Final Analysis
In my small group lessons, I made sure that I heard every child’s voice multiple times. When thinking about and designing my question, I had certain students in mind who are shy, reserved, or do not speak in whole group conversation. After teaching the lessons, I realized there is a whole other side to this question that includes students who constantly talk and call out and essentially take opportunities away from other students. Now I have to think about the balance of public speaking and having some students talk more and others talk less without discouraging students. Then there is also the issue of what students are saying. Does it relate to the question that was asked? Does it have anything to do with this lesson? It is great to hear students sharing stories, but it is essential for them to listen to the conversation and contribute in a meaningful way. “Accountable Talk” is one of the Nine Principals of Learning that relates to relevant and knowledgeable contributions to any discussion (Staub, 2006). This is challenging for kindergarten students, but it provides a good opportunity to practice “thinking before doing,” as my classroom mentor says. I finish this analysis with the belief that I would rather students feel comfortable and confident enough to share their thoughts in a controlled way and allow me to respectfully remind them to think about what they are saying, rather than not hear their voice at all.
The way my lessons were designed and the activities were prepared, engaging in dialogue was a goal in all three of my lessons. In order to encourage students to share their voice, my how had to be thoughtfully developed (Staub, 2006). I also tried repetition in math because I was introducing a brand new concept and tool that the students did not know. I also used cold call in my lessons, but it was not as harsh as it can be for older students. I used this more as an “are you awake?” message.
I found that when the students were engaged and “into” what we were doing, student talk came easier because they were excited and had things to say (see Science YouTube video for example). Granted while small group environments are more comfortable for many, my three lessons allowed me to practice three different strategies. My science lesson was conversation-based which worked because the students were very interested in the topic and the activities. Hearing each student’s voice was not difficult; in fact, the challenge was the opposite – managing how much was being said and the loudness of the group. However, this did provide an opportunity for students to articulate questions and wrestle with new material regarding the growth of a seed.
Repetition helped support the overall mathematics lesson because I was introducing a brand new concept: the ten frame. In kindergarten, exposure is key and, with a new idea, just hearing, seeing, and saying the name is a good first step. You cannot understand what something is and does without knowing what it is called. I had the students say “ten frame” repeatedly throughout the lesson, which was one way to hear every child’s voice. I saw this strategy as breaking the ice for a certain student in this lesson and once she said “ten frame” out loud like everyone else, she had the momentum to vocally contribute moving forward. In my math lesson introduction, I provided each student with at least one opportunity to share how he or she counted an example of “Quick Image Dots” (See pictures in math analysis.) This responsibility to show the group how they counted and the number they got held the students accountable. Also, students went one at a time to share the number they were randomly assigned and how they filled out their ten frame accordingly.
Literacy was the most ideal lesson when thinking about individual voice, attention, and supporting a student’s confidence. I had every child in the group come up to the white board and create their own word family. Not only did students stand up while everyone else was sitting down, but they had to think on their feet and explain their thought process. All of the students did a great job because it was a norm for the lesson – everyone was doing it and it was not presented as a big deal.
Small group instruction is very different from whole-group instruction, but I think this was a good first step for me to encourage the students in my class to be active, vocal participants in every lesson. Cooperative learning has to be carefully implemented. This approach requires time and thought to figure out who is in what group and what the task of that group is going to be, because the task is what promote discussion (Gilles, 2007). The growth and learning from the students that come out of cooperative groups is worth the energy and detail. I want all my students to grow into confident, well-spoken adults who can sustain a conversation, a process that should start in kindergarten.
My experiences confirm that it takes awareness and the desire of a teacher to encourage every student to share their voice. Many teachers want to respect a student’s desire to not share in groups. I am one of those students who prefers not to talk in large groups, but that makes me want to help my students feel more comfortable about it. I think being able to articulate one’s thoughts and opinions is an essential communication skill. However, I realize there is more than just hearing a child’s voice, although that is the first step, there is also the element of “What is this child saying?” “Are they contributing meaningfully?”
Some confusion with my overarching question was raised after my mini-lessons: Do I mean the importance of students having their own opinions and standing up for what they believe in, or am I talking about public speaking skills? These two concepts are interconnected and both very important. Kindergarten is an impressionable time for students and I see it as a good time for students to start getting comfortable articulating their thoughts to others. In my future classroom, I want every student’s voice to be a norm so it becomes a habit for each student to feel comfortable speaking. In the majority of lesson plans I create, I want the how to emphasize some form of sharing or articulation. Some form of verbal communication between students can be incorporated: using whole group conversation, presentations, “thing, pair, share,” debate, role play, and other teaching methods. Staub states, “Teachers should intentionally create the norms and skills of accountable talk in their classrooms” (Staub, 2006, p. 10).
In the upcoming terms, I want to continue building relationships with my students to help them develop the confidence to speak in front of the class. Speaking in front of the class leads to positive public speaking skills which will benefit the child in the long run. While public speaking was not specifically addressed head-on in the assigned course readings, it is related to participation and is one of the advantages of small group work. Self-confidence is something that develops over time. Teachers emphasizing each child’s voice can help contribute to this process.
The way my lessons were designed and the activities were prepared, engaging in dialogue was a goal in all three of my lessons. In order to encourage students to share their voice, my how had to be thoughtfully developed (Staub, 2006). I also tried repetition in math because I was introducing a brand new concept and tool that the students did not know. I also used cold call in my lessons, but it was not as harsh as it can be for older students. I used this more as an “are you awake?” message.
I found that when the students were engaged and “into” what we were doing, student talk came easier because they were excited and had things to say (see Science YouTube video for example). Granted while small group environments are more comfortable for many, my three lessons allowed me to practice three different strategies. My science lesson was conversation-based which worked because the students were very interested in the topic and the activities. Hearing each student’s voice was not difficult; in fact, the challenge was the opposite – managing how much was being said and the loudness of the group. However, this did provide an opportunity for students to articulate questions and wrestle with new material regarding the growth of a seed.
Repetition helped support the overall mathematics lesson because I was introducing a brand new concept: the ten frame. In kindergarten, exposure is key and, with a new idea, just hearing, seeing, and saying the name is a good first step. You cannot understand what something is and does without knowing what it is called. I had the students say “ten frame” repeatedly throughout the lesson, which was one way to hear every child’s voice. I saw this strategy as breaking the ice for a certain student in this lesson and once she said “ten frame” out loud like everyone else, she had the momentum to vocally contribute moving forward. In my math lesson introduction, I provided each student with at least one opportunity to share how he or she counted an example of “Quick Image Dots” (See pictures in math analysis.) This responsibility to show the group how they counted and the number they got held the students accountable. Also, students went one at a time to share the number they were randomly assigned and how they filled out their ten frame accordingly.
Literacy was the most ideal lesson when thinking about individual voice, attention, and supporting a student’s confidence. I had every child in the group come up to the white board and create their own word family. Not only did students stand up while everyone else was sitting down, but they had to think on their feet and explain their thought process. All of the students did a great job because it was a norm for the lesson – everyone was doing it and it was not presented as a big deal.
Small group instruction is very different from whole-group instruction, but I think this was a good first step for me to encourage the students in my class to be active, vocal participants in every lesson. Cooperative learning has to be carefully implemented. This approach requires time and thought to figure out who is in what group and what the task of that group is going to be, because the task is what promote discussion (Gilles, 2007). The growth and learning from the students that come out of cooperative groups is worth the energy and detail. I want all my students to grow into confident, well-spoken adults who can sustain a conversation, a process that should start in kindergarten.
My experiences confirm that it takes awareness and the desire of a teacher to encourage every student to share their voice. Many teachers want to respect a student’s desire to not share in groups. I am one of those students who prefers not to talk in large groups, but that makes me want to help my students feel more comfortable about it. I think being able to articulate one’s thoughts and opinions is an essential communication skill. However, I realize there is more than just hearing a child’s voice, although that is the first step, there is also the element of “What is this child saying?” “Are they contributing meaningfully?”
Some confusion with my overarching question was raised after my mini-lessons: Do I mean the importance of students having their own opinions and standing up for what they believe in, or am I talking about public speaking skills? These two concepts are interconnected and both very important. Kindergarten is an impressionable time for students and I see it as a good time for students to start getting comfortable articulating their thoughts to others. In my future classroom, I want every student’s voice to be a norm so it becomes a habit for each student to feel comfortable speaking. In the majority of lesson plans I create, I want the how to emphasize some form of sharing or articulation. Some form of verbal communication between students can be incorporated: using whole group conversation, presentations, “thing, pair, share,” debate, role play, and other teaching methods. Staub states, “Teachers should intentionally create the norms and skills of accountable talk in their classrooms” (Staub, 2006, p. 10).
In the upcoming terms, I want to continue building relationships with my students to help them develop the confidence to speak in front of the class. Speaking in front of the class leads to positive public speaking skills which will benefit the child in the long run. While public speaking was not specifically addressed head-on in the assigned course readings, it is related to participation and is one of the advantages of small group work. Self-confidence is something that develops over time. Teachers emphasizing each child’s voice can help contribute to this process.