Joy, Up until this year, I would have agreed with you. But I think that if children spend a year or two in a classroom where language is teacher-driven, they become complascent, unwilling to participate. It has been very discouraging.
Lori On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:20 , Joy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> sent: >Jan, > I think you teach conversation skills by having conversations! I know, I > know, this sounds too simplistic. I start out my year talking with my students, one of the very first things I do is have elicit from them what they know about having a conversation. I don't take anything for granted, we go into teensy weensy detail, from recognizing body language that give us clues to how the other person is feeling, to tone of voice and how to politely interrupt someone. We write down all the ideas we brainstorm together, then turn them into rules for conversation, and modify them as the year progresses. > > I try to make the classroom a safe place where the students feel comfortable > sharing. The kicker is this takes time. Some kids come ready to share, others take longer, you have to be patient. I also have learned to have kids share with me before sharing with the class, just to be sure they understand what is and what isn't appropriate. (I helped them figure out how much to tell, and how much to hold back so they don't tell anything that might come back to haunt them.) Responsive Classroom is a good place to learn about this. > > There is an anchor chart in one of the power point files that Ginger posted > that looks similar to what I do with my students. > > > > > Joy/NC/4 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content > go hand in hand. http:// www.responsiveclassroom.org > > > > > > > > > > > >--------------------------------- >We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love >(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list. >_______________________________________________ >Mosaic mailing list >[email protected] >To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > >Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
