Literacy Across the Curriculum2

Managing Small Group Talk

Literacy Across the Curriculum2What do we know about student talk in the classroom?

•It is dominated by teacher talk (75% of classroom talk)

•Mostly consists of Q&A

•60% of students never have a conversation with adults in school

•We massively waste students’ potential, by not using talk more systematically

Literacy Across the Curriculum2As the NLS puts it:

Exploratory talk is that in which partners engage critically but constructively with each other’s ideas … it is an effective way of using language to think … the process of education should ensure that every child is aware of its value and able to use it effectively …

However, research evidence suggests that very little of it naturally occurs in classrooms when children work together in groups.

Neil Mercer: Words and Minds

Literacy Across the Curriculum21 Purposes of group talk

2 Organising groups in different ways

3 Making things happen in your school“productive talk behaviours”

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Purposes

of talk

THINK TANK!

Making suggestions

Building on, clarifying, modifying others’ ideas

Challenging ideas

Justifying ideas

Asking questions

Summarising

Analysing & evaluating

We have to teach and model these7

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Conditions that promote productive talk:

•Thoughtful groupings

•Presentations within groups

•Specific roles within groups

•Planning as carefully as you would other tasks

•Clear outcomes

•Specific time-limits

•Modelling the required language and behaviour

Literacy Across the Curriculum2When would you recommend:

Individual work

Pair work

Small group (3/4)

Large group (7)

Whole class?

Friendship groups

Ability groups

Structured mix

Random mix

Single sex?

Literacy Across the Curriculum2What size grouping would you recommend for these tasks?

•Generating discussion of a social issue

•Getting feedback on the draft of an assignment

•Collaborating to create a class display

•Two-minute discussion of an example, prior to whole-class discussion

•Targeted feedback on written performance in a test

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Group talk dilemmas

One or two students are not contributing

When you join the groups they get self-conscious and stop talking

You allowed 15 minutes for a discussion, but they’re run out of steam after 15 minutes

The group has enjoyed their group discussions, but no one wants to contribute to the plenary session

So what do you do?

3s - with feedback

Literacy Across the Curriculum25 golden rules of group talk?

•Plan it

•Aim for a variety of groups / activities

•Model the language you expect

•Make yourself be detached

•Feedback on the process, not just the content

•Praise endlessly

2-2-4-2-8

•It means more to students than it does to us

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Get people at your school thinking about groupings

and group talk

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Groupings: the range of possibilities

Pairs Easy to organise

Good for 1:1 feedback

Quick-fire rehearsal/reflection

Pairs to fours

Expands discussion

To explain & compare

Listening triads

Talker, questioner, recorder

Builds responsibility

Envoys 1 student goes to inform another group

Avoids tedious reporting back sessions

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Groupings: the range of possibilities

Snowball 2 to 8, developing ideas

Promotes public discussion and debate

Rainbow groups

After small-group discussion, students are given colours to re-group

Jigsaw Topic in sections. Start in home group, then move into expert groups, one on each section. Then report back.

Spokesperson As it says

Literacy Across the Curriculum2So what will you do next back at school?

Staff meeting demonstration of groupings on a controversial

topic

Student survey of talk / groupings

Target one team and aim for critical massDisplay of grouping

possibilities

People need to see it in action - so DO

something

Literacy Across the Curriculum2Talking Point

What have you done with group talk in your own school which has made

most impact?

Literacy Across the Curriculum2

Managing Small Group Talk