Tape a science discussion. (Place the recorder or camera so that it will pick up both your voice and the students’ voices.) After class, listen to sections of the tape. Can you catch yourself using strategies that encourage students to co–construct ideas? Does encouraging students to talk to each other and connect ideas change the nature of the discussion?
Identify a question or dilemma that arose from your independent study and your experience in the classroom. Plan to talk about your experience in the study group. You may want to identify a short interchange from the tape (~30 seconds) to share during the study group meeting.
Grade 5