English Language Arts and Reading.6.1.D

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The student is expected to

participate in student-led discussions by eliciting and considering suggestions from other group members, taking notes, and identifying points of agreement and disagreement.

oral language TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, discussion, and thinking -- oral language. The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

Task students with participating in a reciprocal discussion based on a text read in class. Have students engage in discussion about the text and share their thoughts while others listen closely to the comments made, take notes, and offer different perspectives. Observe the group discussion, monitor the note-taking, and collect student group discussion notes to highlight points of agreement and disagreement.

Note:

Choose a text that is appropriate for the learners in the classroom and that encourages inquiry and discussion.
 

Further Explanation

This SE requires students to exercise skills in reciprocal communication without the teacher’s facilitation. Students need to consider an alternate perspective and whether the student believes the points to be sound, worth debating, or in need of further clarification.

During discussions with peers, students should elicit, or ask for, others’ suggestions and opinions. Students should then decide whether others’ suggestions are sound, worth debating, or in need of further clarification. For example, in a conversation about natural resources, Timothy might ask Inez what is depleting certain resources. Before producing a written response, Timothy should think about the ideas Inez has shared and determine how that information may influence the response.
Students should be given opportunities to engage in conversations with their peers without the teacher’s facilitation. For example, after reading an informational text, students should be able to engage in an independent discussion about the author’s purpose and message. Students should use information from the text as a basis for their independent discussion.

Research

1. Berne, J. I., & Clark, K. F. (2008). Focusing literature discussion groups on comprehension strategies. The Reading Teacher, 62(1), 74+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A185544339/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=d138dbf8

Summary: Recognizing the benefits of peer-led literature discussions, this article explores a multi-step process for introducing discussion into the classroom. The process incudes modeling discussions, using fishbowl discussions, anchor charts for discussion behaviors, and a list of comprehension strategies during discussions.

2. Batson, J. (2014). Postmodernity and oral language learning. Practically Primary, 19(1), 39+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A361713108/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=0dc50066

Summary: The article argues for the increasing need for schools to support conversational skills in the digital age and provides ways to build opportunities for social communication in the classroom. 

3. Olsen, J. K., Rummel, N., & Aleven, V. (Jun 18-22, 2017).  Learning alone or together? A combination can be Best! Grantee Submission, Paper presented at the International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=collaborative+learning&pr=on&ft=on&ff1=eduElementary+Education&id=ED577021

Summary: This research explored the use of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for math instruction in a collaborative versus individual learning environment, across a group of 4th and 5th grade students. Results showed that students spent less time when working collaboratively; however, the learning gains were the same for both individual and collaborative interaction with the ITS.