Oral Language

In my current clinical placement, my teacher does not allow for students to engage in much discussion.  During lectures, questioning and discussion is very limited.  If the teacher asks a question, it is in the form that just requires a one word answer. There is no real opportunity for teacher-student dialogue. Students don't ask very many questions, and I think it is because the lectures aren't engaging for students.  I felt as if the classroom is what I would consider as extremely traditional, the teacher teaches and students just listen and accept what they are saying.
If I was giving this teacher advice, I would have them read over the article by Van de Weghe that we read.  In this article, the five elements of effective discussions are presented, giving educators great building blocks to use in their classroom.  I think that uptake is a great method in acknowledging students for their contributions in the class.  If students feel like their thoughts are valued, they are going to be more likely to share their ideas and open up in discussions.  Another element is using better forms of evaluation and adding to students' remarks.  By doing this, we are using a students thought to push forward a discussion.  I also would suggest for the teacher to provide more opportunities for students to ask questions and discuss.  The article states, "that practices that promote genuine intellectual risk taking impact student achievement in demonstrably positive ways" (90).  Although it might be difficult to do at first, increasing dialogue in classroom will benefit students and their learning experience.