KORCOS IEC 19

The power of conversation in the classroom cannot be overstated. When students discuss their understanding of a new idea or a text, an opportunity is created for deeper comprehension. Yet engaging in an academic conversation is a skill in its own right that needs support and development. This is particularly true for classrooms populated with English learners. How do we, as teachers, capitalize on this opportunity? In this workshop we will look at ways that teachers can facilitate academic conversations in their classrooms across content areas. Teachers will gain ways to explicitly teach conversation skills and guide students towards independence in their academic interactions with one another. These conversations serve the dual purpose of strengthening both student comprehension and oral communication skills. If we can harness the potential of conversation in our classrooms, we can improve the quality of our student’s learning.

Session Objectives:

Reflect on the importance and utility of academic conversations in the classroom.
Learn ways to explicitly teach conversation skills.
Explore ways to embed and scaffold academic conversations into content classes to support learner’s content comprehension and oral communication skills.