It is April, we are coming to the end of yet another school year.
This is a time of year that generates lots of emotion: excitement of summer, fear
of lots of indoor recess, and stress because you only have a little time left
with your kids. Whatever this time of year makes you feel, it is important to
make the most of the time we have with our classes. What are we doing with our
students this last Six Weeks to make an impact on them: as students and as
people. What opportunities are we giving them?
We know students start getting antsy this time of year, so
what are we doing to help them learn? We love to talk, they love to talk, let
us make sure we are giving students the opportunity to have conversations. If we
intentionally plan to give them the time to talk about what they are thinking,
we will have given them the opportunity to own their learning and we have met
their social need to talk at the same time. Now, I am not advocating letting
them sit and be social as much as they want. I am, however, advocating for them
to have structured discussion time. I was in two classrooms today where the
students were working in groups. The students’
conversation were great! I heard academic vocabulary, in-depth discussion over
what the picture was showing and why, as well as students sharing the data they
found while researching. Did the students have to be reminded to lower their
voices? Yes. Did the teacher take away the time? Nope. There is a balancing act
between allowing conversations and disrupting the others around them. It was
great learning and the students were very excited to share their ideas.
Class Discussion can help kids move 2 years! ( .82 According
to Hattie) Using talk moves and
purposeful talk strategies is a great way to give students the tools to hold conversations
that have substance. Our goal is to teach students to be lifelong learners, to
have the drive to want to learn on their own. Having conversations with peers
that give them confidence, is a great way to start that journey. In the next few weeks, look at your lesson
plans to ensure you are planning times for your students to discuss with their
peers their ideas and thinking about what they are learning.
