Chapter 8 Great Conversations By Avan Tamboly and

Chapter 8: Great Conversations By: Avan Tamboly and Melissa Oosman

Group Activity: Divide into Primary and Junior/Intermediate teams. n On chart paper, answer the following question: n “How do you promote oral language in your classroom? ”.

How to create a classroom that encourages discourse n n n n n Think aloud in crafting sessions and invitational groups to reveal how proficient readers use reading strategies. Use provocative and well written texts. Model in crafting sessions conversations. Demonstrate the “fish bowl” technique. Confer with pairs and book clubs. Create spaces for conversations. Create time during crafting sessions for sharing their thinking with each other (turn and talk). Create prolonged periods each week during composing time. Ask students to reflect, on paper and in reflecting sessions on what they are able to understand through discourse.

Some questions to consider… n n Are we mindful of our language? Do we take the time to formulate words in a powerful and precise manner? Do we speak in a way that reveals our trust that they will respond at high levels? Do we discuss ways in which we choose words carefully?

Group Activity n 1. Read the principle and think of an example of how you would use that in your classroom. n 2. Discuss with an elbow partner.

Fig. 8. 2 Talk about Thinking: Guiding Principles for Talking with Children n n Speak in the quietest tone appropriate for the situation. Use sophisticated words, define them in the context of the discussion and use them repeatedly. Vary pacing and tone of talk. Use silence frequently, giving children the opportunity to think about concepts during instruction. Provide long periods of time for close scrutiny and discussion of a few ideas. Speak with civility and respect. Focus on child’s comments for a long period of time. Create a climate of trust and intimacy, expand on what children are saying into more fully developed sentences. Use repeated readings. Build on ideas.

n “When we engage in dialogue about ideas, we are creating new knowledge. The volley between two minds with mutual interest isn’t limited to sharing the known; when people engage in discourse, they are inviting new meaning…” (Keene, 198)

n “We engage in rigorous discourse about ideas and find we have more to say than we thought. We consider the perspectives of others and challenge them until we understand our own thoughts and others’ opinions and principles; we surprise our thinking” (Keene, 200)

Let it float in your mind for awhile… n “Some questions take a lot of time thinking before you can share them. When one person asks a question, it helps everyone to think about the text in a new way. Sometimes it’s better not to try answer the question right away- let it float in your mind for awhile” (Keene, 221).

Thanks for listening!