Classroom Management part of the Education Reform Network

Facilitating Discourse

Discourse - the ways of representing, thinking, talking, agreeing and disagreeing - is central to what students learn. The teacher's role is to initiate and orchestrate discourse and to use it skillfully to foster student learning (NCTM) Under this link are articles related to strategies teacher can use to facilitate discussion - skills for listening, responding and questioning to promote student learning.

• Connecting with Students
  Allen N. Mendler shows how to provide acknowledgement without disruption.
• How to Respond When Students Give the Wrong Answer
  Incorrect answers can often provide clues to what students don't understand. The suggestions provided here can help teachers better understand where their students are having difficulty.
• Research on Error Correction and Implications for Classroom Teaching
  This article focuses on error correction in the context of second language programs. Four general suggestions for corrective feedback have implications for all classrooms.
• Talk in the Classroom
  Originally published in Instructor magazine (1990) by Brenda Power. This article explores the Initiation-Response-Evaluation trap into which teachers may fall, and examines the role of open-ended questions, rich conversations, and wait time to advamce student learning.
• What Did You Say? Using Nonverbal Communication to Improve Teacher Effectiveness
  As much as 93% of all communication is non-verbal, suggesting that teachers can increase their effectiveness with careful attention to the unspoken as well as spoken messages they convey to students.