How to Create Interactivity, Even Remotely

Q: My students are reluctant to speak in some classes. What's worse is that in other classes, two or three students monopolize the entire conversation. How can I increase interaction in class while making the best use of class time?

Asking students to complete reading assignments outside of class or to watch videos on their own time can immediately net you precious minutes in the classroom. But how can we increase the likelihood that this outside work gets done?

One possible solution is Verso. Verso allows you to create a collaborative yet closed social media space in which students anonymously respond to a video, site, or reading. Students then craft a response, comment upon the responses of others, and upvote the responses they found to be most helpful. The video below illustrates this process.

 In the classroom, Verso can be used to

• build understanding of historical context of a novel. In connection with a novel set in the 1960s, for example, students might view videos of the Vietnam anti-war movement, the Civil Rights movement, or the Space Race.
• review a concept or skill covered in class. This video on dramatic irony, for example, could either precede or follow a lesson on the same topic, while Simile School pokes fun at a concept in a way students will enjoy (after watching, students could write creative similes for those comparisons mentioned in the video).
• generate background information for a current events debate or writing. Above the Noise is a public television series that will appeal to middle and high schoolers. See this recent post on Universal Healthcare.
• review the steps of a process. After a lesson on writing hooks, for example, a student might need a refresher.
• integrate SEL and discuss sensitive topics such as bullying. These videos from Pass It One can serve as excellent conversation starters for any age level, whereas this video titled Talent Show is intended for more mature audiences.
• provide alternate interpretations of classic literature. From staged versions of Shakespeare to the Simpsons' take on The Raven to animated texts of classic speeches such as The Gettysburg Address, YouTube is full of possibilities.
• practice inferring skills. This commercial titled The Perfect Daughter requires the viewer to put together the limited information available in order to make sense of the narrative.
• to create an online crowd sourcing site. In response to any one of dozens of issues, students could share and debate opinions. These ideas can later help students who struggle for ideas in their essay writing.

Choosing the correct video is half the battle; crafting a student response prompt that fires a conversation is even more crucial. The more open-ended, the better! Verso provides several videos of High Impact Teaching Strategies to get you started.

In addition to creating a common experience for students, Verso provides younger students with a closed environment of social media. Verso provides an excellent venue to teach students that they need to own their social interactions online. Once students learn that they are accountable for what they say, they tend to make comments that are more helpful and incisive. And when they choose to do the opposite? They'll receive instant feedback from classmates and teacher alike.

If you're looking for ways to embed questions, videos, and text within existing webpages, I highly recommend Insert Learning. Perfect for formative assessment!

Stirring the Pot! Fueling Discussion in Reading Class

How do you encourage everyone to participate in classroom discussion?

That's a great question, and one that I'm commonly asked.

I'm still trying to figure it out for myself, but I've got a few thoughts.

The Recipe Calls for Stone Soup

Most of us recall the classic book Stone Soup. Three hungry travelers, turned away at every door in a small village, devise a plan to trick the unsuspecting townspeople. Speaking fondly of delicious stone soup, the travelers sigh in dismay at their inability to create it; after all, they're missing a few key ingredients. In their desire to sample this delicious soup, the villagers enthusiastically agree to contribute the needed ingredients, and in the end all enjoy a stew created through both collaboration and cunning.

A good classroom discussion consists of similar elements: a plan to make it happen, and students eager to bring something to the table.

Don't Come Empty Handed

Translation: Every student must read beforehand, and come prepared to share.
 
After all, it's key that students have a common background from which to draw during a classroom discussion. Keep in mind, however, that what they read at home the night before need not be the novel itself, but instead a nonfiction piece, poem, or other literary artifact that in some way relates to the novel.

When reading Island of the Blue Dolphins or Call of the Wild, for example, it's critical that students understand pack behavior, especially the role of the alpha. With that in mind, I would have students read a nonfiction article on that topic, and prepare to discuss the key points the next day.

(By the way, I'll talk more getting students to read beforehand in the next post and describe how I make it happen).

Drop a Pebble in the Pot

Translation: Get the thinking started.

When students turn up the next day, they'll expect to discuss what they've read. Don't disappoint them. From the second they walk in, present students with a question or task that puts the knowledge into action.

In response to the wolf selection, for example, students might find these questions awaiting them the next day:

• Does every pack need an alpha? Why or why not?
• Is a pack only as strong as its leader?
• Think of a book or movie you know well in which you can identify pack behavior.

My students are likely to name movies such as Lion King and books such as Holes and The Outsiders in response to that last prompt; older students, however, might point out stories where vicious pack behavior exists on an emotional rather than a physical level.

By Drop a Pebble in the Pot, then, I mean to get the thinking started. As time goes on, students will become accustomed to this practice of jotting quick reflections into a notebook in preparation for the coming discussion; older students will, in fact, even provide their own ideas for questions to get everyone talking.

Soup of the Day

Translation: Know what you're serving up.

In every case, have an objective in mind before the discussion begins. What's to be taken away from from the dialogue? Theme, character development, literary motif, motive, metaphor? In many cases, it's a discussion of what do the individual words on the page say when they're put together in this way? In other cases, it's a matter of how did the author do that with words, and what can we as writers learn from it?

Portion It Out

Translation: Ensure that everyone participates. 

In my class, I have a deck of name cards color coded to each section I teach. When discussion is either too heated or too complacent, out come the cards. When everyone needs to throw in a quick share, out come the cards. When it's time to hear some jotted-down responses, but time won't allow hearing them all, out come the cards. It's simply too easy to unconsciously play favorites when you're pressed for time and the same hands are waving in the air.

Table Manners

Translation: Define and enforce rules for discussion.

The passion of a heated argument is no excuse for disrespecting others. Early on, implement a policy of acceptable behavior for classroom discussions (the Collaborize Classroom site, mentioned below, has an online student conduct code in its Teacher Resources section which can be tweaked to serve this purpose).

To Go Menu

Translation: Keep the conversation going.

Sometimes, there's a lot more to be said! And students want to continue the conversation beyond the confines of the class. In this case, a class wiki, blog, or social media environment would serve you well.

In the past I've written about Edmodo, which I described as "a ning for students." It serves as a secure social media site for upper elementary and middle school students, and I still dig it even now.

Recently, however, my students have been using a social media site called Verso. Like Edmodo, it's private and secure, yet the teacher can see all interactions. Unlike Edmodo, it allows more content creation possibilities for students and an easier user interface.

You can get a pretty good idea of its form and function from this recent video.




Read more about Verso here. Another option to get students interacting with texts before class time would be Insert Learning, which allows you to embed questions, videos, and teacher comments onto any page of the Internet.

Web 2.0 Classroom Conversations

If your students are anything like mine, they love getting into heated conversations over ideas from their novels and related readings. Being typical sixth graders, all students have an opinion to express and a story to share. What I wanted to find was a way for that conversation to continue beyond the classroom; many times I needed to cut it short when students were just getting started!

Having had a lot of experience with Ning, I thought that would be the perfect vehicle. The problem is, Ning, like Facebook, requires that users be 13 years old. I couldn't knowingly ignore this. So after searching around for a similar online experience, I finally chose Edmodo.

Edmodo is a closed, private community which looks and acts like a Facebook/Twitter hybrid. It allows for threaded discussions, polls, video uploading, and discussion groups. It totally fit the bill. Read more about why I chose Edmodo (over at my Teaching that Sticks blog) and find out how I felt about the choice after five days. Then decide for yourself is this tool is right for your class.

A Professional Learning Community Made Easy

Most of us who are psyched about teaching can muster enough enthusiasm to get us through the most trying times. But it's comforting and enlightening to dialogue with like-minded individuals once in a while, and the Internet lets you reach out across the world to do that.

If you haven't already found it, I suggest you get hooked up with The English Companion Ning. Tons of blogs, forums, and groups for seeking and sharing ideas, sites, and resources. I dare you to spend just ten minutes there and not come away with a new link, lesson, or at least a laugh. If you're looking for an approach for a book study or suggestions for a thematic unit, this is a great place to get in touch with professional practitioners like yourself. Jim Burke  and the members of this Ning do some good work!