It is so good to have your thoughtful, talented, generous voice back! Zoe On Thursday, July 10, 2008, at 05:26 PM, ginger/rob wrote:
> I'm continuing how I teach my class our procedures. > Ginger W. > +++++++++++++++ > Next I say this to them: "You know how when the teacher asks a > question and > you get your thinking ready and everyone raises their hand to answer > but > she/he can only call on one person? And when she doesn't call on you, > you > hear that inner voice saying, 'Man! I wanted her to call on ME!!!'?? > Well I > have a better way I'm going to teach you so that EVERYONE can have > their > thinking shared. Because I know that everyone has great answers and > great > ideas and great thinking. So I'm going to teach you something called > TURN > and TALK. This is how it works." > > I ask them to find someone right next to them who will become their > thinking > partner. I walked around helped them pair up. If there is an odd > number I > help one group make a threesome. If I noticed eye rolling or heard > groans > (because of who I had paired up) I had this little talk with them > next--- > > "Now I know that kids really just like to turn and talk with kids they > are > used to. But you know what? That's not what we're going to do this > year. > In a minute I am going to have you turn and talk about that but before > I do- > this is how turn and talk LOOKS and SOUNDS. (I charted this on the > next > page of my two column T-chart- see below.) When I say 'Turn and talk > about....' you need to turn your body towards your talking partner. > Some > people say 'Get knee to knee and eye to eye'. This is actually Active > Listening, isn't it? I want you to start your talking this way: 'I'm > thinking........' And be sure to add on the word BECAUSE and keep > going > with your thinking. So instead of just saying, for example, 'I'm > thinking > that it should be quiet.' Say: 'I'm thinking it should be quiet > because that > way we can all concentrate on doing our work.' Piggyback (add to)onto > what > you hear your partner say. Go deep with your thoughts. Use hand > gestures as > you are talking." > > LOOKS LIKE: > two (sometimes three with odd numbers) students together > facing each other eye to eye, knee to knee > mouths moving > hand gestures > > SOUNDS LIKE: > talking together in small groups > piggybacking- adding more on to thinking > using examples > "I'm thinking...............because......" > > Then I go on to say, "O.K. Now I want you to turn and talk about > what is > GOOD about having the chance to turn and talk to different kids each > day. > Be sure to add the 'because......' . > > They INSTANTLY turn and talk and my job is to walk around and listen > in. If > I notice a group not facing each other I nudge them to turn towards > each > other. If I notice a group not talking, I scoot down by them and > facilitate > their talk. I rephrase the talking point and help them talk it out. > If I > notice groups who are "done" I have them look at the groups who are > still > going at it and suggest that possibly there is much more to say about > it and > ask them to say more about their thinking and remind them to add > BECAUSE....... > > After just about 1-2 minutes (while they are still going at it) I say, > "Let's come back together." I may have to say that two times. I tell > them > that when I say that it means turn back facing me (active listening). > Sometimes they are frustrated because they are "not done" but I tell > them > that's o.k. I'm sure they got to share something that was important. > Keeping the talking time short helps the lesson keep moving and what my > purpose is, is to let ALL voices be heard and to engage ALL minds in > the > lesson. > > I then tell them at I am going to teach them the next step in TURN and > TALK. > That they each got to hear the thinking of their thinking partner but > the > rest of us would like to hear some of that thinking as well. I tell > them, > "O.k. This is how we are going to do this next part. When it is the > "share > back whole group" part, you can share back something YOU said during > TURN > and TALK or something you heard YOUR PARTNER say. When I ask who has > something to share, and I call on you to share, this is how I want you > to > say it: 'Nancy and I were thinking.......... because .......' or 'Dan > and I > were thinking......... because........' And I'll help you remember > this > part. So who would like to share?" > > When I call on someone I remind everyone else to "do" Active > Listening. I > have that person wait until everyone is "doing" Active Listening. If > he > starts looking at me when he begins to talk, I point to the group and > I say, > "Tell the kids, not me." If he starts without the "Nancy and I were > thinking" part I DO interrupt him and say the words I want HIM to say. > ("Nancy and I were thinking.....") Sometimes even when I do that they > don't > get the HINT to word it that way and so I say, "No, I want you to > start over > and say, 'Nancy and I were thinking...'. (YES this interrupts the > FLOW but > I have learned the hard way that if I don't MAKE them say it the way I > want > them to say it they simply don't do it. They really DO catch on after > a few > times like this!) I tend to just ask about 2-4 people to share back > whole > group. I know some people don't take the time to do this but besides > me > hearing where they are at with their thinking, I believe sharing back > whole > group creates models for those who are not yet at the deeper thinking > level > of most of the kids. Those kids will hear the stronger thinkers and > will > strive to get there. Another reason I want to hear sharing back whole > group > is to reinforce, reteach, redirect any misconceptions or gaps in > understanding. > > One suggestion for older students- I would say that we are going to > leave at > the door if we are a boy or a girl because it is not going to matter > who it > is or if they are a boy or girl when we turn and talk. We ALL have > good > thinking to share and it will no longer be o.k. to just share girl to > girl > and boy to boy. We are all thinkers and all thinking will be valued > and > encouraged. I would tell them that I will be watching to see that > they are > choosing to sit in different places when we come over to our gathering > area > rather than just sitting by the same people. So that they will be > able to > enjoy and learn from receiving the thinking of ALL their peers in their > class. > > I LOVE turn and talk. When I ask my class to turn and talk about why > it is > good to turn and talk with lots of different kids and not just the > same kid > each time, they give back whole group exactly what I would have said > if I > had chosen to just TELL them why. It takes me out of the > EXPERT/transmitter > of THE information role. They each get the opportunity > (in a very structured and comfortable way) to share their thoughts. > All > thoughts are heard. Based on my experiences, turn and talk bumps up > engagement in all subject areas. I started doing turn and talk during > math > and science and social studies. Whenever I would have previously just > called on one student. You can walk around an hear their thinking if > you do > it when they are at their desks as well as in the gathering area. > > I always have to remind myself that going over this one time is not > enough. > Depending on the group, I may have several thinking pairs model what it > looks like/sounds like for the class and then have the class turn and > talk > about what they noticed and heard. I even often ask the class BEFORE > hand > to turn and talk about what I should see/hear when we do turn and talk > today. Then have a few share back. And then of course have them > reflect on > how it went at the end of the shared part of our reading workshop. > > After just rereading this email it sounds a bit ANAL-- on paper it > does but > not in practice. Once my kids are "trained" each year in these > processes to > help us facilitate our thinking, the work I have in store for them > will be > easier to accomplish and we'll have greater success. When they > backslide, I > go back to these beginning "training" steps and redo it. I think one > reason > our "management" breaks down is because we think if we've taught it > they > should do it. But kids are kids and if they need reteaching and > reaffirming > from us to bring them back to our expectations then that is OUR job > and not > a fault of theirs. My ultimate goal is to have a smooth flowing > reading > workshop (and day in general) so that we can do the work at hand. I've > found doing all the upfront work pays off in the end. > > Pt. 3 in next email. > > Ginger W. > grade 3 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.