Student Centered Discussion
“Instructional conversation, the kind of talk that acts like a mental blender, mixing together new material with existing knowledge in a student’s schema. Using discussion protocols like World Café, Four on a Pencil, and Give One Get One help to create variety in the ways students talk to each other in the classroom, offering a chance to both work collaboratively and have their individual voices heard.”
~ Zaretta Hammond
Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Why is student discussion so important? When students talk with each other, they are co-constructing meaning instead of simply being asked to remember information. Discussion requires students to perform various mental “moves” when engaging with each other in accountable talk which brings benefits to student learning. Teachers that empower students to engage in discussions allow them to construct knowledge while simultaneously fostering social and communication skills. Classroom discussions are particularly useful for students who struggle with the content and/or academic language. Student-centered classroom discussion…
Helps students better internalize concepts and form connections between ideas
Contextualizes content through examples brought up during conversation
Makes learning more relevant
Advances both content understanding and academic language goals.
There is a positive relationship between classroom discussion, content learning, and language acquisition.
Resources to Learn More
Think Like a Seminar (article and article discussion sheet)
Effective Classroom Discusion - Selma Wasserman, ASCD
Effective Classroom Discussion - William Cashin