Following up on live event "Talk Amongst Yourselves"-- student-led conversations

Hello colleagues, We had a fantastic event this afternoon with guest presenters Jessica Jones and Liddy Rich (THANK YOU, Jessica & Liddy!) focused on teaching conversation skills. Jessica and Liddy shared a process for supporting learner-led conversations. 

Jessica and Liddy also wanted to share a link to a previous webinar they presented which is available on the ATLAS YouTube Channel.

Here are the slides: https://youtu.be/BHdMyxacd4g 

Here's a link to a slightly longer version of the same presentation, originally presented at the 2021 Language and Literacy Institute hosted by ATLAS (more info at https://atlasabe.org/).

DURING TODAY'S WEBINAR

At the outset, Liddy and Jessica emphasized that to foster conversation skills it is essential that "Students ... feel safe, valued, and connected." 

Here's a link to website with a list of questions to consider using or adapting for class.

They shared three "versatile conversation moves" that teachers can teach and then assign as roles.

  1. "Restate or summarize
  2. Ask follow-up questions
  3. Add on to an idea"

They also highlighted some ideas for writing excellent questions. Questions should be:

  • "Concise
    • Write and rewrite
    • Write questions in the third person to make them less personal. e.g., 
      • What do people do when…?
      • How can someone…?
      • What do you say to a friend when…?
  • Easy to understand
    • This is not a reading or vocabulary lesson.
    • Aim for questions that participants can understand without much pre-teaching
  • Open ended
    • Encourages longer answers and allows students to choose what to share
  • Accessible to all
    • Will everyone have something to say about this topic? Does this question make assumptions?" 

You are invited to share your perspectives on Jessica and Liddy's ideas as well as how you approach teaching conversation skills. We would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP

Comments

Thank you, Susan, for sharing these links and for inviting Liddy & Jessica.  They are indeed a gift to the field!

Best,

Patsy Egan (MN, ATLAS Director)

I want to take a moment to thank Liddy and Jessica for the presentation.  I was very impressed by everything in the presentation but what impressed me the most was the care you showed in designing questions for your students and the thought you put into giving roles to students to really encourage them to participate but in a manner that motivates them rather than forces them.  I already have been looking at my discussion questions and looking for ways to encourage participation and make sure I am not putting any students into uncomfortable situations.

I also really liked that you built in time for us to share with other teachers and try some of these methods out.  I enjoy hearing from other teachers and it really solidifies what we are learning.

Finally, thank you to Susan for putting this together.  It was a great resource for us.

Thank you, Susan, for sharing this great webinar! Also, a special thank you to Liddy & Jessica. Unfortunately, I could not attend the live session, but Susan was so kind to follow up with me via email and let me know about this discussion. I am pleased to learn new strategies for designing engagement questions to keep the students connected. Also, I have ordered the book (Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain) that had recommended in the webinar. 

Once again, thank you all for the webinar! 

 

Best,

Jeff Adam