Discussion and Effective Class Talk
I have always viewed classroom discussion as beneficial, yet after reading chapter five I realize that the depth and breadth of learning that occurs during discussions is far greater than I imagined. According to Zwiers, there is something to be gained from all types of discussions, even those that revolve around “display questions”, which he finds to be one of the least effective types of questioning. I have found that “display questions” are often the most common form of questions that are used during a typical classroom lesson, as they serve the purpose of assessing previous knowledge and newly acquired knowledge. Therefore, it is tempting for teachers to use these questions frequently as they seem to be the most direct and efficient form of furthering learning.
Yet, Zwiers asserts that this belief is not correct. He asserts that “open-ended” question actually further learning in a fuller and more profound way and that they lead to richer and more academic responses. This was a very interesting discovery for me, as I often find myself leaning towards “display types” or questions when trying to find the most efficient forms of class talk. However, open-ended questions allow for the students to cultivate important thinking skills such as, “(1) Personalizing…(2) justifying, (3) clarifying, and (4) elaborating” (106) and “these types of open questions show students that we teachers still ask good questions and that experts in a content area still seek deeper knowledge about a subject” (107). I thought that the later was an especially important point. Display questions influence students to think that there can only be one particular answer to a question, and that the teacher has the ultimate power to define what that answer. However, open question create a less intimidating and more inviting atmosphere for students to experiment with possible answers and attempt to build knowledge in cooperation with the teacher. I plan on acting on these discoveries as I formulate my lesson plans and take note as to what types of class talk result from discussions that do not use the “IRF” (110) model, but instead ask questions in which students believe that I don’t definitively “know” the answer.
However, even though all questions can be beneficial to a degree, Zwiers believes that the act of teachers posing questions is much too frequent in the classroom setting and that it is not necessary for the facilitation of meaningful discussions. He provides many excellent examples of how to structure such discussion, many of which I will test during my practicum.
Finally, the development of students “academic listening” skills and note taking is very important. I still am shocked by the number of my classmates in college level courses that are not able to take effective notes. Fostering students learning of this incredibly important skill will benefit them for their entire lives, inside and outside of classroom settings. Zwiers gives a number of good examples of how to do this (ie. “Three-Column Notes”) (120) and provides insights into the thought processes that inform such practices (ie. “Chunking information into levels of importance”) (p.119). I think that the importance of academic listening and note taking cannot be underestimated and I know that such skills can define students’ future success in academic classrooms and in life.
Melanie Reich
Zwiers, J. (2008). Academic classroom discussions. In Building academic language: Essential practices for content classrooms (Ch. 5, pp. 101-133). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.