Edutopia’s teacher-created scaffolding tool can elevate classroom dialogue, empowering students to express themselves while learning from the ideas of others.
Gwen Blumberg says, “Ever been in the midst of a classroom discussion where students are bubbling over with ideas, eager to share? It can look and sound like lots of voices calling out and talking over each other while quieter students try to find a place to enter the fray. You don’t want to squash anyone’s enthusiasm, but how do you ensure that every student has the opportunity to truly express themselves and hear the ideas of their classmates?
Students’ ability to clearly communicate with others in conversation is a critical literacy skill. While goals for speaking are a part of elementary school standards, beginning in kindergarten, teaching talk can feel tricky; it’s often hard for students to know where to begin or the next best place to go when responding to someone. A “Progression of Talk” chart can be very helpful in this work—defining starting and ending points for students, as well as all the points in between, when engaging in conversation.”