Amy has a master's degree in secondary education and has taught math at a public charter high school.
Academic discourse, or the discussion of a school subject matter, isn't just for English or political science classes. It's also for math classes. It's a discussion that isn't strictly limited to teachers themselves; students also benefit from such a discussion. In fact, as a math teacher, you can incorporate academic discourse into your daily routine in order to help your students with their understanding of math.
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So, how can you do this?
First, you can begin by using questions. Not just any questions, but smart questions. Use questions that help understand how your students are thinking and guide your student's thinking towards the right steps. This takes practice, and it requires you to understand your students as well.
When asking students questions, it's important to wait at least three seconds after you've asked a question to let students respond. This allows your students to comprehend your question, think of an answer, and verbalize it. Give even more time for foreign students who need additional time to process the new language. Studies have shown that the longer your wait time, the better your students answer.
If you set up the right environment, academic discourse encourages your students to think. Tell your students that it's okay for them to ask questions, and smile after your students answer your questions. When students feel comfortable in your classroom, some will take the next step and make learning something they do on their own. You'll see them actively taking in and processing information in their own way. It is these students who will ask questions about what they are learning. These questions may even stump you and encourage you to learn more.
Education is always changing with emerging research. In the past, education was focused on student memorization. Then studies showed that students learned more if they were given the chance to use and speak what they are learning. So, teachers began asking questions one student at a time, with students giving short answers. Research indicated that the more students use and practice academic language, the better and more proficient they become in it.
This is where academic discourse comes in. Now, it's not about the students giving short answers to a teacher's questions, but it's focused on students actively engaging in academic discussions with the teacher and other students. The more opportunities students have to use and practice what they are learning, the more they will think and learn. A 1970 report found high-achieving students spoke about 55 percent of the time in class while low-achieving students spoke only 20 percent of the time.
There are different techniques that you can use to encourage discourse in your classroom. You can begin the school year by having a discussion with your students about the importance of classroom discussion not just for you but also for them. Then you can encourage participation by restating student observations and asking for more input. Another way to encourage discussion is by changing your intonation and your communication style to match those of your students. When students feel that you are on their level, they are more apt to open up since they will feel that you will understand what they are about to say.
Here's an example to show how you can have a successful academic discourse in your math class.
Meet Jamie: she is about to teach a high school algebra class. She tells you that in her classroom, her students do most of the talking and she is there simply to guide the discussion. You are observing her classroom. Jamie begins the day by writing today's topic on the board: simplifying monomials.
After all the students have sat down, Jamie introduces the topic and has them split up into groups of four. She then tells her students that she will ask them a few questions and each group can discuss the question amongst themselves. When each one has a best answer, they will then present it to the class. She guides the whole discussion via leading questions that help the students figure out the correct answer.
After the group question work is complete, she then gives the students a worksheet that contains some problems that were done incorrectly. She asks the class to finish it by writing down what is wrong with each problem. Even though this is individual quiet work, a lot of language is happening in the minds of each student. Once this is done, Jamie tells each student to pick one of the problems on the worksheet and to do it correctly. After the students have done this, she has them explain to their neighbor why their problem is now done correctly.
Let's review.
Academic discourse is the discussion of a school subject matter. Studies have shown that the more academic discourse you have in your classroom, the more your students will learn. To encourage academic discourse in your classroom, you can begin by asking your students questions and making sure you incorporate a three second wait time for a response to your question.
You can also encourage discussion throughout the course by introducing its importance at the beginning of the year. Make your students feel more comfortable participating in discussions by changing your intonation and style to match that of your students.
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