by Barb Edler
Hello, readers. I am a retired public school Language Arts/Composition teacher from Iowa. Currently, I am an online writing tutor for Kirkwood Community College. My teaching instruction has been greatly influenced by the Iowa Writing Project, and I have worked with students 6-12 as well as adults as a college composition instructor, mostly in rural areas. Writing, reading and speaking are my greatest passions.
I remember when I first began teaching that I believed I shouldn’t push a silent or shy student to speak up in class. However, later in my career, I realized how important it is to hear each student’s thoughts. I will never forget having a particular epiphany when one of my “quiet” students shared her perceptions with the class. Her peers were excited by her comments, and I immediately knew I had to think of strategies to give each student the opportunity to have a voice in my classroom in a way that was comfortable for them.
One strategy that helps reluctant speakers to open up is when they can quietly write their thoughts. Similar to a pair/share activity, a “Big Paper” discussion invites a small group to record their thoughts on a large poster.
For this activity, get large sheets of poster board or butcher paper or just tape some sheets together. Have students form small groups to discuss a particular issue or share their thoughts about their reading, etc. Establish exactly what you want the students to discuss. Here are a few suggested prompts:
- What was the most important part of today’s reading?
- Do you agree with the main character’s actions?
- What questions do you have about today’s reading?
Students then write their thoughts, questions and responses to each other, all on the big paper, an action similar to passing notes back and forth. Afterwards, you could have a gallery walk which might be an effective way to begin the following class session. “Gallery walks” engage students to view the completed work as though they are viewing a museum. Hang the big discussion papers around the room and invite students to move from piece to piece to observe the recorded discussions. Students can also respond further on the “big paper” by adding their observations on the posters with a sticky note. As students view each other’s thoughts, they will most likely gain a deeper insight into a text and even more questions that could lead to richer conversations.
Another one of my favorite speaking/listening activities is the “Fishbowl Discussion.” The fishbowl discussion is similar to a Socratic seminar. This strategy is ideal for when you want to formatively assess your student’s understanding of a particular text, and you want all students to participate in the speaking activity.
To prepare for a fishbowl discussion, I would prepare students ahead of time. Prior to the discussion, students wrote their own questions to be shared. Of course, review their questions and add some of your own to facilitate a successful conversation. During the discussion, students form two circles: the inside circle discusses the developed questions while the outside circle takes notes about the discussion. Then the roles are reversed so each student is part of the inside and outside circle.
Students often do not know how to evaluate a discussion. To better prepare them to listen and discuss, provide them with a speaking/listening rubric to record their observations. For example, have students focus on one student to evaluate. Have them make a check mark for each time the student does the following:
- Speaks in the discussion
- Makes eye contact with other speakers as they speak
- Refers to the text
- Asks a new or follow up question
- Responds to another speaker
- Paraphrases and adds to another speakers’ ideas
- Interrupts another speaker
- Engages in a side conversation
- Dominates the conversation
Engaging students in meaningful discussions can always be a challenge. Providing a structure for speaking situations can greatly enhance the success of hearing each and every one of your students’ voices. I believe even shy students really want to share their thoughts, as teachers we can help them voice their ideas by incorporating speaking strategies into our practices.