teachers, professional developers and college instructors. Oct 15, 2015 next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion. Whole class mathematics discussions supporting teachers.
The big list of class discussion strategies by jennifer gonzalez shares discussion strategies different than those offered above. He offers resources and scaffolds for teaching students to use the academic language needed for strong class. Class discussions can motivate students while also helping them retain knowledge and develop effective problemsolving abilities. Tips to help implement the learning ally audiobook. Finally, the whole class engages in a discussion where students raise their hands and share all the thoughts and ideas theyve gathered. Before this school year started, i kept coming back to the idea of classroom discussion. This shouldnt be surprising because, when they are thoughtfully and deliberately facilitated, whole class discussions have tremendous potential to build a communal understanding and knowledge base in a classroom while, at the same time, promoting student autonomy and voice. Truly, if you want to facilitate a successful wholeclass discussion, you have to read jeff zwiers.
Each unit builds on and recycles previous strategies. Strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel thinking skills, and strengthening reading and writing across the curriculum theory and practice spiegel, dixie lee, spiegel, dixie on. Student led discussion strategies for whole class discussion every english language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning. This book, along with readicide, book love, and the book whisperer, are my touchstone texts that each came along at the right time and gave me the exact tools i needed. Literature circles and book clubs are a text discussion strategies that supports studentled facilitation and discussion in small groups. Pose a question to the students in the inner circle. Jun 24, 20 whole class discussions are, after lecture, the second most frequently used teaching strategy, one mandated by the common core state standards because of its many rewards. The strategies presented in this book are situated in the natural process of planning and teaching. Ask each group to analyze and annotate a figure, image, or short passage of. After two rounds of response and writing, the paper is passed a third time. The richness of a whole class discussion is dependent on the quality of small group and partner conversations that take place first. Using classroom discussion as an effective teaching tool. Oct 16, 2014 these teacher and experttested strategies will strengthen your students ability to find and use evidence from any text. I had recently read nick harts blog post and reading reconsidered so these drove our discussion.
Productive classroom discussionsthose that enable students to invent, create, imagine, take risks, and dig for deeper meaningscan only take place in a climate in which students feel safe to offer their ideas. Students have 30 seconds or a more appropriate time for your particular class to answer. Clear stepbystep, focused practice of discussion skills. During discussion, send students back to the text for more evidence by prompting them to expand on a classmates idea or deepen the discussion. Maurianne adams, lee anne bell, pat griffin, teaching for diversity and social justice, 2d edition. By creating roles within each literature circle or book club group and specific tasks for the group to accomplish during their text discussion time, teachers can modify the work to make it more studentcentered. Stories that are driven by character actions and motivation are the ones that inspire discussion. This resource explores approaches to assessment in maths, including the sharing of learning objectives, group work, whole class ta assessment, questioning and more. Student led discussion strategies for whole class discussion. I met with jess, our y5 leader who is in charge of reading, to discuss how to move forward with whole class reading in our school. How i teach whole class reading the teaching booth. Have your discussion questions prepared in advance so that you can ask them faster.
Ela teaching strategies for small group discussions english. Integrate the results of group work into the closing discussion or lecture, and refer back to these ideas, when relevant, in subsequent class sessions. Listen to the story the entire group collectively listens to a book with learning ally. May 15, 2018 that is foolisheven if the curriculum director mandated small group teaching. I give students time in class to read and i check in with students to make sure they are able to keep pace pagewise during the unit.
Every student in williams class must respond by addressing the claims of the people before them and then provide. Making whole class work more effective reading rockets. This preparation limits the possibility of getting offtrack during the discussion. Using wholeclass discussion has two common purposes. Whole class discussions are, after lecture, the second most frequently used teaching strategy, one mandated by the common core state standards because of its many rewards. There are a few great blogs out there about it already, mrs ps. This sampling of strategies provide ideas for helping students prepare for. Students respond to a question or write about a topic for a set amount of time before passing the paper to a partner who then writes for another set amount of time. This strategy can be used separately or in combination with the question slips above. Classroom discussions university of maryland teaching and. Students may feel more comfortable asking questions during whole group discussions. Strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel. As they discuss the question, the outer circle listens in.
Instructional strategies for whole group discussion. Literature circles and book clubs betterlesson coaching. Students have a tendency to stay focused on the lesson because they might be called on to answer questions. Tips to help implement the learning ally audiobook solution. How to hold a better class discussion the chronicle of higher. Whole group discussion is comfortable for many teachers because it is a modified form of the lecture. His most recent book is discussion in the college classroom. Effective classroom discussions educational leadership.
General structure of the book discussion strategies by unit. Hoonan sometimes joins a group at a table, recording a discussion, asking questions, or offering procedural suggestions. The big list of class discussion strategies cult of pedagogy. This flexibility stems largely from grounding in vygotskyian social learning theory, which emphasizes knowledge and conceptual gain through peertopeer dialogue.
Using evidence in discussion strengthens students comprehension and confidence. How to use the thinkpairshare activity in your classroom. Whole class strategies generally require less preparation time and instruction time. Improving indepth mathematical thinking and learning. Although this book focuses on whole class discussions, it. These benefits, however, do not manifest without a skillful and knowledgeable facilitator. Supporting students to learn math involves thinking about the whole process of teaching.
At other times, he sits outside the group, taking note of what students say and how they interact. I got a lot of good ideas from brookfield and preskills discussion book. Rejoinders and followup questions 1a, 67b, 3c format. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Whole group discussion is a method of teaching that involves a modified form of classroom lecture. This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group. The rest of the time students are either in book clubs or in selfchosen independent reading books. Whole class discussions are one of the most commonly used teaching strategies.
Ela teaching strategies for small group discussions. Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates questions while staying in character in that role. Every english language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning. Typical whole class strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations, and giving directions. While generally not conducive to covering large amounts of content, the interactive dynamic of discussion can help students learn and motivate them to complete homework and to prepare for class. The small group discussion and partner talks generate a rich background of ideas for a whole class discussion. Typically, minilessons are singular topics of wholeclass instruction, meant to give students a brief overview of a concept, explore the authors craft, ponder a question, or hone a skill. My goal in this book is to share effective whole class discussion strategies that will help you support your students as they learn mathematics with conceptual understanding. This turn and talk routine usually helps to encourage discussion, particularly in a quieter class or when the material or skill is new.
Technology has advanced at great speed, global communication has expanded and expectations of what. Classroom discussions are a perfect place to develop students ability to use textual evidence. Dec 10, 20 make it even more dramatic by playing up the concept of speed, fun and excitement. In this lesson, we will discuss some instructional strategies for hosting a classroom discussion that involves the whole group rather than a few outspoken students. Leigh anne the outsiders is the only book that students are required to read as a whole class.
These smaller discussions activate prior knowledge and. Effective class discussions poorvu center for teaching and. This page offers resources and strategies for facilitating productive discussions in facetoface classrooms and online discussion boards. How might you facilitate your members of class community getting. Filled with researchbased ideas, practical strategies and tools. Truly, if you want to facilitate a successful whole class discussion, you have to read jeff zwiers. Engagement strategies series effective engagement strategies for the classroom. Questions, reflective writing, and smallgroup work. Importance of talk and analysis being rooted in personal response tellme grid just one of many mechanisms for structuring thinking. Discussion can be used in multiple ways when teaching, wholeclass approach and small group approach however we will focus on looking at wholeclass discussion.
Classroom discussions are a great way to develop speaking and listening skills. Classroom discussion strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel thinking skills, and strengthening. Ask each group to analyze and annotate a figure, image, or short passage of text, or to solve a problem, then explain it to the class. Such information can be in the book or in a handout that was provided the day before the discussion. I am a fourth grade teacher in northern nevada who believes that my students learn just as much talking to each other as they do talking to me. Strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel thinking skills, and strengthening reading. I am kelly malloy from an apple for the teacher, and i am so excited to be posting over here on minds in bloom. Often the minilesson provides a segue into the application of new. One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept such as a tornado, an animal, or the titanic. Similarly, the idea that conferencing oneonone about a book for 25 minutes is going to take kids to the same depth of interpretation with a text that a group or whole class discussion for. Edutopia blogger todd finley considers whole class discussion and presents. Wholeclass discussions can encourage students to learn from one another and to articulate course content in their own words. Theory, strategies, and activities for the k8 classroom teachers college press, 2009.
In my next article, i will share how i scaffold our wholeclass novel experiences from the beginning to the end of the year to achieve a gradual release of responsibility. Socratic seminar bingo by bs book love teachers pay teachers. Whole class discussions can encourage students to learn from one another and to articulate course content in their own words. With young children, its best if the teacher models the technique with a volunteer so the class knows what to do. May, 2016 whole class discussions are one of the most commonly used teaching strategies. Wholeclass strategies generally require less preparation time and instruction time. Should reading be taught whole class or small group. Shortanswer questions obviously work best for this technique. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their. Typical wholeclass strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations, and giving directions. While generally not conducive to covering large amounts of content, the interactive dynamic of discussion can help students learn and motivate them to complete homework and to prepare. On the part of the teacher, there should be prepared questions to guide and steer the discussion. How to hold a better class discussion the chronicle of.
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