Why Kids Need More Talk Time in the Classroom
Sometimes, for the sake of classroom management, we spend so much time trying to manage noise level that we forget that talk time in the classroom is actually an important element of learning. In fact it’s really important. Here are four reasons why, followed by tips to make space for learning conversations in your classroom. 1. Talk time helps students process their learning. Thinking and talking about content helps students integrate information into personal knowledge.
Why students need more 'math talk'
Test scores, school report cards and Facebook posts complaining about homework problems often drive critiques of how math is taught in schools. Amid the debates, it has become increasingly clear that one ingredient is necessary for success: opportunities for students to talk about math. Unfortunately, these are often lacking in U.S. classrooms. We are both math education researchers.
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers contributed by Miriam Clifford There is an age old adage that says, “two heads are better than one.” Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?
Two Common Misconceptions About Learning
It's another semester with a new group of students. This semester, I have a class of elementary education majors (using Physics and Everyday Thinking). In the course, students build basic physics ideas after collecting data from particular experiments. Overall, this is an awesome course.
How Kids Benefit From Learning To Explain Their Math Thinking
Math teachers of older students sometimes struggle to get students to explain their thinking with evidence. It's hard to get kids in the habit of talking about how they are thinking about a problem when they've had many years of instruction that focused on getting the "right answer." That's why educators are now trying to get students in the habit of explaining their thinking at a young age.
Building A Culturally Responsive Classroom
Have you ever watched a movie with the sound off? If you were lucky, you could perhaps grasp the plot, but a lot of the details were lost so you probably didn’t enjoy or relate to the film as much as you could have if you had been able to hear it. Being in a classroom that does not take into consideration the various identities of its students means some students aren’t able to fully engage with the content even with the best teaching practices. This inability to fully engage hurts these students. When this happens, every student in the class loses out. Culturally responsive classrooms help all students because the practices of such a classroom expand all students’ views of the world and broaden their cultural understandings.
How Learning Happens: Encouraging Academic Conversations With Talk Moves
Sentence starters that students use to join a class discussion encourage both academic thinking and social connectedness. Teachers at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, make these sentence starters easily accessible by taping a talk moves printout to students’ desks. This video is part of Edutopia’s “How Learning Happens” series, which explores teaching practices grounded in the science of learning and human development. Edutopia developed this series in collaboration with the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative; with special thanks to the Science of Learning and Development Initiative, Turnaround for Children, Learning Policy Institute, American Institutes for Research, and EducationCounsel.
11 Strategies in Teaching Mathematics
We all want our kids to succeed in math. And, in most districts, standardized tests are the way understanding is measured. Yet, no one wants to teach to the test. Being intentional and using creative approaches to your instruction can get students excited about math.
Math Talk 101
This fall, after switching to our first new math program in over 20 years, we were told that Math Talk was an important component of the program. My first thought was — "Sounds great! What is Math Talk???"
Limiting “Teacher Talk,” Increasing Student Work!
“Wah waah wah waah wah wah…” We all know the famous muted trumpet of adults in Charlie Brown’s world, especially their teacher, Miss Othmar. After five years teaching elementary school, I’m confident that I’m not boring my kids to sleep but I do wonder if I strike the right balance between “teacher talk” and student work. Research has long supported the idea that students benefit from “doing.” Regular practice with reading and re-reading increases comprehension and fluency (National Reading Panel, 2000), as well as builds vocabulary and knowledge (Cunning & Stanovich, 1998). Students also need ample time to connect reading and writing to speaking and listening, integrating their literacy skills (see Appendix A).
