Strategies
I, like most teachers, have a discussion model I follow in my class. I tend to follow the same model each year, but I like to have student input prior to the first whole group discussion to ensure that I am meeting the needs of the learners in each class. Before our first whole group discussion I have the students create two lists on the board. On the first we identify what we expect from others in a class discussion. Responses include things like "the group listens when I speak" and "no one tells anyone their idea is stupid." Then we make a second list that identifies the things that they, personally, should do in a class discussion. These generally overlap with the other list with responses like "I should listen," or "If I disagree with someone I should do it politely or ask them for textual evidence." Despite the overlap I think it is important to make a distinction between the actions of the individual vs. the actions of the group because then the students see that the group only works if each person follows certain expectations. After we make the lists I compile the expectations on a piece of large chart paper and post it in the room.
When it is time for large group discussion I always pull out the chart and review it with the class. I usually post the chart in the middle of the board in the front of the room so it is in clear view of everyone in the class. Then we all move our chairs in a circle to get ready for discussion. My general policy is pretty simple. The discussion is for the students, not for me, and everyone must participate at least twice. To encourage participation from all I have a chart and I check off their names each time someone participates. After a few whole group discussions I usually start handing this duty off to a student. To encourage further participation and reduce my voice in the group, I will often give the students a list of questions or talking points for the discussion the day before. As the school year progresses I ask the students to write down questions or talking points they would like me to add to these handouts so that they have further investment in the discussion.
By taking these student centered steps I have found that the participation in large group discussions increases throughout the year as students feel more comfortable with the routine and since they set many of the expectations for the discussion.
Another strategy I am using in this unit is student teaching following a jig-saw inspired approach. Many students and teachers are familiar with the concept of jig-saw where a group of students is responsible for one piece of a reading, and then the small group reports their information out to the larger group. The entire class gets all of the information while only doing part of the reading or work. All members of my class are reading the entire novel, but the class will be split into groups to work with one character's set of narratives in close detail. Each group will teach their material to the rest of the class. When my students are teachers in the classroom they take over the role of teacher completely. They are expected to write a lesson plan, teach a lesson for an entire class period, assign homework, collect completed homework, and grade the homework. This strategy of having the students teach the class can easily be adapted to any unit or subject matter. The basic method works with virtually anything and demonstrates a student's mastery over the subject matter.
When asking my students to teach for the first time I always model my expectations by teaching a similar thing first. In this unit I am going to teach Ruth May's narratives to show the students one approach they could use. The students will receive the assignment and assignment details in advance and be placed in groups prior to our work with Ruth May's narratives. The rationale behind this is that the students will have a chance to take notes on the strategies I use to examine Ruth May's narratives with the class and consult with their group frequently during the process. Additionally, I will give them a copy of the lesson plans I used to teach Ruth May's narratives so they can see how the lesson plan connects to the activities in class.
Each student will receive a copy of my lesson plans, a checklist of everything the "teachers" are expected to hand in, and a list of the possible narratives the students may teach. We review the lesson plans and the due dates, and we discuss the expectations. I hang a sign-up sheet for teaching dates on the door, and the students sign up for the day they would like to teach. I usually plan the first day for the Tuesday following the sign-up day. After signing up I let the students work in their small groups planning lessons. I also provide them with access to computers and encourage them to ask me many questions. I usually only allow for one day of planning in class. After the planning day we go back to work on other classroom activities, but two days prior to their teaching the students must hand in their lesson plan and sit down with me to review their homework and its corresponding grading rubric.
When a group teaches they are given full control of the classroom from the minute the bell rings to when the end of class bell rings. While they are running the class I sit in the back of the classroom with a checklist making note of all of the students who participate. In order to ensure full participation and cooperation for the student teachers I give the students in the class 25 participation points on student teacher days. I have found that this keeps their behavior under control and ensures the student teachers get a class of active participants because it is the easiest points they will ever receive in my AP English class. At the end of class the group should assign the homework, and the students are expected to return it the next day. I do not permit my students to hand in late work to me, and they are not permitted to hand it in late to the student teachers. The student teachers then have three school days to check and return the homework to me for my grade book. The group receives a grade based on the neatness of the paperwork they hand in, the quality of the homework assignment, and the quality of the lesson they taught. I usually take extensive notes during the lessons, type up the notes, and give each member of the group a copy of the notes along with the grade.
One very important thing to do when asking students to teach a class is to have a guinea pig group. The first teaching group are the guinea pigs, and we have an extensive debrief about their lesson the next day. In the discussion we speak frankly about what worked well, what could have been improved upon, and what is expected of future groups. I make it well known that when it comes to student teaching the guinea pig group will always receive some leniency on their grade because they are going first and do not directly benefit from the debrief discussion. Students are also told in advance that there will be this frank discussion after their lesson, but that there will not be this type of discussion after any other group. The few times I have had students teach and not done a guinea pig group and debrief discussion the resulting lessons were generally dismal failures. Students need this "step back" moment where they can speak as both student and teacher and assess what worked for them as students and teachers. A side benefit of both the discussion and the student teaching is that the students gain insight into themselves as learners.
After each group teaches we will have a large class discussion about voice. We will look for commonalities in the discussions of each of the daughters and begin to consider the larger implications of voice. This is where students will start to bridge the gap between looking at components of writing in isolation and begin to consider how all of the components work together to build a larger meaning.
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