CLASSROOM INTERACTION

 

To practice critical thinking, students need tointensive, structured interaction

among students.

The principles of collaborative learning.

most direct way to create classroom interaction is to

adopt the principles of

collaborative learning, the teacher designs a learning

problem or task, and then assigns small groups of

students to address the problem collaboratively.

Students are typically instructed to reach a consensus

on an issue, or to create a group product. The purpose

of the collaborative learning is to enhance learning

and achievement by encouraging peer-to-peer

interaction and cooperation.

Thecollaborative learning. In

The value of group learning.

in structured group work are typically talking,

rehearsing ideas, probing judgments, empathizing,

listening, questioning--in other words, practicing the

skills of critical thinking. Research in colleges and

universities indicates that collaborative learning

enhances the mastery of content for most students.

Even more dramatically, collaborative learning

improves students' attitudes toward the course and

the discipline. They not only learn more, they like

what they are learning more.

Students engaged

Designing collaborative tasks.

tasks can range from elaborate to very simple.

Ideally, students should be given

instructions

Collaborativeclear, explicitin writing. Teacher may have already

modeled

to perform. The task should be clearly related to the

goal of the course, and--even more effective--related

to subsequent tests. Finally, a task should require

some form of

group ends up agreeing that they can't agree.

the task or procedure that students are askedconsensus or agreement, even if the

The teacher's role.

important in designing the task. Once groups have

begun work, the teacher should do no more than

unobtrusively monitor the process. The groups need

to resolve problems themselves. When groups are

finished, it is important spend some time processing

their results. The focus should be on what the groups

discovered, not what the teacher knows or thinks.

The teacher's role is most

The interactive classroom.

groups or whole-class discussion, teachers can do

much to create an interactive classroom. Chet Meyers

suggests some basic rules for consistently

encouraging student interaction:

Whether by small

Begin each class with a controversy or problem.

Instead of "We're going to cover this...," begin with

"Here's the question we want to answer."
Use silence to encourage reflection.

pause in your own discourse tells students that "I'm

thinking about this, and so should you." Pauses after

teacher-initiated questions encourage student

responsibility; a teacher should resist the temptation

to fill the silence or answer the question for them.

A reflective

Arrange and use classroom space to encourage

interaction.

other, form a semi-circle or circle. During lecture,

move to different parts of room, or teach from the

back and have students write on the board.

Move chairs, have students face each

Create a friendly environment.

invest some class time in learning students' names,

asking about other classes, inquiring about students'

lives outside college, or sharing something about

their own. These informal interactions offer a chance

to use facilitative responses (see the related resource

"Teacher Talk and Student Success"). It may seem

like schmoozing, but studies indicate that this kind

of hospitality pays off in higher student achievement..

Teachers should

participate in the discourse of the discipline--to think,

speak, and be listened to as they participate in the

discipline's particular mode of inquiry. Students will

not get enough practice just by talking to the

instructor, and very little by just listening to the

instructor. Students develop competency and become

critical thinkers in classroom that provides

opportunities for