221+Agenda+2.28.13

=Housekeeping:=
 * Discussion-Based Activity Guide is due next Thursday - March 7.
 * Field Journal - due March 7
 * Write about an experience with text-based instruction. Describe how a text was used and connect this example to the pre-during-post structure. What did you observe about student engagement with the text? What evidence did you observe about student learning from the text?
 * ** Who would like to do the discussion-based teaching demonstrations next Thursday? We need two or three volunteers to sign up below: **
 * 1) Joshua M. Scheel
 * 2) Brian D. Grubb

=Virtual Class - 2.28.13=

1. Post your questions/issues for discussion from your preparation activities on discussion-based instruction below. Scroll down until you see the questions. (Be sure to sign your posts with three tildes ~)

2. Read the questions/issues posted by your classmates. Select one or two to respond to on the discussion board on this page.
 * Click on the little conversation bubble at the top of the page located next to the "edit" button
 * If you are starting a new discussion thread, click "add post." Be sure to put a descriptive title in the subject line. Type your response to the issue/question raised on this page.
 * The goal is for each person to participate twice on the discussion board. You'll have to monitor yourselves to accomplish this. You can start a new thread or respond to an existing one. (But obviously if everyone starts a new thread, there won't be much of a conversation.) The most important thing is to have a discussion. We'll see how it goes! :)

3. **(The next two tasks should be done in GoogleDocs. I have copied a template at the top of your journal.)** a. Choose two of the following classroom videos to watch. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/sorting-classifying-equations-discussion?fd=1 - Sorting and Classifying: Class Discussion (Math) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/strategies-for-student-centered-discussion - Strategies for Student Centered Discussion (English) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-science-with-current-events?fd=1 - Making Science Relevant with Current Events (Science) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/inquiry-based-teaching-discussing-non-fiction?fd=1 - Discussing Non-Fiction (Social Studies) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-the-music-business - Exploring the Music Business (Music)

b. As you are watching, pay attention to the following questions:
 * How did the teacher prepare students for discussion?
 * What types of questions were asked?
 * How was the discussion organized?
 * Did the teacher provide wait time and/or “thinking space” as students were formulating what to say? If so, how?
 * Did the teacher encourage broad participation of students in the discussion? How?
 * How did the teacher capture students' ideas and respond to and validate student comments?

Fill in the table on GoogleDocs to capture your observations.

4. Design your own discussion activity by responding to the second task included in GoogleDocs.

Questions/Issues to Discuss about Discussion-Based Instruction
My question is specific to a math classroom. Obviously, some form of discussion and communication between students is important, whether it's explaining a math process out loud using complete sentences, or something else. Do you think that an in depth discussion on a particular math topic is a good method of instruction for the math classroom? If so, what ideas might you have for a math lesson that was almost entirely discussion based, that could last a whole period (like a discussion on a work of literature might be)? user:rhildie

With class sizes increasing every year, how can teachers adapt their lesson to provide a quality class discussion with more students in the class? Do you think large classes and quality discussions can coincide? user:gracea93

There are a whole bunch of ideas/ways to make sure that student equally participate in class discussion but I have not experience any that does the job. So, how do you make sure that everyone in the class has equal opportunity to participate in the discussion? user:DrieAnn8

My question is similar to DrieAnn's, how do you encourage people to participate in discussions if they are more shy or want to formulate their opinion's first before speaking and miss their chance in the discussion? How do you create a classroom environment that makes the students feel comfortable participating? user:sbutler13

How do you introduce a topic and give an appropriate amount of time to give a well thought out discussion. user:joshscheel

Similarly, what do you do if the class goes off on a tangent? What if it is somewhat relevant, students are passionately engaged, and it's still a good learning experience? Do you have to go back the next day and cover what you intended the discussion to get across, or should the teacher monitor the conversation more closely in order to stay on track with the lesson plans? user:jordan406

It seems that traditionally math in school has meant following a set of rules, and applying and memorizing these methods. How could the teacher get students engaged in a math discussion, when they could care less behind the proof of why the equation works? user:jisaacson2

In my personal experience, unless a class is filled with a lot of students who are really eager to learn, the teacher has to heavily guide if not completely run discussion. My question is how much teacher participation is too much, and what is a good way to convince students to interact with one another rather than the teacher talking in between each student comment? user:Stairway2Kevin

I feel teachers in any subject will come across those students who want to lead/control these discussion. I understand it is our job to monitor these discussions, but I fear that quieting those who want so badly to speak will have a negative effect? What would be the most fair way to address the needs of all sorts of participants? user:afrisch

One problem that I always seem to run into is that students simply don't read the material that is assigned. How do you make it possible for those who did read to have a great understanding of the text when classmates aren't willing to contribute because they didn't read the assigned material? How do you keep a conversation going and make it effective? user:clepoullouin

I'm curious how a single teacher can control an ever increasing class size while still being attentive to individual student needs. Also time management could become a problem with such a large class size, with discussion and other activities. user:briangrubb

I feel that discussions in a high school class would go much smoother than discussion based in a middle school classroom. In both videos I watched, the discussions took place in a high school classroom, and went very smoothly, but I cannot see that happening as well in the middle school classroom I am in. How could the discussion based template be better fit for middle schoolers as opposed to high schoolers? user:ekruschke