Response Centered Talks by Bridget

Bridget Daugherty - During my time in the Okemos School district I have had many opportunities to see literacy talks take place, with reading and writing being one of the districts main focuses. The most common type of talks that I see in my first grade classroom are response centered talks. The first grade class is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in small reading groups (about seven students) with the help of MSU seniors (myself and Katie G.) and parent volunteers. In these small groups students make predictions about the story they are going to read. Next each student takes a turn reading. When they are done the group begins the discussion by talking about their favorite parts of the book. During this time it is clear that the students are making connections between what they read, what they see in the illustrations and sometimes they make inferences. Next we read the reader’s response question which is an inference question that follows the story. The students have to use their gap filling and problem solving skills to answer the question. I allow the students to openly talk about the question. This is often times difficult however because I feel like students are talking out of turn or getting off subject and I intervene more then I probably should. (I need to work on this!) The students typically come to a common response to the question however this is not always the case. When students do disagree however the conversation is often more in depth because they are more eager to get their response across to their classmates. After working with the students for almost four months doing this style of talking I was never actually ware that it was called “Response Centered Talking.”
Working in small groups away from the rest of the class is a great opportunity for both the students and the teacher. It allows the students the chance to have more input then what they may in a larger group setting. It also provides the teacher a chance to develop an understanding of how the students are critical thinking about the stories they are reading. The approach of having students think critical about the text is a great way to learn. The style of talk that focuses on understanding the plot, characters, theme and ect. is beneficial, however response centered talks allow the students to on what lies beyond the text itself. Response centered talks are truly the window on children thinking.