Facilitating Effective Classroom Discussions
Studies indicate that the type of social organization and control in the classroom and the character of teacher direction all influence the amount, complexity, and comprehensiveness of student response. Studies also make clear that student responses are influenced by the particular ways in which questions are posed.
Typical Classroom Discussions
IRE(Mehan, 1979; Cazden, 1988). This three part sequence begins when the teacher initiates (I), a student responds (R), and the teacher evaluates the student’s response (E). Evaluation is essential to the initiation-reply-evaluation (IRE) pattern.
Right Answer Questions (Alvermann and Hayes, 1989). Classrooms where both the students and teachers treated discussion as recitation, with the teacher possessing the "right" answers, meaning was constructed within the teacher’s frame of reference and the students rarely questioned that meaning or initiated questions.
Turn Taking. Typical patterns include conversational volleys from teacher to student and back to the teacher. The teacher initiates almost all interactions. Less often is there a student to student exchange. And even rarer is the student to student to student exchange.
Alternatives: Provide for multiple entry points to reduce affective pressures and cognitive demands.
IAR, (Finders and Hynds, 2007). This three part sequencepattern begins with the teacher's taking two simultaneous turns. The teacher initiates (I), and then before any student responds, the teacher acknowledges the student’s contribution (A), and finally a student responds (R).
Revoicing (O'Connor and Michaels, 1993). Revoicing is another strategy for promoting powerful class participation. The teacher “revoices” what the student has said by responding with a summarizing statement, something like, “So what you are saying is that….” This allows the teacher to extend students' language beyond what they might say on their own. Students can then agree or disagree with the teacher's phrasing and be encouraged to say more. This sequence is subtly but powerfully different from the IRE pattern in that it moves the teacher out of the evaluative role and positions the teacher more as a collaborator in the conversation. When students are not quite able to articulate their views, this type of support may serve as scaffolding for more formal academic language.
Linguistic Hedges(Finders and Hynds, 2007).Frame your questions with linguistic hedges to allow students opportunities to participate without fear of exposing themselves. Ask, for example, “What might someone say about…?” or “What have you heard about…?” as opposed to "What do you know about…?”
Contextual Support. (Cummins, 1981; Finders and Hynds, 2007) Enrich the context of language activities. Many classroom discussions are both cognitively demanding and context reduced (quadrant D), which does not lend itself to productive discussions. Any task in which there are no other sources of support other than the language itself is context-reduced. Effective classroom discussion should be both cognitive demanding and context embedded (quadrant B). A context-embedded task is one in which the student has access to a range of additional visual and oral cues.
Enriching the Context of Classroom Discussions- Bring in real objects.
- Include relevant visual materials.
- Provide written materials to support discussions.
- Include manipulatives, props, and graphic/cognitive organizers.
- Facilitate rich, oral language activities with peers.
- Make explicit connections to home, families, and communities, issues relevant to your students’ interests and experiences.
Margaret Finders, Director of the School of Education
Managing Your Teaching Load: A Session for New(er) Faculty
January 16, 2006