Making Thinking Visible: Talk and Argument

I feel like the group discussions and freelance experimenting in class have been the most beneficial kind of learning I have experienced. I think that because we are a classroom of future educators and all are fairly well in to our higher education careers, we are very sensitive to the structure of the classroom and very aware of our peers and their ideas and feelings, which makes this type of learning very easy to both create and experience. I fear that in a younger classroom, this same type of learning will not be as effective simply because of the maturity level within the class. I know with the high schoolers I work with they pretty much need someone guiding them along the whole way-- which drives me crazy! I want them to be self-sufficient learners so I try to guide their thinking without giving too much away but so often they get frustrated, pout, and give up. (Ahh!) I think a lot of this has to do with the overuse of the Initiation-Response-Evaluation (IRE) technique. While IRE works in some cases, it doesn't cover any gray areas. I also don't think it is very collaborative. I think establishing the argument talks/discussions are the most effective ways to not only allow students to talk out their ideas but the teacher can evaluate these talks as well if they are willing to become involved. The important thing to understand is that that arguing is not about who is right and who is wrong but about how well the ideas fit together with what we know and with what we are wanting to know- less about winning more about selling ideas. I think the freedom to think and understand is one of the most valuable gifts an educator can give their learners.