"I Feel Like I Learned Something New!"

A big part of the project my colleague and I are working on this year with the students at our school is Oral Language.  Specifically, we are trying to teach the learners in our classrooms how to master the art of "Grand Conversations", for in so doing, we hope they will become more adept at talking about Math, thus consolidating their learning in this subject area.

In light of this, we began developing a series of introductory oral language lessons last summer to introduce the concepts of rich talk into the classroom. 

We basically co-constructed some criteria for effective group dialogue, 

and then proceeded to teach partner and small group talk-based lessons to introduce five elements of effective talk, based on the MInistry Monograph on Grand Conversations and a variety of other resources.

I am excited to report that they seem to be working! 

A student commented today that when others "link to and build on" (one of the criteria we shared) to what she is saying, she feels like she is learning something new.  :))) 

Another student corroborated this by adding excitedly that "even when someone disagrees with me, so long as they do it calmly and give me reasons, I feel like I am learning more!"

How delighted I am that my pathetic first attempts at using the Smart Board and introducting oral language in a coherent manner are not in vain.  I hope to keep up the momentum this year and see if it makes a difference not just in math, but in all subject area, and even in their social skills in general.