![]() ![]() Research and our experiences have identified the need for teacher support (Baker, Dreher, & Guthrie 2000) through methods such as explicitly teaching children the social skills necessary for conversation (Harvey & Daniels 2015), teaching students to talk to each other without relying on the teacher (Serafini 2009), and providing time for children to prepare and reflect (Kelley & Clausen-Grace 2013). However, powerful literary discussions do not emerge naturally in the primary grades. Previous work has found that discussion increases participation for dual language learners and reading enjoyment for all (Carrison & Ernst-Slavit 2005), and that conversations enable teachers to publicly value all students’ thinking and talk. Knowing that research has demonstrated that discussion supports comprehension (Wells 1999 Nystrand 2006), we set out to teach young children to engage in such exchanges.ĭiscussion also offers the benefit of being inclusive of students from diverse backgrounds. We aimed to create an environment where children could scaffold each other’s learning (Johnston 2004) through talk. Discussion increases students’ engagement, helps them take responsibility for their learning, prompts higher-level thinking, offers room for clarification, encourages children to build and share knowledge, and gives them opportunities to apply comprehension strategies (Kelley & Clausen- Grace 2013). Our goal was for the children to collaboratively construct interpretations of texts through group discussions. We wanted to help the children develop the ability to have meaningful conversations about books without needing Meridith’s guidance. Meridith, the teacher (and second author), had 12 years of teaching experience throughout the yearlong study, she acted as both a researcher and a participant, trying out and reflecting on each of our instructional ideas. The children- who came from diverse linguistic, economic, and social backgrounds-began the school year with below average to average literacy skills. In this article we share several strategies that we found successful in enhancing the speaking and listening skills of a class of 28 first graders. ![]() Figuring out what types of supports would be effective became the heart of our study. While this was a good start, we quickly realized that the children needed support to learn how to interact appropriately during conversations that were not led by the teacher. We began by having students bring books to whole- and small-group activities and encouraging them to talk. As part of a collaborative study, we-a firstgrade teacher and two university-based researchers-set a goal to facilitate meaningful, student-led discussions about literature. Many studies have demonstrated the importance of developing speaking and listening skills in early childhood (Hall 1987 Clay 1991 Kirkland & Patterson 2005). Supporting meaningful conversations among young children can be challenging but is well worth the effort. ![]()
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