Class Discussion

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.