Discourse in a Digital World I get it. I feel the pain. I know how much it eats away inside of you. Inside of us. Trying to teach remotely. And, as a teacher, facing a digital room full of blank icons, particularly when they stay on mute the entire class can cause us to feel anxious and ineffective (side note – how awkward of a sentence would that be if we read that a year ago – and look where we are now). Not only do I want to see and hear my students as they engage in mathematics, but I also want to build relationships and get to know my students – yet that seems near impossible when students build these digital walls. As math teachers, that challenge to get students to authentically engage in discourse has always seemed to be more difficult. Students have a hard time diving into conversations around mathematics as it’s always been about an answer, and not a process, for them. But I believe, strongly, that learning is a social construct, and we need each other to learn. Yet the only way to have that social interaction is through communication – i.e. discourse. And sure, I would love it if the discourse was verbal, but written discourse in mathematics has its place too. So, while I am and do struggle with this – getting students to engage in discourse in the digital world - I have come across a few ideas that can increase digital engagement. Strategies that I have used as a teacher. Strategies I have seen other teachers doing remotely that have worked fairly well. And so I want to leave you with these tips and, as always, feel free to reach out with questions and/or comments on how these strategies can be implemented in your digital settings.
Starting class digitally, we have fallen back on some of our routines of old. Do now’s and Warm- ups. And yes, we want the students to engage in mathematics, but think about what we can do if we open up these “Welcomes” to truly encourage dialogue, and, dare I say cameras being turned on. Here are some ideas:
Eliciting Students to Share Ideas in Class When I present a longer task to my students, instead of asking them to type the answer into the chat, I ask them to either (1) use a symbol so I know they’ve done it, (2) ask them something specific about the problem that’s not the answer (like what is one question that arose while working this problem out OR using an emoji let me know how you felt you did with this problem), or (3) ask them to answer a question in the chat that helps me to learn a little more about them (NOTE: I usually answer this question as well). This does two things. First, it gives students a safe way to communicate they have finished without spoiling the work for the rest of the students in the class. Second, it allows me to ask students to explain their thinking and the answers they have arrived at as I know they are done. The beauty of getting one student to start talking over their mics is that it usually snowballs – if they are saying more than just a few words, others are likely to join into that conversation. So save this for big tasks that can be explained! As an added bonus, when I use that third method, I get a lot of dialogue (even some unmuted dialogue) about the ‘getting to know you’ questions. Some of my favorites are: What have you binge watched lately, what is one book that everyone should read, what sport do you like best, tell me something boring about yourself, etc.
After finding ways to get students to work together effectively, the next thing to consider is the what – what will be done within their group. Here’s a few activities that I have tried personally and have seemed to work fairly well:
Student Teacher Conferences One last idea – I try to host conferences one-on-one with my students about once a week. Doing this not only encourages them to talk, but usually, if you ask nicely, they turn on their camera. Not only does this help build the relationship between you and the students, but it’s also a great way to check in, help them navigate the difficulties of online learning, and make sure they are getting the most out of the course (and their grades) as they can. There you have it. These are by no means all the answers. Nor are they all the best answers. But they work. Kids talk. They share and learn with and from each other. I get to know what they understand. And I get to know them. It’s not easy navigating the digital world, and it’s not easy getting kids truly engaged in online activities. But I hope these few ideas give you some ways to engage your students and, hopefully, prompt some meaningful discourse between students (and yourself). Good luck out there! Joseph Bolz ([email protected]) is a 20 year High School Math Teacher. He currently serves as a Math Teacher, Department Chair, and Instructional Coach at George Washington High School in Denver. |