Have you ever heard of the term "Grand Conversation" used in a classroom? If you have not, this week's post will explain exactly how they are used and why they are beneficial. Grand conversation is actually a strategy for classroom discussion. The whole point is so that students are the leaders and the ones who facilitate the entire process. While it might seem easy, there is a lot of background work to ensure that students get to the point where they are able to have a grand conversation that is meaningful to their development.
The process of grand conversation includes the students leading a class wide discussion. During this discussion, students will be in charge of all aspects such as exchanging their thoughts and perspectives. Also, they will be expected to close out the discussion summarizing what they read or drawing conclusions. Since teachers should intervene in grand conversations as little as possible, there is a lot of preparation that comes into play for students to be able to accomplish this.
Najam, Farah. “Grand Conversations Give Teacher Opportunity to Deepen Content Knowledge.” LinkedIn, 4 Feb. 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/grand-conversations-give-teacher-opportunity-deepen-content-najam#:~:text=A%20Grand%20Conversation%20is%20a,facilitate%20and%20scaffold%20the%20conversation.
You made a lot of really great points. When you think about the key components of grand conversation it can seem as simple as students having a conversation about a topic. Like you stated, it is important to prepare for the activity itself. Students have to understand how the conversations need to work. They need to have time to review the process before beginning the activity. You can tell in a lot of the videos that the students are very aware of how the conversation flow should be and the expectations. I think this is a great activity for all age groups.
ReplyDeleteI love your reflective nature of your post. And, yes, you have to teach and allow to practice for students to grasp the concept and understand how to participate in a Grand Conversation. Suggestion: Click on the photo and choose Large or Extra Large so that your images show up better.
ReplyDeleteI love your post! I love the idea of having a grand conversation in the classroom. Your post had many significant points that sound perfect for creating a growth mindset. As you mentioned, this can be a customizable experience. It can be profound, with all sorts of elements. But, it can also be simple and straightforward. I like how I can cater it to all needs. I like how your post gave me more ideas on grand conversation lesson plans.
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