Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
February 2008 | Volume 50 | Number 2 Analyzing Classroom Discourse to Advance Teaching and Learning
/ffect what counts as knowled#e! Impact students% educational opportunities! 9ay foster certain le$els of communication!
In classroom discourse situations where teachers ask 1uestions with certain answers in mind, the teacher maintains control o$er what counts as knowled#e! In such scenarios, the teacher may i#nore a student%s uncertainty about content or counter1uestions that appear tan#ential! 7a2den also emphasi2es that, to #o beyond the traditional teacher-1uestion:student-response format, teachers need to ha$e a stron# #rasp of the content beyond the current lesson! 4a$in# that knowled#e allows a teacher to anticipate or ne#otiate the different directions students mi#ht take as they #rapple with a new concept! For e ample, 7a2den cites the case of a ;th #rade math student who insisted in one class e ercise that to #et from 8 to <, she only had to -minus one-half- from 8! +$en thou#h other students correctly disa#reed and the topic was outside the planned lesson, the teacher used the student%s response as an openin# to discuss with students fractions as functions! =hen teachers allow for student discourse, lessons can take une pected turns, but students will de$elop a deeper understandin# of content within a much richer conte t!
was able to use the moment to help students probe into the ways that or#anisms adapt to their en$ironment o$er time by #ainin# traits that aid in their sur$i$al! "o encoura#e deeper discussion and in$esti#ation in the classroom, &ickson su##ests that teachers
/sk more open-ended 1uestions! +ncoura#e students to ask their own 1uestions! ?i$e students more time to research and e plore problems! ?i$e students opportunities for makin# choices about lines of in1uiry in a topic! )For e ample, in a unit on @apanese culture, one student may want to do a tea ceremony, another calli#raphy, and a third Aen #ardens! .tudents build knowled#e when they share information and make connections between topics!,
=hen teachers model in1uiry in the classroom by askin# 1uestions such as -I wonder why that happenedB- or -=hy did that occurB- students learn to pose their own 1uestions! ->ids are so pro#rammed to 8ust answer 1uestions, but part of the thinkin# process is how to ask 1uestions, make a hypothesis, and then find an answer! /ll of this is part of the problem-sol$in# process,- says &ickson! -=hen teachers model in1uiry, they%re talkin# throu#h their own thinkin# process out loud! It helps students!- "eachers can also establish #round rules for different types of classroom discourse, she adds! For e ample,
.tudents should talk 1uietly in small #roups when the teacher is directly instructin# one #roup! &urin# brainstormin#, students should take turns and not talk o$er one another! "eachers should re$iew rules of debate when discussin# topics )e!#!, workin# to support opinions, sharin# by turns, usin# specific amounts of time for deli$ery,!
?i$in# students more opportunities to talk and discuss knowled#e e tends what 7a2den calls -speakin# ri#hts,- which traditionally ha$e been closely held by teachers! /llowin# students to $oice their opinions, personal connections to content, and insi#hts makes them part of a #roup that helps to define knowled#e, &ickson says!
3ress for clarification and e planation! *e1uire 8ustification of proposals and challen#es! *eco#ni2e and challen#e misconceptions! &emand e$idence for claims and ar#uments! Interpret and use each other%s statements!
In their own colle#e classroom discussions, both Fisher and Frey say that they resist the ur#e to respond to each student comment because that%s where e$aluation often -creeps in!- Instead, they in$ite other students to use accountable talk strate#ies to respond! -=e know we are doin# a #ood 8ob when we can #et a strin# of students to talk without us inter8ectin#,- Fisher says! 4e recommends that teachers prepare some rich 1uestions in ad$ance by brainstormin# with Dloom%s ta onomy for inspiration and then select a few 1uestions for classroom discussion! -"he truly #reat teachers know how to ask 1uestions that elicit une pected answers! "hey then analy2e that student discourse to fi#ure out what learnin# needs to occur ne t,- e plains Fisher!
7opyri#ht G 2008 by /ssociation for .uper$ision and 7urriculum &e$elopment