组织课堂讨论活动和方法DiscussionToolkit.pptVIP

Discussion Toolkit Made by Mike Gershon – mikegershon@ Why talk? An empty workbook, or lack of ‘product’ from a lesson, is often deemed a failure. This belief, supported as it is by much of the reporting and inspection process used to assess schools, can lead to the assumption that work or learning done in lessons should be tangible. There should be something to show. Much research and personal experience suggests that understanding does not stem solely – or necessarily most effectively – from writing or creating something. Therefore the assumption that learning, deep learning, must always be evidenced by a physical product is false. Lev Vygotsky, the Russian psychologist, wrote that speaking and thinking were intimately linked. The process of speaking helps us to learn by articulating our thoughts and developing the concepts we use to understand the world. Communication and understanding improve with practice. Therefore, the opportunity to talk is vital in order to develop understanding. Of course talk in itself is not simply enough – the talk must be focussed on what is desired to be developed. Just as an unfocussed piece of writing will lead to unfocussed results, so it is true of discussion and debate. The activities described in this toolkit are all intended to help facilitate and scaffold talk so that it is purposeful, structured (or deliberately unstructured) and appropriate to the students and setting. If nothing else, encouraging and valuing talk sends out a message that communication is important – both listening and speaking – and that it is a good end of itself. Different Types of Talk Mercer (1995) identified three different types of talk: Disputational (claim and then counterclaim) Cumulative (repeat, confirm, elaborate) Exploratory (critical and constructive) The last two tend to be most common in PSHE, as students are encouraged to explore emotions, values, identities and other such personal positions. Disputati