On Tuesday I took four students to the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat in Toronto to meet with the 100 or so people who decide what Ontario students should be learning, The Gods of Curriculum! My students were there with a number of other students to share their experiences in Knowledge Building classrooms. I will have more to say about the day in a yet to be written post.
During that meeting, research was presented on communication patterns in classrooms and what happens when the teacher is no longer the hub of communication. Below is a rough interpretation of the data we were shown.
The least amount of learning takes place when communication looks like the pattern below:
TEACHER
STUDENTS
Reading levels and vocabulary begin to increase when communication patterns look similar to the one below. Note that although more discussion is taking place between students, the teacher remains the focus.
The biggest increases in reading levels and vocabulary occur when interactions are primarily between students and the teacher is no longer the center of the classroom.
During that meeting, research was presented on communication patterns in classrooms and what happens when the teacher is no longer the hub of communication. Below is a rough interpretation of the data we were shown.
The least amount of learning takes place when communication looks like the pattern below:
TEACHER
STUDENTS
Reading levels and vocabulary begin to increase when communication patterns look similar to the one below. Note that although more discussion is taking place between students, the teacher remains the focus.
The biggest increases in reading levels and vocabulary occur when interactions are primarily between students and the teacher is no longer the center of the classroom.
I presented this information to my grade 6 and 7 classes. I often share research with students to help them understand why things are structured certain ways in our classroom.
Each class then engaged in peer conversation in slightly different ways.
Grade 6
4 students seated around 1 desk.
1 large sheet of paper on the desk.
Fifth student stands and holds marker to map the conversation flow.
Students were asked to discuss who the Canadian flag bearer at the Olympic closing ceremonies should be. There is a social media campaign to have Gilmore Junio carry the flag even though he did not compete because of the tremendous sportsmanship he showed in giving up his place in the competition to a team mate who stood a better chance of winning a medal.
Once the discussion was finished, groups explained how the pattern represented their conversations and what insights they gained from looking at the patterns.
If students are to have extended conversations that lead to deeper learning, they need strategies for eliciting information from others. To that end, we practised conversation starters that are used in Assertive Inquiry to understand someone's mental model.
Students walked around the room stopped at a partner and had only 2 options for conversation. They had to look at something their partner was wearing and begin with:
"Tell me about ... your jacket."
Once the person had finished speaking, the listener followed up with, "Tell me more about ... (something that was said)."
At the end of the activity we debriefed.
Grade 7
The grade 7s have been pursuing a mini-inquiry based on an article given to me by Cheryl Patterson, one of HWDSB's Student Success Coaches who is in the I-Think Initiative.
Students began the inquiry by discussing their schema on the Olympics.
Next they read the article and annotated the text with observations and questions.
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Next we gathered and shared our questions, placing them on The Thinking Matrix.
Students then took their or someone else's questions and sought answers.
Today, after showing the class the research on conversation patterns, we decentralized the room.
Desks were pushed to the outside, chairs placed in a circle and students shared what they had discovered. Initially I had wanted to give every student the opportunity to speak first before questions or comments could be made; however once we began, students felt it would be better to ask questions and make comments in the moment. Whoever was sharing information had control of the conversation. Others raised their hands to indicate they wished to comment or ask questions. Side conversations were not permitted. That meant that I was an equal member in the class and had to raise my hand and wait to be selected to speak.
Students were highly engaged, asked great questions and built on each other's ideas. There were however, many misconceptions and assumptions, as well as conclusions drawn based on half-formed ideas and initial research. A few times students questioned information by asking if the student had confirmed information by visiting more than one site. Several times students offered probable explanations that were pulled out of thin air.
Knowledge Building requires students to recognize and contend with misconceptions and assumptions. The next time we meet, I will reintroduce those terms and we will examine the information being shared to consider whether it should be accepted as fact or if more learning needs to be done. This will be the perfect opportunity to introduce The Ladder of Inference.
Each class then engaged in peer conversation in slightly different ways.
Grade 6
4 students seated around 1 desk.
1 large sheet of paper on the desk.
Fifth student stands and holds marker to map the conversation flow.
Students were asked to discuss who the Canadian flag bearer at the Olympic closing ceremonies should be. There is a social media campaign to have Gilmore Junio carry the flag even though he did not compete because of the tremendous sportsmanship he showed in giving up his place in the competition to a team mate who stood a better chance of winning a medal.
Once the discussion was finished, groups explained how the pattern represented their conversations and what insights they gained from looking at the patterns.
If students are to have extended conversations that lead to deeper learning, they need strategies for eliciting information from others. To that end, we practised conversation starters that are used in Assertive Inquiry to understand someone's mental model.
Students walked around the room stopped at a partner and had only 2 options for conversation. They had to look at something their partner was wearing and begin with:
"Tell me about ... your jacket."
Once the person had finished speaking, the listener followed up with, "Tell me more about ... (something that was said)."
At the end of the activity we debriefed.
Grade 7
The grade 7s have been pursuing a mini-inquiry based on an article given to me by Cheryl Patterson, one of HWDSB's Student Success Coaches who is in the I-Think Initiative.
Students began the inquiry by discussing their schema on the Olympics.
Next they read the article and annotated the text with observations and questions.
Next we gathered and shared our questions, placing them on The Thinking Matrix.
Students then took their or someone else's questions and sought answers.
Today, after showing the class the research on conversation patterns, we decentralized the room.
Desks were pushed to the outside, chairs placed in a circle and students shared what they had discovered. Initially I had wanted to give every student the opportunity to speak first before questions or comments could be made; however once we began, students felt it would be better to ask questions and make comments in the moment. Whoever was sharing information had control of the conversation. Others raised their hands to indicate they wished to comment or ask questions. Side conversations were not permitted. That meant that I was an equal member in the class and had to raise my hand and wait to be selected to speak.
Students were highly engaged, asked great questions and built on each other's ideas. There were however, many misconceptions and assumptions, as well as conclusions drawn based on half-formed ideas and initial research. A few times students questioned information by asking if the student had confirmed information by visiting more than one site. Several times students offered probable explanations that were pulled out of thin air.
Knowledge Building requires students to recognize and contend with misconceptions and assumptions. The next time we meet, I will reintroduce those terms and we will examine the information being shared to consider whether it should be accepted as fact or if more learning needs to be done. This will be the perfect opportunity to introduce The Ladder of Inference.
Hello, my name is Kelsey and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I aspire to be an elementary school teacher. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I really like the communication pattern.
ReplyDeleteHello Kelsey,
DeleteIt's always nice to hear from University of South Alabama students. Best wishes for your studies.