Why You Need to Start Talking to Students

It’s not unusual for me to be in conversations with teachers and administrative teams where the following things are discussed:

• Data
• Books
• Other resources
• Family issues
• Objectives
• Lesson Plans

Ironically, one of the things that is rarely discussed is what the students have to say. I find it odd that we continue to work around the very people we are trying to educate. We create all kinds of activities but haven’t done a good job of pulling students into the process. 

If you reflect on your instructional day, how much of it is spent getting input from students?

It’s time you start talking to them. Yes, all of them. 

Don’t lose your mind here, you don’t have to talk to all of them all day, every day. But you do need to be strategic about checking in with students in a systematic way. If you have 30 kids, you could have meaningful conversations (aka conferences) with 6 a day. If you teach secondary courses, you can break it down by class period and talk with at least 6 each class. 

Getting input from students is basically a way to get feedback from them. This feedback is important for you as part of a useful assessment cycle. 

So, when are you going to do this? When you release the students to work. As adults, we talk way too much in a class period, so go ahead and put yourself on notice. Stop talking to the whole group, let the kids do the work, and have strategic conferences with students. Even a few minutes of meaningful reflection can be useful. If you’re really pushed for time, give students a few reflective questions prior to talking with them. For example:

• How did you feel about the last test grade? 
• How did you prepare? Was it what you expected?
• What will you do differently? What will you do again?

These are very simple questions that can be adapted to a range of students, but most importantly, you are pulling them into the learning process. Instead of test corrections, could we do some test reflections?

Think about it, if you went to the doctor and they did not get information from you or even talk to you as an individual, would you continue with that doctor? Would you think they could make good decisions about your health care without your input? Of course not!

Why should your classroom be any less professional?

Alice & Hope