Hello readers! After my last week and a half in my classroom I have realized one thing- I need to become better at asking students in-depth questions. My mentor teacher let me try to ask questions when we were reading "The Good Deed" by Marion Dane Bauer in class. I would start out asking surface level questions but could not come up with deeper questions that led to a discussion on what a good deed really is. When I talked to my mentor teacher after class she gave me great advice about how to ask deeper questions. She told me that when I go to read the story before I teach it I should write down the questions I think of as I am reading in the margins so I know when to pause the story to discuss an important point. I feel like this advice will help me when I have my own classroom. In Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classroom, Bomer (2011) discusses the importance of helping students hold their attention to one idea and to develop that idea (p. 4). As I am learning to ask more insightful questions I will help students focus in on one idea and to form their own opinions.
People have always questioned why I want to teach middle school. My answers have evolved over time and my current answer is because I love how eager the majority of them are to have their opinions be heard! It can be a little tough to reign in the students that are more vocal once they get started on a topic but my mentor teacher does a great job at letting students have their discussions while driving the lesson forward. My main worry and my question I will be posing for myself throughout the year is "how do I incorporate discussion in my lessons and still have time left to complete the lesson without rushing?" I want to be the type of teacher who helps students figure out what their opinion is throughout the year but at what cost to the lesson? When I asked my mentor teacher about my worries she told me that for her it depends on the day if they are able to get through the lesson in enough time that they are not rushing. If there is not enough time to finish the classwork then they have to finish at home.
Once I take over the classroom I do want to continue incorporating discussions. I feel like middle school is a great time for students to build their own opinions. A lot of times I think people believe that middle school students only listen to what their friends think. I disagree because I think that students do have their own opinions but need to have a space where they can openly talk about them. They also need the chance to say their opinions. I also enjoy hearing their opinions because twelve year olds have some great insights on what is going on in the world.
One practice I would like to try out in the classroom this year while I still have the help of my mentor teacher is Fishbowl Discussions. I would have half of the group set up in an outside circle asking questions and the inside of the circle would be answering the questions. They would switch halfway through class. I like this strategy because more students will be engaged in the discussions. It also makes students who have a difficulty listening to others a chance to learn how to. The students in the outside circle will also have a chance to ask insightful questions that make the whole group think. I also like this strategy because it will not be solely on me to direct the discussion.
I am excited to learn how to ask questions this year as well as working with my students on how to form their opinions.
Madison- I love that you want to incorporate discussion into your middle school classrooms. Not a lot of people think about middle school and discussions but a lot of those kids have opinions and they want them to be heard! I have also found, through various experiences, that kids of this age often stumble on the deeper questions just by their nature of asking 'why'. When I was a para, I saw a teacher use discussions in a really cool way- she used them to show the students how to exhibit respect. She had a big poster with the qualities of respect and every time her class had a discussion they had to model the qualities of respect. It helped keep the classroom under control and the students really started to understand how to have a respectful discussion without getting angry or making someone else angry. English and life skills all in one!
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Thanks for your thoughtful and informative post, Madison! Your MT’s advice to jot down your own genuine questions as you read a text is spot-on and will definitely help you pose higher order questions that your students will find engaging. I’m also excited to hear more about your implementation of the Fish Bowl Discussion. There are some different variations, and yours sounds very promising. I love Bailey’s idea too, to teach and practice civil discourse while sharing important ideas in the discussion. Keep up the great thinking and great work!
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