One of the most rewarding things about being a teacher is watching my students continue the conversation as they leave the classroom. In most classes, students learn facts about their world, but real learning occurs when they have conversations about what to do with what they learned. When they talk about school outside the classroom, they make sense of what they’ve been taught and discover the truth. They figure out what to do with the information I often ask my students to formalize this otherwise informal, spontaneous conversation by simply pressing record. There are many types of interviews and conversations students can have with classmates, friends, or family.
1. Interpreting character or quotations
Similar to most whole class discussions, students can go back and forth in pairs or a small group. They simply put the phone or computer in the middle of a group of desks and press record. Sometimes my students will record in the hallway or quiet spaces in the library. Without a teacher sitting in, students will usually speak for longer periods of time about their interpretation of a character or the plot. They can sit with a list of questions or passages to consider. Conversations are usually more spontaneous and fun. Students can also generate their own questions to ask a few different classmates and then combine multiple short responses into one file.
2. Exploring topic
Students love talking about a topic of choice or exploring a topic from an essay or article studied in class. They can research the topic independently and then discuss their findings with a classmate by responding to a set of questions from the teacher or that they create themselves. This can be an open ended, philosophical conversation about friendship or family or a more political topic like taxes, energy, or crime. Like in the first option, one student can record the opinions of their classmates on the topic and create a single audio file. Students can also look to interview adult experts outside the classroom by interviewing their parents, family friends, or employees of local businesses.
3. Personal narratives
Storytelling is a great way to get students to open up about their lives and any cultural or personal travel experiences related to what they’re learning in school. Often, they have stories about their friends and family that connect to a short story or novel but would rather open up to a single classmate instead of a room filled with people they don’t know that well.
Students live in world dominated by media and activities that don’t always allow for lengthy, deep conversation so we need to be creative about how we can get students to interact and learn from each other in a way that doesn’t feel forced or stressful.
Teacher's Workshop
Practical, self-paced professional development and college credit for secondary ELA and general education teachers
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