Clear your throat and sit up straighter in your chair. “I’m going to teach you all about plant parts. All plants have the same three parts. The first part,” (show one, using your fingers,) “are the roots. Roots help hold a plant in the soil.” Pause, make an aside. “What other teaching technique could I try here?” Signal for an all-call. “Yes, I could use a pointing finger and I could act things out.” Point to an illustration of roots. “These roots help hold a plant firmly in the soil.” Then turn your arms into roots. “Imagine you’re a tree’s roots. Roots grow down and also sideways, to help hold a plant in the ground, like this. “Now, let me check back in the text and see if I forgot anything. Oh, I forgot to mention where roots grow—they grow underground.” Channel partners to discuss the ways you just taught the information. “Readers, and soon to be expert teachers, work with your partner to list the ways I just taught you. In a minute, you’ll finish teaching your partner all about this section.” ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT Invite students to continue teaching what they’ve learned about plant parts as a way to solidify their learning. “I’ll reread the next part of the text, about the plants’ stems and leaves. If you’re the partner closest to the door, you’ll teach next. Get ready to use your explaining voice, topic words, acting, and a teaching finger to teach your partner about plant stems and leaves.” Reread the text on page 5, then say, “Get started. I’ll coach you.” LINK Restate the teaching point. Invite students to plan with a partner what they’ll read and when they’ll pause to teach each other, and then send them off to read. “Readers, today you learned that one way to help yourself hold onto what you are learning is to read in such a way that you are ready to teach others. After you read an important part, you can teach someone else what you just read, using an explaining voice, topic words, acting, even a teaching finger. When you teach someone else what you have learned, that can really help you learn as well. “Before you read today, meet with someone from your group and decide what each of you will read, and when you’ll pause to teach each other. Put a sticky note at your stopping spot, and if one of you gets to your stopping spot before the other, take some time to plan your teaching. You may want to reread as you think over how you act out the part you just read, and decide whether pointing to illustrations might help. Make a plan, then head off to your treehouses to start reading.”
Students remember more when they are involved in actively processing the text (Duke & Pearson, 2002). This can involve asking questions, summariz- ing, and talking to peers about texts and topics. Incorporating frequent distributive practice of purposeful recall will lead to better retention of material (Parris & Headley, 2009). By asking students to recall what they’ve read and the steps for teaching it, you are supporting their retention.
Coaching to Support Teaching Others • “Wow! You are definitely using an explaining voice. And I heard you tuck in definitions for a few words. Keep it up!” • “Ask yourself, ‘What’s the most important information here for me to teach?’” • Try teaching again, and this time, act out the important part.”
It can be helpful to allow stu- dents to teach in any language they can. Embrace students’ home languages as they teach what they know to others.
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Session 3 • Use Teaching, Acting and Gestures to Solidify Learning
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