Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Using the Active Engagement Strategy of Classroom Discussion to Work Towards a 21st Century Classroom



What skills will guide our students into becoming 21st century thinkers?



Ironically, one of the skills that a 21st century student should show proficiency with is one with which most students already have a great deal of experience, but are frequently asked not to do in the classroom. I'm sure it wouldn't take all three guesses to figure out what that skill is...TALK!



There is quite a bit of research to support the positive effects of letting students have a voice in the classroom. Students need to discuss what they learn. They need to develop and defend a point of view. They need to ask thoughtful questions, find answers to those questions and generate good questions for other students to answer. They need to have a voice in designing and assessing their curriculum as well as their own progress through that curriculum. When students have these kinds of experiences while engaging with the content, they tend to perform better in the classroom as well as on high stakes assessments.

The links below represent a sample of activities and discussion on this topic. Some are “old friends” we can take one step further and some may spark new thoughts and ideas about how we will teach in the future as we continue our journey in the 21st century (too hokey? Sorry about that!).


As always, I would appreciate any thoughts or comments you would like to share and would be more than willing to help with new ideas you would like to try.





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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 27, 2009 at 9:47 AM

    Great article!!

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  2. John NicholsMay 27, 2009 at 10:52 AM

    Allowing students to talk, to actively participate in class is a main part of our TLC curriculum in our Business Department. At first it seemed hard, but then the dam broke. Now I can't shut them down! They make connections with their fellow students, with me their teacher, and they blossom! These are the "Soft Skills" they will need in the workforce.

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  3. Lisa DiCosimoMay 27, 2009 at 2:10 PM

    I love the Greece schools link. I have printed those questioning starters out and carried them around with me for a long time. I also try to use my Blooms Taxonomy chart when I make tests and quizzes. It is so important to let them talk and lead, and to model for them when they are stuck. It is easy to get in a pattern and ask the same questions over and over when using the same novels and activities year to year. This is a great reminder on how to switch it up. Thanks for posting this Becky. :)

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  4. ggabrielMay 28, 2009 at 6:57 AM

    By now, all educators and businesses probably have heard the emphasized phrase of 21st Century Skills. Throughout our nation as well as other nations, we are all seeking new ways to implement the "soft skills" that businesses, universities, and educators agree are missing when students graduate. We need to continue to engage in conversations with colleagues, students, businesses, and the community about which "hard skills" are the non-negotiable in the curriculum and how instruction needs to change so that 21st Century Skills become implanted for all students. Doug Reeves states, "We need to pull the weeds before we plant the flowers." What are the weeds and how do we eliminate them so that they don't suffocate the flowers?

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  5. Becky GrossmanMay 28, 2009 at 11:11 AM

    Thanks so much forall of your comments. I guess the kids aren,t the only ones who will benefit form "more talk". Maybe we should think about more ways we can share ideas online.

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