Discussion Skills Across The Curriculum

Susan and I have discussed expanding discussion skills across the curriculum several times in this round of PLCs. We agree on several points:

• effective discussion skills are essential for becoming an educated, responsible adult; it is a life skill as much as an academic skill
• effective discussion skills can be learned through consistent practice in class
• effective discussion skills are best learned when the format combines structure and freedom
• discussion formats will require an acclimation period that will feel awkward at first
• regular practice in a given format is critical for success; it is an evolutionary process
• successful formats are evidenced by the extent to which the students are "running the show"

We also agreed on several important points for teachers:

• teaching discussion skills can feel really awkward for the teacher at first, since you are gradually  turning over class to the students
• that's a good thing
• the students get much more out of the material forming the basis of discussion when they are in charge of discussing it
• appropriate evaluation is best as a combination of individual and group performance

Finally,

• building a facility with group discussions can help build a more intellectually curious environment at Marshall School
• building a facility with group discussions be a difference-maker for a Marshall School education

My Final Post: Fishbowls & Skype Sessions

So, the rest of my group abandoned me…I've been continuing to work on the Fishbowl Discussion technique I've described in previous posts, and I've written some posts about it on my own blog.

You can read about the technique here.

You can then read about how I put it to use in a somewhat different way here where I describe how our Skype sessions with Molly (Richards) Smith went. And, if you're interested, the videos of the Skype sessions are here. (Thanks to Matt W for uploading them to YouTube.)

I look forward to using this technique more next year…I plan to film a discussion or two next year, so other folks can see how it works...I'd also be happy to invite folks in to observe, if they wish.

I'm still not sure what I'm really supposed to do in this series of blog-posts, but I hope this serves the intended purpose somehow...

Update on the Group-grade Fishbowl Technique

I'm loving this new technique! It has the kids who usually have no trouble in discussion working harder, and, more importantly, the kids who never talk are talking!  I will have to re-design the rubric a bit, and when I do, I'll post it here.  I divide each into 2 teams, and each team spends about 16 minutes in the fishbowl, after which the other team has 10 minutes to question them before that second team gets into the fishbowl.  I know it all sounds complicated but it's really working.

I'm finally blogging....

So, this has actually been one of the best PLC experiences I've had this year, and it came at the best time as well. In my mixed Honors 4 and 5AP French class, we've just started reading a lengthy novel by Guy de Maupassant called Pierre et Jean. Inspired by our PLC discussions, I decided from the start to scrap my traditional "read these pages, answer these questions, and spit back your answers the next day" method, and figure out a way to get my students to talk to one another about their own experiences with the novel.

I've decided to do 10 different discussion activities with the ten different segments they will be asked to read. I've added my "traditional" worksheets to our class sophia page for those students who have had me for a few years now and who still like having some vocabulary and comprehension questions that they can refer to, but I am adamant that these questions are not mandatory.

And, while Susan did warn me there might be some awkwardly painful moments of silence (and there were!), I have been over the moon with the results so far.

In the first discussion, students sat in a wide circle and had complete control over the conversation. Using my Smart Notebook software, I was able to set timers for them and gave them the option to alternate between using French and English. Finally, finally.....with two minutes left in class, they got to an in-depth discussion of the hint of jealousy between the two brother, Pierre and Jean.

In the second discussion, students again started in a wide circle and were allowed to lead the discussion in any direction they wished in French. After twenty minutes, I instructed them to look under their chairs where I had taped pieces of paper with various themes written on them. They then separated into pairs and had to discuss (again completely in French) their themes: the representation of the sea, the representation of the women in the novel, the appearance of the social class structure in 19th century France, Maupassant's own intimate connections with the region of Normandy, etc. Again, the students did all the talking, and I simply listened. I think even some of them started swapping slips of paper on their own! There were wanting to talk about these themes.

During Wednesday's class, I instructed them to work together to design a play or video with at least 10 quotations from the novel (and English subtitles) which would prove to me that they had understood the central plot and the characters so far. Although they didn't quite finish this "project" in the 80 minutes they were given, I'm really looking forward to their video portrayal of the second chapter first thing during tomorrow's class. In in all honestly, I'm not concerned with the final product; having listened to the students' conversations about the landscape of Normandy, the personification of lighthouses, and the mysterious Polish refugee character (and why had he fled Poland?) all on their own---that is more than I could have asked for!

I'm excited to try seven more discussion techniques with this group, and I am hoping to "trickle" this down to the Honors 3 students who will begin reading Le Petit Prince next week in class! No more worksheets! :)

Thanks to everyone in our PLC who inspired me to try new things!

p.s. Today, I've also learned that blogging while trying to prepare dinner for three "starving" children does not work very well! Oh well....live and learn!

How Can Students Engage in More Effective Discussions? (Final Report!)

Key ingredients for a good discussion:

• When students have worked harder than the teacher
• When the topics come from the kids
• When the students are well prepared (direct by teacher at first; discussion etiquette; make prep part of the assignment )
• When students are responsible for the participation of their peers 
• When students get immediate feedback on performance

Almost everybody in this group has used the techniques described in the blog-posts in the classroom recently--so read our posts!  We also recommend using Flipgrid as a way to augment in-class discussions.

We've had lots of good conversations during this cycle, and we've tried new things!

Present (2/6/14):  Johnathan, Brianne, Kari, Miriam, Susan

A vision for the year 2025

A vision for the year 2025
Global Challenges

I adapted what I think is an essential question centered lesson plan to be a group discussion activity in my AP Spanish 5 class.  The activity fits into the AP theme of "Global Challenges" and asks students a series of questions which they discuss in small groups to hash out their vision for the future.

The activity has been very successful so far and students have seemed more invested than normal about making sure their opinions are being understood.  I intended the activity to last about 90 min but the students still haven't finished their discussions so I plan to use half of class tomorrow to finish up.

Here is an abridged outline (obviously all of this is in Spanish in the original) If you would like to see the whole thing I'd be more than glad to share it, but I couldn't find a way to upload a document on blogger...

Essential Question:  What do you hope for the future of our planet?
Steps: (Each step is accompanied by some conversation starters but the idea is that the students take the conversation in the direction that fits their group)

1. Brainstorming:  Identify what the group thinks should remain the same and what we should work to change by 2025.
2. Challenges:  Identify major obstacles that could stand in the way of achieving these goals.
3. Looking for solutions:  Deciding what role certain organizations and people should have in confronting these problems to achieve these goals. 
• Educational system, mass media, the government, various industries, the UN, UNESCO, etc. 
4. Considering perspectives:  Students were given a list of quotes that they had come to a consensus on the most important and defend their decision.  The quotes say things like...
• "I am a doctor.  By the year 2025, I hope that everyone, rich and poor, have access to a high level of health care."
• "I am a high school student.  By the year 2025, I hope that students learn more about religions and cultures around the world."
5. Reflection and summary:  
1. How has the world changed in your lifetime?
2. Which of the visions for the future of our world are achievable? 
3.  What role do international organizations, national governments, and individuals have to make positive change in the world?
4. What can teens do to ensure a better world for the year 2025?

January 28, 2014

Present:  Susan, Johnathan, Nate H, Brianne, Miriam, Kari (Brandon was around somewhere...)

We met at lunch on the cold day impromptu professional day and briefly discussed what we had worked on the week before.  Folks should be blogging about it, if they haven't already.  

We won't meet on the 30th!