Time for Sharing
Classrooms being led by high Teacher Talk Time (TTT) are becoming a thing of the past. Today, the conventional classroom experience where teachers do most of the talking is thought of as counterproductive. When only a few students are giving feedback and the rest are “listening”, teachers are missing out on opportunities for students to share their thoughts and ideas with one another. Most educators and administrators now see the importance of having less Teacher Talk Time (TTT) and emphasize more structured Student Talk Time (STT).
“When only a few students are giving feedback and the rest are “listening”, teachers are missing out on opportunities for students to share their thoughts and ideas with one another.”
There are several ways on how SHARING and STT are practiced in the classroom, some of which include: • Turn and Talk (Think-Pair-Share): This technique requires students to think individually and share ideas with classmates. Cross discussion allows for maximum participation, holds the students’ focus on the subject at hand, and engages the students in comprehending the study material. It also encourages collaborative strategies where students work together to solve a problem or answer assigned questions.
• Student to Student Feedback (Critique): After completing a task, students can check one another’s work for correct response or give feedback. This is often done in pairs or small groups, and can be used in early elementary using simple phrases like “I noticed” and “I wonder.” Depending on the task, answers can also be checked against a key. Feedback involving the teacher is therefore limited to problematic questions rather than every question in an exercise. • Non-Verbal Communication: Body language and facial expressions are feedback mechanisms and can be used to enhance the communication and collaboration experience. When you want to informally assess the whole class, using non-verbal communication, such as hand motions or “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” can give you a brief overview of student understanding. TeamBuilders Group supports the development of STT by teaching “sharing” as one of our TeamBuilder skills. “Sharing” is strongly partnered with “Listening,” which is why they follow one another in our strategic approach to introduce collaboration skills to young learners. It also completes the active communication process which is the basis of our TeamBuilder program. We bring a holistically-designed product and teaching techniques that respond to the classroom needs of today. Our product provides the tools necessary to enhance the classroom experience for the 21st Century learner.
To learn more about our TeamBuilder program and other products, please visit us at www.theteambuildersgroup.com.
