Turn and Talk

Back in the day, teachers lectured. Students listened. We thought students learned. They do ... but we know there are more effective ways to teach. In addition to movement, students need opportunities to turn and talk. By thinking about what we are learning and having an opportunity to talk about it, students retain their learning, make it their own, and can experience deeper levels of the lesson. Sounds like a good strategy! Today we introduced it and practiced. Our conversation was about pet.

First, you meet with a partner and face each other. Your knees should touch.
You determine who will begin. Today, we used the earlier birth month.
One person talks and one person listens for one minute.
Then you switch.
The third minute, both partners may talk, ask questions, and make connections.

We talked about what listening looked like:
- eyes contact
- hands to self
- nodding
- respectful and appropriate facial expressions
- questions and comments that relate to what the person shared

Ms. Leom chose partners from her sticks in a cup. Ms. Leom had great partners to work with today too!