Were your students too talkative today?
What's your best tip on getting the best out of that?
Hands up - did you interpret 'talkative' in a negative way? Or in a positive way? Because it's both isn't it?
The day you want to say/ tell / teach the students something, and they talk... their talkativeness could be getting in your way. On another day students' talkativeness could be the best response ever. It depends on what you want to achieve. Some days the students talk about things other than those you want to focus on. If only they would shut up! And there may be days when you experience a challenging lack of talkativeness. If only they would open up!
So what makes the difference?
If you walk into the classroom with a fixed idea, such as "I will speak and they will listen", or "I will speak and they will engage in meaningful conversation", you may be locking yourself out of what is ACTUALLY happening in the room, and lose contact with the students and... well that's when you don't get the repsonse you want, need and deserve.
Some teachers start their lessons with a short negotiation regarding what they want to teach (today), and balance that with what the students are prepared to learn (today), then they divide up the lesson time in a creative and meaningful way. Often the division of time is unequal, because some of the students are more prepared to learn than others. In this way the teacher is able to deliver lessons at the students individual level. Oh did I say negotiation? I would like to remind you that a teacher has the role of benevolent dictator and has 51% of the votes. The students share the other 49%. Fair? Oh yes! Why? Because the teacher is responsible for the student's progress. That 2% may not seem much, but it's enough.
If you walk into the classroom with a too open and accepting attitude, like "Let's see what mood they are in and what they are prepared to do today", you may well find that you have lost your 2% advantage and the students start taking over the lesson and you end up having a long argument about what the lesson is supposed to be about and what school is for... been there done that, NEVER again!
It's only 2%, but you need never give it away!
What's your best tip on getting the best out of talkativeness?
Some teachers record themselves on video or audio, or a slide show with audio (my favourite). That's a resource they can show, share, reuse over and again, releasing them to be fully present in the classroom and engage with whatever the students are offering them on that day.
Some teachers inform the students in advance what kind of lesson is coming up next time. If it is to be a talkative lesson, a debate, discussion etc, the students are given resources to use for homework preparation.
Once I gave my students the Monty Hall problem to consider (http://youtu.be/mhlc7peGlGg), they were to choose the winning strategy and present their mathematical argument in the next lesson. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and energy the students came with the next day. They spent the whole lesson giving and disputing arguments. The whole class came together in a deep desire to know the winning strategy, AND the reason for it.
What's your best tip on getting the best out of that?
Hands up - did you interpret 'talkative' in a negative way? Or in a positive way? Because it's both isn't it?
The day you want to say/ tell / teach the students something, and they talk... their talkativeness could be getting in your way. On another day students' talkativeness could be the best response ever. It depends on what you want to achieve. Some days the students talk about things other than those you want to focus on. If only they would shut up! And there may be days when you experience a challenging lack of talkativeness. If only they would open up!
So what makes the difference?
If you walk into the classroom with a fixed idea, such as "I will speak and they will listen", or "I will speak and they will engage in meaningful conversation", you may be locking yourself out of what is ACTUALLY happening in the room, and lose contact with the students and... well that's when you don't get the repsonse you want, need and deserve.
Some teachers start their lessons with a short negotiation regarding what they want to teach (today), and balance that with what the students are prepared to learn (today), then they divide up the lesson time in a creative and meaningful way. Often the division of time is unequal, because some of the students are more prepared to learn than others. In this way the teacher is able to deliver lessons at the students individual level. Oh did I say negotiation? I would like to remind you that a teacher has the role of benevolent dictator and has 51% of the votes. The students share the other 49%. Fair? Oh yes! Why? Because the teacher is responsible for the student's progress. That 2% may not seem much, but it's enough.
If you walk into the classroom with a too open and accepting attitude, like "Let's see what mood they are in and what they are prepared to do today", you may well find that you have lost your 2% advantage and the students start taking over the lesson and you end up having a long argument about what the lesson is supposed to be about and what school is for... been there done that, NEVER again!
It's only 2%, but you need never give it away!
What's your best tip on getting the best out of talkativeness?
Some teachers record themselves on video or audio, or a slide show with audio (my favourite). That's a resource they can show, share, reuse over and again, releasing them to be fully present in the classroom and engage with whatever the students are offering them on that day.
Some teachers inform the students in advance what kind of lesson is coming up next time. If it is to be a talkative lesson, a debate, discussion etc, the students are given resources to use for homework preparation.
Once I gave my students the Monty Hall problem to consider (http://youtu.be/mhlc7peGlGg), they were to choose the winning strategy and present their mathematical argument in the next lesson. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and energy the students came with the next day. They spent the whole lesson giving and disputing arguments. The whole class came together in a deep desire to know the winning strategy, AND the reason for it.
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