Student Thoughts

If you want them to HEAR it, you talk. If you want them to LEARN it, THEY TALK. - Spencer Kagan -

Student Voices are Valuable and Vital in Every Classroom K-12: Let Them Be Heard

By Heather Phelps; K-3 Literacy Coach SISD

Although this video focuses on primary students, it has implications for classrooms K-12.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2dLPFaehV0

Improve Engagement and Participation with Talk Moves

Engagement is important to the learning process and so is allowing students to have a voice. Use these talk moves,  or discussion techniques to increase the engagement and voices in the classroom. Providing students with accountable talk stems through posters or bookmarks, can help until they become fluent with the process.

Talk Moves

1. Repeat or Paraphrase- Ask students to repeat or paraphrase what another student said.  This forces student to listen more intently to their classmates and process what they are saying.  Accountable talk stems:
• What I heard you say is…
• (Student name) shared that …
• (Student name) explained _________ by ________.
2. Add on- Provide students with the opportunity to reflect and think critically about how another student answers and add their thoughts or additional evidence to support another’s thinking.  Accountable talk stems:
• One thing to add…
• I agree because…
• Another piece of evidence is…
• That reminds me of ....
• That connects to...

Students could also add a different answer or approach at this point.  Accountable talk stems:

• Another idea, answer, or possibility could be …
• I (respectfully) disagree because...

3. Silent Signal (I agree)- As a class, have a signal, such as a hand signal or little sign,  that shows other students that you agree with their answer of their thinking.  This allows for the whole class to participate and for each individual student to decide and show whether they agree with a given answer.  It also can work as an esteem booster to the student answering to see how many students share the same thinking, ideas, or answers that they do.
4. Revise our Thinking-  Successful adults, when given or learning new information and ideas consider how they mesh with their current thinking.  Students should be doing this same work in the classroom. Provide opportunities for students to decide whether they need to change an answer after hearing from other students, or seeing new evidence or information.
• I am now thinking…
• After hearing or seeing ...
• My evidence also…
• Other evidence...
• It could also be...

An example of these discussion techniques can be seen here in this short two minute clip from The Teaching Channel.  

Secondary teachers may want to use a technique such as Socratic Seminar ,or the one shared below to expand the efficiency of discourse in the classroom.  

In “Calling Mulligan! Two Rules for Dynamic Discourse”, Lisa Arter lays out 5 R’s to guide engaged discourse.  She uses a koosh ball to keep the conversation rolling and participation up.

At any point during the discussion a student may call a “mulligan” on his or herself and restart the statement or abandon it altogether and choose a new statement. Anything said prior to calling “mulligan” is forgotten and dismissed.  This allows students to speak more freely and not be as worried about making a mistake.

1. Respond (first throw)- Student must respond to a given topic. Ball goes back to teacher to give the second throw.
2. Repeat (second throw)- Student must paraphrase or repeat what the speaker said.
3. Restate (third throw back to speaker)- Original speaker has the opportunity to clarify his or her thinking after hearing it repeated aloud, or agreeing with the student paraphrase.
4. Rebut (fourth throw)- A new student must agree or disagree with the original speaker and provide reasons, evidence or support for why.
5. Reinforce (fifth throw)- This student may choose to reinforce either the original speaker, or the rebuttal with new evidence.  

Students may be asked to identify the type of reasoning used, such as ethos, pathos, logos and whether it was effective or if another form of rhetoric would be better.  This addition to the process could be particularly helpful in light of the redesigned SAT.