After reading our assigned chapters I began thinking about classroom discussion and my experiences and thoughts about discussion. While growing up and going through Elementary and Middle school discussions always made me nervous. I was a shy student and was always scared the teacher would call on me to answer the question. Me fear was that there was only one correct answer and I would not get it right. I spent most of the time worrying if the teacher was going to call on my to respond, rather than listening to others inputs and explanations. Gradually I became less nervous, though I still did not like discussion I tried to participate in High School. It was only when I got to college that I felt more comfortable in discussion. I felt that in college courses, discussions are more laid back and opinionated rather that one direct answer. Students are able to discuss what they read and how they interperted the reading. Through this discussion other classmates may agree or disagree but hear others thoughts. Now, while in feild placement I observe the students as well as my CT and notice different strategies and techniques that are used daily.
While observing my 5th grade classroom, my CT performs discussions daily. Most of her discussions are based around a question of a book she is reading to them or a topic they learned the previous day. She uses discussion to review topics already learned or to inquire minds on topics the student may not know at all. My CT usually starts out using I-R-E ( Initiate-Response-Evaluate), which means the Teacher initiates the discussion with a question, then a student is called upon to respond and then the response is evaluated. From observing last semester into the beginning of this spring semester, the majority of the discussion I see are I-R-E, though I have witnessed on occassion where the teacher poses a question to the class, and the students take over the discussion and the CT sits back to monitor the discussion. When I asked the CT about using discussion, she said that she poses questions during books when their are subjects and words students may not know. She also said that this helps the students keep on track and the students will follow along better, when they understand the text.
In the future, I hope to see more self-student directed class discussions where the CT is monitoring the discussion instead of self-directing the discussion. I unerstand the setting up discussion is difficult and a skill that needs to be practiced, and I hope that after our readings, I will try to incorporate more self-directed discussions in my lesson planning.
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I agree with you that teachers tend to only use recitation or initiate-response-evaluate type discussions in school. In my time at placement as well as my time spent in other schools with various things, like substitute teaching, I have seen very little "true discussions," not even small group discussions. However, discussions are important, especially when it comes to literacy. Mcgee made the point that a child can have their own interpretations of a book, but interpretations negotiated upon within a group discussion are much more significant because the students are able to give viewpoints, insights, and arguments and the group would be able to negotiate the important points and have a rich interpretation. This is very important and it is sad that discussions are not part of many classrooms.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I was also a shy student and did not like discussions. Unlike you, however, my anxiety got worse in college. This is why I feel that teachers should stick to small group discussions as opposed to whole class ones, and grade students on other points besides whether or not they talked. Many students are just as active participants in a discussion if they are not talking.
I completely agree with you when you mentioned the idea of being shy to participate in a group discussion in elementary school. In elementary school it was not sharing ideas with one another, it was more of a right or wrong answer. This then, was not really discussion. I remember being afraid to answer the question incorrectly. However, if opinion based questions were posed I was eager to participate, I liked to talk and share my opinions, I just did not want to be incorrect. I think a good way to incorporate more opinion-based discussion would be to analyze a poem. After reading a poem students will have a different idea of what the poem means. Allowing them to share their opinions and explanations would lead to a great discussion. I think that for your class of fifth graders this is very possible. It would not be possible for all grade levels but modifications could be made to suit the classrooms needs.
ReplyDeleteMaking sure that the students know exactly what is happening in a story, as far as subject matters, is extremely important. If students do not understand a topic, like you mentioned, they will not be able to make a real-life connection. The real-life connections make learning more meaningful. It is good to see that your CT can recognize topics that her students are unfamiliar with. It is beneficial to see discussion taking place in the classroom, but hopefully it will be turned away from I-R-E and more towards student directed discussion.