Mrs. Whitney Clark

The Importance of Student Conversation

As soon as you walk into Mrs. Clark's door, you sense a feeling of safety and comfort. Her classroom is colorful and cozy. There is always a smile on her face. She shows genuine interest in her students and their lives. There are smiles all around the room and a healthy buzz of student voices. The buzz is lively student conversation; all students are engaged and actively participating in thoughtful conversation. This type of classroom environment is one of Mrs. Clark's top priorities when it comes to her philosophies for classroom instruction.

During her lesson on "main idea" in Reading class in March, Mrs. Clark often paused to give her students the opportunity to "turn to their partner" and discuss what they were learning. "One important concept that I learned through my SDI training is students should have like 10 responses for every minute. So, I use the turn and talk strategy a lot because it gives a chance for all students to share their thoughts and have good discussions."

She used an engaging powerpoint for students to make connections with key components and terms about the topic, main idea, and supporting details. To remember the key parts of summarizing a text, an analogy was used. Summarizing is like an ice cream cone. The main idea is the cone and the scoops of ice cream are the supporting details. What a great way to remember the key components of a good summary. The students were then asked to practice finding the main idea of three words: wood, coal, and gas. She turned it over to the students to discuss at their tables.

Check out this link for the 5th grade teachers' highly used resource for curriculum: TPT

Great conversations began at each table. Students had been practicing techniques to help start good conversation in Mrs. Clark's room for awhile now. One of the most important expectations was that of listening. "We practice how to actively listen: eyes are on the person talking, you face the person, and you are able to repeat back what they said. "

The conversations continued and each student had a chance to participate and provide their thoughts with the group. Mrs. Clark told me they've talked about "Talk Moves" - phrases they can use to enhance their conversations. Specific phrases are used to enhance their conversations. "They say things like, "I agree/disagree with what you are saying because.."; "I heard you say....."; "I would like to add to Josie's answer". The talk moves allow students to make connections to their own thoughts/learning which enhances learning when connections are made. These talk moves also help students find words to help them respectfully disagree with someone."

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After these conversations, groups had the chance to share out their thoughts. Another reason Mrs. Clark asks students to talk in small groups is to encourage students to share during large group discussion. Students are more likely to share with the large group if they've had a chance to share with their small group first. When sharing out, all ideas were acknowledged. To encourage sharing, Mrs. Clark is careful with her responses. "I try to create a trusting/respectful [by] making sure I set a good example when responding to someone's answer that might not be on the right track. I might say things like "thanks for sharing, could someone add to Aaron's thoughts?"

The class then moved into partner groups to practice the skill of finding the topic, supporting details, and main idea of a text. They began a hands on activity that required cutting, gluing, and writing. Again, more lively conversation began. Students were engaging in higher order thinking through analyzing the text, engaging in thoughtful conversation, and drawing conclusions based on their discussions.

When Dr. Valentine (2019) discussed his research in the types of higher order thinking found in classrooms, category 5, the process of higher order thinking through verbal peer-to-peer conversations was the category that was consistently the least likely to occur. When students work in groups to analyze, evaluate, synthesize, or draw conclusions, they are engaging in higher order thinking. "Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the percent of HO/D has diminished in recent years, moving from a range of 20-25% prior to the mid-2000s to a range of 15-20% today. By grade level, categories 5-6 are highest in vocational/technical/career schools and in elementary schools and lowest in comprehensive high schools," (Valentine, 2019).

Learn more about IPI categories and Dr. Valentine's work here: IPI Categories

It is important to recognize the decrease in higher order thinking happening in classrooms over the years. It is also important to recognize the value in student conversation. In order for student conversation to have the greatest benefits, classroom procedures and practice have to take place. It is clear that Mrs. Clark has helped her students learn how to engage in meaningful conversations. They are confident in their thinking and enjoy sharing their ideas.

Here's a great article about the guidelines on engaging students in meaningful conversations in any subject area.

Thanks, Mrs. Clark, for letting me visit and see the impact you have on your students! You're amazing!

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