Written conversations. Its a nice way to let students pass notes in class. They get to talk to friends, quietly, and you get to read their thoughts on what you're teaching. Written conversations are great ways to find the breakdown in communication from your lesson to their brains.
A sociology teacher in my study group has taken the written conversation to a whole new level. Her students have been watching "Kid Nation" in order to analyze group dynamics in society. (This is a unique idea in and of itself.) Last week, she took the written conversation to a whole new level. After printing out bulletin posts from the ABC website regarding the show, students passed the posts around and responded in the same fashion. Students showed insight into the show and the reactions of others. Talk about bringing authenticity to your classroom!
That had me thinking about other ways to incorporate this new conversation into other classrooms. Teachers can find bulletin posts regarding their subject, or they could make their own. If Jay Gatsby kept a blog, what would he write about? What sorts of posts would he make to Daisy's blog? What type of bulletin would be written about the Boston Massacre? The possibilities are endless. Students can respond to posts and show a higher level of thinking about the content.
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