In this strategy three to five students stand in a small inner circle. 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. As they discuss the question, the outer circle listens in. Theory, strategies, and activities for the k8 classroom teachers college press, 2009. Ela teaching strategies for small group discussions english. 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. Strategies for engaging all students, building higher level. General structure of the book discussion strategies by unit. This resource explores approaches to assessment in maths, including the sharing of learning objectives, group work, whole class ta assessment, questioning and more. 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.
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. Edutopia blogger todd finley considers whole class discussion and presents. Whole class mathematics discussions supporting teachers. Strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel thinking skills, and strengthening reading. 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. 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. Tips to help implement the learning ally audiobook solution. Using evidence in discussion strengthens students comprehension and confidence. Hoonan sometimes joins a group at a table, recording a discussion, asking questions, or offering procedural suggestions. 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. The big list of class discussion strategies by jennifer gonzalez shares discussion strategies different than those offered above. 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. Oct 16, 2014 these teacher and experttested strategies will strengthen your students ability to find and use evidence from any text.
Typical wholeclass strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations. The small group discussion and partner talks generate a rich background of ideas for a whole class discussion. May 30, 2016 the big list of class discussion strategies by jennifer gonzalez shares discussion strategies different than those offered above. These benefits, however, do not manifest without a skillful and knowledgeable facilitator. Every student in williams class must respond by addressing the claims of the people before them and then provide. 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. Literature circles and book clubs are a text discussion strategies that supports studentled facilitation and discussion in small groups. Ela teaching strategies for small group discussions. Integrate the results of group work into the closing discussion or lecture, and refer back to these ideas, when relevant, in subsequent class sessions. When the class needs to come together as a whole, they gather on a carpeted area near the class library. It helps students explore a diversity of perspectives. Engagement strategies series effective engagement strategies for the classroom. Often the minilesson provides a segue into the application of new. Improving indepth mathematical thinking and learning.
Using wholeclass discussion has two common purposes. Whole group discussion is comfortable for many teachers because it is a modified form of the lecture. Shortanswer questions obviously work best for this technique. Students may feel more comfortable asking questions during whole group discussions. Each unit builds on and recycles previous strategies. The ela classroom is all about the exchange of ideas and.
Whole class strategies generally require less preparation time and instruction time. Using classroom discussion as an effective teaching tool. Classroom discussions are a perfect place to develop students ability to use textual evidence. Whole group discussion is a method of teaching that involves a modified form of classroom lecture. 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. Tips to help implement the learning ally audiobook. Typical wholeclass strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations, and giving directions. Classroom discussions are a great way to develop speaking and listening skills. That is foolisheven if the curriculum director mandated small group teaching. 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.
This strategy can be used separately or in combination with the question slips above. Strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel. How to use the thinkpairshare activity in your classroom. How might you facilitate your members of class community getting. I had recently read nick harts blog post and reading reconsidered so these drove our discussion. During discussion, send students back to the text for more evidence by prompting them to expand on a classmates idea or deepen the discussion. Such information can be in the book or in a handout that was provided the day before the discussion.
Student led discussion strategies for whole class discussion. 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. Students have 30 seconds or a more appropriate time for your particular class to answer. Leigh anne the outsiders is the only book that students are required to read as a whole class. Jess had completed some observations across the school so had an idea what was happening in different year groups. May 15, 2018 that is foolisheven if the curriculum director mandated small group teaching. 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. Technology has advanced at great speed, global communication has expanded and expectations of what. 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. This page offers resources and strategies for facilitating productive discussions in facetoface classrooms and online discussion boards.
Dec 10, 20 make it even more dramatic by playing up the concept of speed, fun and excitement. Wholeclass discussions can encourage students to learn from one another and to articulate course content in their own words. He offers resources and scaffolds for teaching students to use the academic language needed for strong class. Filled with researchbased ideas, practical strategies and tools. Wholeclass strategies generally require less preparation time and instruction time. 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. Supporting students to learn math involves thinking about the whole process of teaching. These smaller discussions activate prior knowledge and. The strategies presented in this book are situated in the natural process of planning and teaching. Whole class discussions can encourage students to learn from one another and to articulate course content in their own words. In this model, the focus is shared between the instructor and the students throughout the information exchange. The rest of the class stands in an outer circle surrounding them. As a result, they make new mathematical connections. At other times, he sits outside the group, taking note of what students say and how they interact.
Ask each group to analyze and annotate a figure, image, or short passage of. I am kelly malloy from an apple for the teacher, and i am so excited to be posting over here on minds in bloom. Literature circles and book clubs betterlesson coaching. 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. Questions, reflective writing, and smallgroup work. Maurianne adams, lee anne bell, pat griffin, teaching for diversity and social justice, 2d edition. This sampling of strategies provide ideas for helping students prepare for.
This preparation limits the possibility of getting offtrack during the discussion. The rest of the time students are either in book clubs or in selfchosen independent reading books. Then every student pairs up with a partner and they discuss the question for two to five minutes. Discussion can be used in multiple ways when teaching, wholeclass approach and small group approach however we will focus on looking at wholeclass discussion. 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. This flexibility stems largely from grounding in vygotskyian social learning theory, which emphasizes knowledge and conceptual gain through peertopeer dialogue.
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. His most recent book is discussion in the college classroom. 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. 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. Before this school year started, i kept coming back to the idea of classroom 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. 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. One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept such as a tornado, an animal, or the titanic. 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. Every english language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning.
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. Stories that are driven by character actions and motivation are the ones that inspire discussion. Making whole class work more effective reading rockets. With young children, its best if the teacher models the technique with a volunteer so the class knows what to do. Improving indepth mathematical thinking and learning is a tool box for teachers, preservice teachers, professional developers and college instructors. 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. Several students conclude that the answer always comes after the equal sign. Instructional strategies for whole group discussion. Effective classroom discussions educational leadership. Rejoinders and followup questions 1a, 67b, 3c format. Four case studies serve as useful discussion prompts to share practice. Pose a question to the students in the inner circle.
This turn and talk routine usually helps to encourage discussion, particularly in a quieter class or when the material or skill is new. 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. I got a lot of good ideas from brookfield and preskills discussion book. Should reading be taught whole class or small group. 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. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. The advantages of presenting instruction to the whole class are attractive to many teachers. 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. Whole class discussions are one of the most commonly used teaching strategies.
Class discussions can motivate students while also helping them retain knowledge and develop effective problemsolving abilities. I made the transition to whole class reading this year. 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. On the part of the teacher, there should be prepared questions to guide and steer the discussion. The richness of a whole class discussion is dependent on the quality of small group and partner conversations that take place first. Classroom discussions university of maryland teaching and. Socratic seminar bingo by building book love instructional strategies.
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. Finally, the whole class engages in a discussion where students raise their hands and share all the thoughts and ideas theyve gathered. Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates questions while staying in character in that role. Jun 02, 2017 i made the transition to whole class reading this year.
Classroom discussions university of maryland teaching. Have your discussion questions prepared in advance so that you can ask them faster. Socratic seminar bingo by bs book love teachers pay teachers. Importance sometimes of silent writing before talk. There are a few great blogs out there about it already, mrs ps. Although this book focuses on whole class discussions, it. 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. In classroom discussions, students work with multiple ideas and have to balance new ideas with their original conclusions. 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. The big list of class discussion strategies cult of pedagogy.
Clear stepbystep, focused practice of discussion skills. After two rounds of response and writing, the paper is passed a third time. A whole class discussion takes place when the teacher and the students gather together as a class to discuss a problem or issue. Classroom discussion strategies for engaging all students, building higherlevel thinking skills, and strengthening. Truly, if you want to facilitate a successful whole class discussion, you have to read jeff zwiers. 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. How to hold a better class discussion the chronicle of higher. Importance of talk and analysis being rooted in personal response tellme grid just one of many mechanisms for structuring thinking. How i teach whole class reading the teaching booth. Students have a tendency to stay focused on the lesson because they might be called on to answer questions. Typical whole class strategies include lecture, discussion, debate, teacher demonstrations, and giving directions. How to hold a better class discussion the chronicle of. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their.
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