Large-group Discussions: I Usually Go Another Way

It happens to me a few times a week--a semi-failure in the form of a class discussion. Some teachers are so good at leading large group conversations--maybe you are! I do fine, I think, but it always makes me nervous. Will they say anything at all--will only the same three people talk who talked yesterday? Are my questions too basic? Did I just ask them to answer four questions at once?

    Fortunately, I (we) can get them to talk.  I can set up a kickin' Socratic seminar. Necessity has also made me the queen of "turn to the people near you and discuss." This partner talk should lead to an easy shift to a group discussion, but sometimes I just let it sit there, afraid that when I take over, the student energy will dissipate.

    My student teacher led good discussions during the seven weeks she taught in my room--especially with social issues connected to Mockingbird. She has the magic power of embracing wait time while I am quick  to fill the silence with an answer, the answer, another question, or the same question in another way.

    So how important are full class discussions--especially in an ELA classroom? Before break, even when I had several great questions for There There, 4th period just looked at me. Because of this, I didn't even want to try with 6th period Lang, but a girl said, "I thought we were going to talk about the book today?" So I went for it. They were into it, bringing up their own great ideas. My success seems quite reliant on their energy. 

    I just want almost all of them to respond.  According to Steve Magness, author of Do Hard Things, "the reality is we have a slew of different ways to prepare for whatever is in front of us" (47). As there's no giving up on communication, I have found other ways to prepare for discussions.

A. Turn and share--pert near every day.  Kids have a lower stress discussion and participation is close to 100%. It can easily segue into a larger discussion. Someone may say, "Well, Abigail and I were talking about..." They can share ownership for the idea and they've already had their thoughts confirmed by Abigail or fleshed out with a small group. Professor Barbara Wolvoord calls this a "warm call."  Instead of a "cold call" (picking a random student to fire a question at) or a "hot call" (keep acknowledging the hand raiser) she emphasizes the need to let students think, maybe write a bit, maybe discuss with a peer before you call on someone. Bring on the warm call strategy. I like it.

B. Kids bring the HOT questions! (I kind of dislike that acronym but higher order thinking questions are the best.) I make them answer their questions before class as well and then ask the group during a discussion. Fortuitously, with There There, AP Lang's questions really got a discussion going--even with my quieter group.

C. Socratic seminar (my favorite). It's always a success if I let them prep a supplementary article or piece of literary criticism. With There There they had to locate a current event on an American Indian issue.  Everyone shared theirs. Even most quiet kids will participate if they've had time to prep. Sometimes I sit at my desk as they all go after it. Once I had an administrator observe a seminar who said, "These kids are so great they hardly need a teacher." I did point out that there was some "setting things up" on the front side, but maybe there's something there. How much do kids need us for a quality conversation about literature, philosophy, or social issues? 

    Certainly, the best discussions are fluid--a natural give and take. Nathan says, "Sarah, I think I disagree with you because everyone in the play loves Willy in some way." She comes back with, "I certainly don't love Willy--he's clearly emotionally abusive," and you're off! If I am leading the discussion, that kind of give and take is not a guarantee: they are more likely just to give and take with me.

    So, I save the day by using one of these other methods--it always gets them talking and usually with few awkward silences. I guess my point is,  if you have something that does not seem to be working the way you want it to in the classroom, there are usually many other options. Just keep trying!! 

          Please let me know how you do full-class discussions!