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 Activities Speaking in turn

Speaking in turn

Short description

All students express their academic opinion in a safe learning environment.

Objective

THE OBJECTIVE

CREATING A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
  • Establish a space where everyone gets a say and has time to talk. This way, the teacher acknowledges every student’s opinion and academic level while inviting them to participate more in class. 

GET THE QUIET STUDENTS TALKING
  • Taking turns speaking not only allows outgoing students to voice their opinions but also ensures that quieter students have an opportunity to share their thoughts.  

Execution

PREPARATIONS

TEACHER'S PREPARATION

The teacher prepares a list of open-ended reflective questions about the students’ experience of today’s class, such as:   

  • Which concepts did they find relevant?  

  • What was difficult about the literature? 

IN CLASS

IN PLENUM

  • The teacher introduces the activity and sets a limit for how long each student can speak, e.g. 1 minute. 

  • The teacher asks the first student a question.  

  • The student answers the question or shares their opinion within the time frame.  

  • The teacher then asks the next student, and repeats the process until everyone has spoken. 

Considerations

CONSIDER

PRACTICE ORAL COMMUNICATION
  • Some students may be nervous or reluctant to speak. You can provide them with material on oral presentations from AU Studypedia. Here they can read about how to handle nervousness.

Options to vary the activity

OPTION TO VARY THE ACTIVITY

REPEAT THE ACTIVITY
  • Consider repeating the activity throughout the semester. This lets students become accustomed to the fact that there will be opportunities for them to express themselves regularly.  

ONLINE
  • Carry out the activity online, e.g. on Zoom. Make sure to moderate the activity, establish an order of speaking and make sure everyone gets time to speak.   

Overview

Time frame One lecture
When will the activity take place? In class
Format Plenum
Form of instruction Classroom instruction
Type of activity Communication and discussion
How In class
Technology Zoom

Contact

Please contact the editors at AU Educate if you have any questions about the content of the platform or if you need consultation on your teaching from one of the many skilled professionals at the Centre for Educational Development. 

Revised 31.05.2024
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Nina Bang Morgensol