Monday, February 8, 2010

Types of Talk

What types of talk are you seeing in your classroom? What scaffolding is needed for response-centered talk to take place? Are there students in your classroom who need particular types of scaffolding?

I am in a second grade classroom at Averill Elementary, and I see many of the 'types of talk' described in the Gibbons reading. Most commonly, I see the IRE model of classroom discussion. The reading suggests that IRE might not be the most sucessful way for students to pick up language, but my CT addresses some of these issues including allowing students to input more on the given topic. When she asks questions, she allows all of the students who want to answer an opportunity to give their opinion. She doesn't immediately give them feedback, she allows them to explore their thoughts and build off of what the other students have shared.

Another talk type that gibbons suggests using is group work. This is not something I have seen a lot of during my placement, but the advantages mentioned seem worth while. I want to plan my lessons around the idea of having the students work in groups. Some of the benefits include; hearing more language, interacting with other students, the language that is used is contextualized, and students are exposed to different uses of language.

1 comment:

  1. I like how your CT gives students an opportunity to to give their opinion. I like how she does not give them immediately feedback and lets the students control the conversation. I think discussions can be so limited if it is just back and forth teacher-student-teacher-student.

    I also agree with you and planning work around group discussions. I know for me at least sometimes I can be shy in a large group setting. By providing a smaller group it is more intimate and children will feel more comfortable expressing their opinions in front of viewer students.

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