By Anna Papst
At the beginning of the article I
was diving in and reading from the perspective of the teacher. As I continued
through, I realized that I began reading as a student who has been a part of
poor discussions. I began fervidly highlighting main points, phrases and issues
that I have personally experienced. I remember discussions in high school where
I took a stand on a particular issue and would be knocked down or belittled by
other classmates and have the teacher not do or say anything on my behalf. The
stronger opinion would most of the time prevail. My point really did matter to
me. I had a reason for believing what I did and when I was not supported by my
teacher, then what was the point of raising my hand, speaking out or giving my
two cents again. This would happen over and over again, and so I decided to not
give input anymore. I continually would wrestle with not agreeing with what
someone else had to say but did not have the voice or the confidence to say
anything.
As I look ahead into the future I do
not want to be the teacher who just sits back and lets the students run the
show entirely. There is a time and a place for student led discussions. There
are other times when the teacher must intervene, direct the discussion in a
different way, or simply end it, and then start asking a question in a new way.
Discussion is a rich form of education.
Teachers need to put a heavier weight on this issue and use it often in the
classroom. With the technology that is so vastly taking over my generation and
the next generation, teachers need to be prompting the students to talk. The
students have more to say then I believe they are given credit for. We as
teachers should encourage them to talk. Small groups, is a great way for
students to form safety nets around them. There are those students who will
never feel confident enough to share with the entire group. The quieter
students might feel more open to sharing with a smaller group of students and
then you can have a spokes person from that group share with the entire class. Many
times I have seen the more introverted students give some of the best input.
Some of those students spend most of their time in class listening and
formulating great insight into whatever the issue might be. When asked to share
in a smaller group, teachers would be blown away at the discussion that could
arise from their input.
Discussions are a powerful tool for
teachers to use in the classroom. Teachers need to be more equipped at how to
direct a conversation with their students. The relationship aspect comes first.
A teacher needs to make those connections with their kids. Students will not
open up if they do not trust you or know that you don’t care about them. Once
this trust has been developed, watch and see how the discussions in your
classroom will bloom into a rich and fervent educational setting ripe for
learning. Develop those relationships early into the year and your students
will be begging to give their opinions and encourage others to do the same. The
students will know when you care and when your classroom has become one that
they feel safe and comfortable in to just be themselves.
