Jennifer+Geller

Jennifer Geller, jennifer.geller@gmail.com, grade 12 history/social sciences

Introduction:

Two years ago, I started experimenting with a discussion technique I call “panel discussions” with my heterogeneously-grouped 9-11th graders. These panel discussions are an adaptation of Socratic seminars, but whereas in a Socratic Seminar students focus on a single piece of text to form the basis of their discussion, in a panel discussion students are synthesizing many texts, some of which they may or may not have researched themselves. The other unique feature of a panel discussion is that each of the group members reads/researches a slightly different yet related topic, then the group puts together its information to answer the essential question of the unit. The goal of the panel discussion is to teach the other members of the panel as well as the audience about a new topic without just giving an individual presentation, to create connections between related topics, and also to use the information gathered on the topic to answer the essential question. For instance, the first time I tried this technique we were studying immigration, trying to determine American attitudes towards immigration throughout history. Students chose topics they selected from a timeline they had created of important immigration milestones. They studied their chosen topic individually, then I formed groups of various sizes (from 3-6) comprised of students with topics that could “talk to” each other; ie: bilingual education laws, the Voting Rights Act of 1975, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The students then spent time preparing together, then held their panels in front of the class. Finally, students wrote an in-class essay/reflection stating their beliefs about American attitudes toward immigrants across history. They had to support their beliefs with evidence from at least two other panel discussions in addition to their own. You will just have to believe me that the knowledge and connections the students generate as they prepare for and take part in these panel discussions occurs on the highest level one could ever hope to have high school students achieve. The students end up arriving at all the important points and conclusions by themselves that I would have presented to them were I a “talking head” kind of teacher.

Last fall, the science teacher on my team and I had the task of leading our seniors through their first thesis-writing experience as part of our new PBGR’s (proficiency based graduation requirements). We actually spent the whole first half of the year with the students helping them to generate their own, very unique thesis topics and questions. One of the scaffolding projects to this end was participation in a panel discussion. The theme was challenges to survival, and the essential question was which factors present the greatest challenge to societies’ survival? Students had to select a region on which to focus, then create a timeline of that region’s challenges, both “social studies” as well as “science” related challenges. Then they chose a time period from their timeline which seemed to be the greatest time of challenge for the region. This narrowed down their research and allowed me to group them for the panels. The purpose of these panels was to help students generate specific topics/questions they could use for their thesis.

The most difficult part of getting students to complete a proper panel discussion is to get them to connect to each other, and not just do a round-robin presentation style. I believe that use of blogs could greatly enhance the panel discussion experience as the nature of blogs is to be public, interactive, connective, and reflective, just like the panel discussions. I have found that getting students involved in genuine “accountable talk” in front of an audience before they do more formal writing has a big (positive) impact on their writing. I would be interested to see if informal writing, yet writing for a specific audience, prior to the discussion would enhance the discussion as much as discussion enhances subsequent writing. The lesson I describe below would have occured just prior to the students meeting in their groups to prepare for the panel discussion. It assumes that I have, in addition to grouping the students, set up a blog for each panel.

Goals:

During class (which is a 90 minute block), students should be able to post successfully to their group’s panel discussion blog a synopsis of their research findings with links to major sources that addresses the most critical social studies and science-related challenges in their region, and why they believe they present the greatest challenge to their region’s survival. For homework, they will then need to comment on at least one other group member’s post, either agreeing, disagreeing, or connecting what they read to their own post. Posts and comments will need to be visible on the blog before group members can prepare as a team for their discussion. After posting and commenting, students will (hopefully) begin preparation for their panel discussion with their group members already armed not only with a clearer picture of their own information and views, but also information about each other’s topics, how they connect, and how they may defend their position if challenged about their challenges. Finally, the idea is to get students connecting in writing, so their panel discussions are more connected, rather than individual presentations.

Pre-activities:

As part of the work we do helping students practice good internet research skills, students are introduced to using blogs as a source. We discuss how trustworthy blogs are (or not) and what you can start doing to be able to evaluate them. If possible, they have all located a blog that is related to their topic and may even use information from it for their panel discussion. Most of the time these blogs are blocked so the students will note the link, then either we or they access the link from home and print out what is needed! This lesson, however, will be students’ first experience writing to a blog.

Class will begin with a brief, 15 minute brainstorm of general criteria for blogging. Hopefully, students can draw on what they’ve seen in the blogs they’ve used in their research for what makes a successful blog post. I will add as necessary points that Will makes in his book. My main rule of thumb for the students will be: “don’t write what you couldn’t say to a person face to face and not get into a fight.” I will also stress the importance of linking to sources. Hopefully the act of creating links to sources will help emphasize to students the importance of citations in their writing.

I will then walk students through how to post to their panel’s blog. Students sit as a panel per computer so that everyone can get trained and so panel members can help each other with technical difficulties --I have 10 computers in my classroom.

Students will then receive the writing assignment (see below). Some students prefer to write by hand before using the computer, some are not allowed to use a computer until they write by hand because they get too distracted, and some students have no computer at home. The point is, we always manage to work out the 10 people who can/need to use the computers during class while still making sure everyone has something to do. Students not on computers can prepare a handwritten verion of their posts. Then there are always a few who are behind anyway, and aren’t ready to write a post yet, anyway. They would be working to catch up. Hopefully, the need/desire to post their work publically will be an incentive! Students will have the remaining class time (approximately one hour) to work on their posts.

Writing Assignment:

Panel Discussion Assignment

The purpose of this final panel discussion is to help you identify a problem/challenge for your thesis that links what you have been researching and social studies and science. Identifying a good problem/challenge will make writing your thesis in January much easier.

Part I: Writing

A. Post to your panel’s blog your individual answers to the four questions below. Follow the criteria we developed for a good blog post, and remember to create links to your sources when you quote or mention specific pieces of information.

1. According to your research, what were the major social studies challenges in your region/time period? This is probably the paragraph where you should have the most links, since you are just giving information here.

2. How did you choose these as the major challenges? In other words, defend why these are the major challenges? You may have fewer links here because you are giving an opinion, and supporting it with information you should have already linked to.

3. Choose a few of your level 3 questions from science. What connections can you make between these questions and your major social studies challenges?

4. What new questions can you come up with that include both a science and a social studies angle?

B. After your entire panel has posted to the blog, read each others posts, and choose at least one post to respond to. You can agree or disagree with what a fellow panel member has defined as your region’s major challenges, or you can identify connections between your information and theirs, or you can raise questions inspired by your reading.

Part II: Speaking

After your entire panel has posted and commented, you may work as a group to prepare for your 10 minute panel discussion. Use the questions above, your posts and comments as a springboard to start your discussion. Remember, the goal is to connect, not to give separate, individual presentations. The comments you wrote to each other on your blog are the same kinds of things you should be saying to each other during your discussion.

Extension and Adaptation:

There is ample room for extension and adaptation for learners of various levels in this lesson. Students who finish their posts quickly can help more technically challenged students. They can also be asked to write more comments, not only on their own panel members’ blogs, but also on other blogs. They may even be asked to evaluate the trustworthiness of sources used by other students in their links. I would ask lower-level students to focus on the first question in the writing assignment: what were the major social studies challenges in your region/time period? They would not be exempt from answering why during the panel discussion, but for many of these students, writing why is more difficult than verbalizing it, especially when in face-to-face dialog. I might also point lower-level students to a specific post that I think they would be able to comment on more easily.

Assessment:

I was able to tweak the panel discussion rubric I used to create the rubric for the panels’ blog posts. Each individual gets his/her own score which may be different from other panel members’ scores. Being able to use essentially the same rubric both for the writing that I’ve used for the panels just shows how compatible the two techniques are!

Note: We do not use letter grades--only rubric scores, even on report cards. A “four” is not an A, etc. A “four” is a “four.” You’ve met the standard.

6: Makes connections in comments that discover larger questions and themes; meets all other requirements of a 5

5: Raises important big picture questions in comments that could lead the group to new discoveries about their topics; meets all other requirements of a 4

4: Comments cite specific evidence from posts; raises questions that could allow all group members to participate; post raises many possible challenges affecting your region; post explains challenges with evidence that a non-expert can understand; post links to sources for specific information; post supports why identified challenges are the major ones for the reason using specific evidence; posts and comments make connections between science and social studies material and draws on level 3 questions

3: Comments may be less directed at specific evidence from posts; may not raise questions in comments; post raises some possible challenges; post explains challenges with less specific evidence; post makes some attempt to link to sources; post supports why identified challenges are major with less specific evidence; posts and comments may either connect social studies and science or draw on level 3 questions

2: Comments are disconnected and unfocused; does not raise questions in comments; has trouble raising possible challenges in post; post does not explain challenges; post does not link to sources; post does not support why identified challenges are major; posts and comments do not connect social studies and science and do not draw on level 3 questions

1: Makes minimal attempt to post and/or comment

0: No posts, no comments