Most any time we have a question in the classroom, we want to give students the chance to share their initial thinking. Not only does this give students a chance to voice their ideas, it also gives us (as teachers) a window into their current thinking, some of which we may want to leverage and some of which we may need to work to re-work over the course of the unit.
1. Why develop an “initial model” before students have all the relevant information?
- It gives students a sense of ownership of the process and the final model.
- Having them think about the phenomenon up front piques their interest in the activities that follow, makes the process more meaningful, and improves their comprehension.
- Usually students already have ideas (right or wrong…) about the phenomenon. If their ideas are correct, the subsequent activities validate their thinking. If their ideas include misconceptions it makes those very visible and allows us to address them directly.
2. How do you get reluctant students to participate in discussions with their group and keep a few individuals from dominating?
Encouraging high school students to productively talk to each other can be an incredible challenge in the classroom! However, if expectations are clear and protocols are established and practiced, it can be done.
Some considerations when facilitating small group discussions:
- Talking in small groups may be a new expectation for some students - consider using non-threatening, low stakes topics to practice protocols and/or get comfortable sharing thoughts with others
- In some groups, one or two students can dominate the conversation - consider using an MBER Essential strategy such as “Talking Sticks” to ensure that all group members are given equal opportunity to discuss
- Starting a discussion with a partner, before discussing in a small group can allow for more time for processing and expression - consider having pairs talk and then each partner share what the other partner said
- Some students may be reluctant to share or need additional support - consider providing sentence stems or other frames that insist and allow them to participate
- It can be helpful to have "role cards" for each group with tasks defined, for example: journalist, reporter, clarifier, questioner etc. This helps the students know exactly what their responsibilities are for that particular task.
It may seem that practicing partner and small group discussion protocols is a waste of class time, but the investment will pay off when students are expected to discuss content. Throughout the year, continue to practice or “refresh” protocols with low stake topics.