Communication Opportunities

Classroom examples of providing ongoing opportunities for students to communicate what they think and why.

Talk is the primary medium for students to build, exchange and refine their science ideas. Through science talk, students develop scientific reasoning abilities and conceptual understanding. Communicating questions, observations, insights and reflections makes students’ thinking visible to themselves, each other, and the teacher. Because science has specialized ways of talking, the teacher’s role in providing ongoing instruction in the norms of science discourse is crucial. For example, students need to understand that the goal of scientific argumentation is to gain a clearer shared understanding of an idea based on evidence, rather than “winning” an argument. Providing explicit expectations and mini-lessons in listening, responding to another’s ideas, using data to advance an idea, asking for clarification and other discussion skills will help establish a classroom culture of scientific practice.

The impact of teaching science discourse skills is even greater for students in groups that traditionally perform less well in science than their counterparts. When students take on the role of thinkers pursuing scientific understanding, they experience science as a dynamic sense-making endeavor rather than a static body of facts.

1. Encourage talk and argumentation that reflect a diversity of thought (elementary and middle school)
In “Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms,” the chapter “Making Science Thinking Visible: Talk and Argument” explores the role that classroom discussion plays in good science teaching. Topics include encouraging talk and argument in the classroom; drawing on students’ cultural, linguistic, and experiential differences as intellectual resources; and strategies for creating inclusive environments. The book can be purchased, bought as pdf files, or read online at no cost. A podcast is also available.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11882

2. Ask productive questions (multiple grades)
Productive science questions prompt the student to investigate the topic and respond with conjecture, dialogue, argument, and other forms of science-based discussion. Teachers can sequence the types of questions they pose based on where students are in a given investigation or unit and on student ability to respond to the question. "Asking Productive Science Questions" (Word document)

3. Create public records of students’ ideas (elementary)
Developing and posting public records of students’ questions, ideas, knowledge, plans and results enhances classroom science talk. Chart packs, posters and other visual records capture students’ ideas and serve as references, helping make student thinking visible and enabling students to reflect on changes in their thinking over time.

A Question Board creates a class repository of student questions that can be analyzed, categorized, and used as spring boards for inquiry.
http://www.esiponline.org/classroom/foundations/inquiry/questionboard.html

In the Inquiry Board approach, teachers guide students in how to use their knowledge about a topic to create testable questions and plan an investigation. A series of questions posted on chart paper serve as focal points for discussing issues related to planning, conducting, and analyzing inquiries.
http://www.ncosp.wwu.edu/Resources/Inquiry/

4. Foster a classroom community that encourages student contributions (multiple grades)
For many students, classrooms are not safe places for sharing ideas and exposing uncertainty. Teachers can take specific steps to create an environment where students take risks with their thinking, including establishing classroom norms, promoting active participation, and establishing intellectual rigor. Practical information for creating classroom learning communities is addressed in Mathematics and science classrooms: Building a Community of Learners, by Jennifer Stepanek, which is available online at:
http://www.nwrel.org/msec/just_good/10/