The idea of today
Throughout my Mantle of the Expert experimentations I've been trying to encourage the children to share ideas without putting their hands up: at the tender age of five and six, there is much work to be done in my class.
Research
I used the 'Beginner's Guide' book * to look into holding discussions with children, as well as to find some further useful phrases I could use. I came up with this:
The most useful thoughts were:
The lesson:
I decided to spend a whole English lesson just on this discussion. Risky, some might say, in a climate of 'evidence', 'writing', 'showing progress in a lesson'. However, with no one watching and some 'Speaking and Listening' objectives recorded somewhere on a lesson plan, off I went.
Context: The previous Thursday we had taken a trip to a local park. It seems that the Gruffalos are causing too many problems in Howe Park Woods and need to be relocated. The aim of the trip was to explore the habitat of the new park to establish its suitability as a possible new home for the Gruffalos. Following this research (incidentally, a lot of fun to carry out), today's disussion was:
"Should the Gruffalos be relocated to Campbell Park?"
Prior to this, we talked about what made an effective discussion and particularly how to be good listeners. Of course, I had discussed this previously with the class but I felt like this context was a little different and so it could do we revisiting. After this I said, "Okay, we're ready to begin, start when you've got something to say" and after a short pause, we were off.
I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were times when they shouted over eachother (after all, they're five and six) and yes, one child became fixated on a convoluted solution to a problem involving some sort of giant catflap for the gruffalo, but overall... it was good. It felt like the children took on board what we'd talked about and were really taking the discussion seriously.
They're experts in the subject, after all.
Some brief notes on particular children:
I did my best to be a fellow traveller and to be part of the discussion. Instead of overtly affirming contributions, I responded to them, mused over them and did a lot of 'I see...', 'That's an interesting point...', 'Have we considered...' and so on. Such useful phrases to use. I also felt it was okay to ask particular children to contribute, as it was a discussion and not an interrogation: children that weren't joining in were asked simply, "What's your opinion on this?" which ensured they partipated but weren't put under pressure to come up with a 'right' answer.
Following on from this discussion, the class will be writing letters to explain their decision about whether or not the Gruffalo should be relocated to the park in question. After all, we should never miss a good writing opportunity :0)
Next time:
Notes:
* A Beginner's Guide to Mantle of the Expert by Tim Taylor
Throughout my Mantle of the Expert experimentations I've been trying to encourage the children to share ideas without putting their hands up: at the tender age of five and six, there is much work to be done in my class.
Research
I used the 'Beginner's Guide' book * to look into holding discussions with children, as well as to find some further useful phrases I could use. I came up with this:
The most useful thoughts were:
- Agree rules for discussions with the children
- Explicitly teach the children the body language of good listeners
- Model active listening by saying such supportive things as "That's interesting...", "I see what you mean...", "I suppose..."
- Be a 'fellow traveller' with the children: be part of the discussion, rather than the one leading it
The lesson:
I decided to spend a whole English lesson just on this discussion. Risky, some might say, in a climate of 'evidence', 'writing', 'showing progress in a lesson'. However, with no one watching and some 'Speaking and Listening' objectives recorded somewhere on a lesson plan, off I went.
Context: The previous Thursday we had taken a trip to a local park. It seems that the Gruffalos are causing too many problems in Howe Park Woods and need to be relocated. The aim of the trip was to explore the habitat of the new park to establish its suitability as a possible new home for the Gruffalos. Following this research (incidentally, a lot of fun to carry out), today's disussion was:
"Should the Gruffalos be relocated to Campbell Park?"
Prior to this, we talked about what made an effective discussion and particularly how to be good listeners. Of course, I had discussed this previously with the class but I felt like this context was a little different and so it could do we revisiting. After this I said, "Okay, we're ready to begin, start when you've got something to say" and after a short pause, we were off.
I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were times when they shouted over eachother (after all, they're five and six) and yes, one child became fixated on a convoluted solution to a problem involving some sort of giant catflap for the gruffalo, but overall... it was good. It felt like the children took on board what we'd talked about and were really taking the discussion seriously.
They're experts in the subject, after all.
Some brief notes on particular children:
- A: often disenaged, sometimes a pickle. Today, made some really good points in a sensible sort of way.
- B: the epitomy of a daydreamer and rarely contributes voluntarily. Today, had a lot to say and actually asserted himself so that he was heard.
- C: Didn't say anything until prompted: lacks confidence and has suspected processing problems. When prompted, gave a very thoughtful answer showing that he had taken everything in.
- D: Often talks and talks without pausing for breath (I suspect he knows that when he pauses, someone else may get a chance to speak). Today he only spoke a few times and was suitably relevant and brief.
- E: Started the year not contributing at all to anything in class. Often quiet and very underconfident. During this particular Mantle, has been completely absorbed and had more to say than any other child during today's discussion.
- F: Very confident child who often has a lot to say. Several times today, when she and another child both started to talk at once, she backed down to allow the other to talk. Good skills in discussions for a Year 1.
- G: Has difficulty asserting himself in a larger group but wanted to talk. Had to resort to putting his hand up: something to work on. However, when given time and room he had very interesting contributions.
- H: During our last (fairly unsuccessful) attempt at a class discussion, this child just woudn't let anyone else get a word in edgeways. Today, she did.
I did my best to be a fellow traveller and to be part of the discussion. Instead of overtly affirming contributions, I responded to them, mused over them and did a lot of 'I see...', 'That's an interesting point...', 'Have we considered...' and so on. Such useful phrases to use. I also felt it was okay to ask particular children to contribute, as it was a discussion and not an interrogation: children that weren't joining in were asked simply, "What's your opinion on this?" which ensured they partipated but weren't put under pressure to come up with a 'right' answer.
Following on from this discussion, the class will be writing letters to explain their decision about whether or not the Gruffalo should be relocated to the park in question. After all, we should never miss a good writing opportunity :0)
Next time:
- Record children having a discussion and play it back to them
- Delve back into the more drama-based elements of MoE as a 'fellow traveller' as I felt this worked very well today
Notes:
* A Beginner's Guide to Mantle of the Expert by Tim Taylor
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