Teacher-student dialogue

Hull’s article recalled what Nystrand discussed earlier. Hull et. al. strives to find ways in which we can examine “our assumptions about our students’ abilities” (p. 299). Learning involves much more than simple memorization of information, but rather, “competence in classrooms means interactional competence with written language: knowing when and how and with whom to speak and act in order to create and display knowledge” (Hull p. 303). In other words, we need to continuously assess our teaching styles in order to avoid IRE (see p. 301). In order to do so, Hull suggests the following:
1) remembering teacher development,
2) attending to classroom discourse,
3) making macro-micro connections,
4) and rethinking the language of cultural difference. (p. 316)
Gerriets touches on these issues as well, and focuses specifically on teacher-student dialogue. While we have discussed cover letters and written responses in class, Gerriets gives a short framework that will help us focus our written dialogue with students.
1) Create an ongoing teacher-student dialogue through their cover letters and your responses. We should also consider teacher-student conferences and in-class conversation as a part of this dialogue, but here I will consider the written dialogue.
2) The cover letters are “informal notes to the reader explaining what the writer thinks about the draft” (p. 255).
3) The teacher’s comments reply to the cover letter:
a. Gerriets suggests to start off by “agreeing with the student’s comments” in an attempt to decrease any of the student’s fears (p. 256).
b. Gerriets also suggests to focus on “practicality and…toward building relationships that will help each student” (p. 257).
c. He doesn’t grade individual assignments; only leaves comments on each assignment. We haven’t really delved too deeply into assessment (i.e. grading), so maybe this is a discussion for later.
d. The comments should be tailored to the student’s concerns (mentioned in the cover letter). Garriets argues, “My purpose in such comments is to appear to the student as an ally who is interested in and able to offer useful suggestions for writing, not as a tyrant or judge who wants to take over the writing” (p. 259).
Gerriets’ use of cover letters and responses also points to equality in the classroom: “I seek to create a dialogue in which the student speaks first and has the opportunity to define where our dialogue will start” (p. 260). With this in mind, we can see how such an attitude may also prompt students to take more responsibility for their learning, rather than following the IRE structure. A cover letter may allow students to feel as though they have control over their writing, and thus take responsibility for their learning.