Too often students wait and wait and wait for their turn to talk during instruction. While many teachers are striving to maintain a structured and disciplined classroom environment, they may unintentionally prevent students from elaborated responses, asking higher-level questions, and pigbacking thoughts based on other students' statements and wonderings. Granted there is a limited amount of instructional time and way too much content to cover, but if teachers must severely restrict student-teacher and student-student interaction so teacher talk is always predominate, then learning/achievement does not happen with all students.
As Marica Tate says, "Sit and get doesn't grow dendrites!" Her terrific book, Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites, offers many suggestions about ways to actively engage all students in the learning process. Some of them include using humor and telling stories, integratating games into lessons, using mnemonics and metaphors to prompt memories, and purposeful movement.
Think, Pair, Share and Search, Find, Tell/Show are two routines that can be used to focus students' attention on getting meaning from print and then discussing it with another student.
As a society, we can't afford for our students not be be successful learners. If the "best and brightest" are bored during instruction, they will discover ways to entertain or to challenge their minds! If those students who are struggling to learn don't have a clue as to how to begin an assignment, they will discover ways to escape the classroom! Schools reflect excellence when everyone...educators and students...focus their discoveries on learning!
Besides, active engagement in the learning process if fun!
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