Taylor Carter and Rebecca G. Harper

CREATING CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS

TAYLOR CARTER AND REBECCA G. HARPER

“That’s it. That’s the end.” I told the class. They sat in silence and then started to clap, giving a round of applause for Charlie, the main character in our read aloud. One quiet voice piped up, asking a question only a six-year-old can so simply ask. “No more Charlie?” he said. “No more Charlie,” I had to quietly respond back. We looked at each other, collectively feeling the same sadness that the book had ended.

My first graders and I had just finished reading Roald Dahl’s (1964) Charlie and the ChocolateFactory. Most years, I have a sense of accomplishment in reading such an extensive chapter book in first grade. However, in my reflections of the read-aloud this year, I found that I looked upon the book with new eyes. I had previously viewed the story as a fun, fantasy world of chocolate and candy. Now, I saw opportunities to expose my students to experiences outside of their own worlds. Within the text, there were multiple openings to expose students to social inequalities, such as comparing the conditions of poverty Charlie lived in against the grandeur of Mr. Wonka’s factory. These disparities exist in our real world, but I had not provided my students an opportunity to discuss them. My reflections revealed missed opportunities for critical conversations.

What are Critical Classroom Conversations?

Critical conversations, also called critical dialogue, are those discussions in which teachers ask students to think deeply about their personal experiences. Critical conversations also involve reflecting upon how personal experiences influence the interpretation of actions and the interpretation of your own education (Marchel, 2007). Often, critical dialogue concentrates on addressing preconceived ideas about power or privilege (Marchel, 2007) and are filled with personal knowledge and experience (Bartlett, 2005).

Paulo Freire and Maxine Greene, both critical theorists, believed it was imperative that conversations about lived experiences, power, and privilege occurred in classrooms (Giroux, 2010; Greene, 2010). This was so students could learn how to find evidence of social injustice around them. Matters for discussion could include child abuse, inequality in schools, and hostility and cruelty (Greene, 2009). By exposing students to multiple perspectives on these issues, educators take students beyond their own experiences so they can imagine a better

future for one another (Giroux, 2010). Through critical dialogue, educators might inspire their students to consider new ideas such as “candor, integrity, decency, and compassion” (Greene, 1986, p. 178). Discussing such important social concerns could jumpstart social change, thus making the world a better place to live (Blanchard, 2010; Giroux, 2010; Greene, 2013; Spector et al., 2017).

Barriers to Critical Classroom Conversations Critical conversations, also called critical dialogue, are those discussions in which teachers ask students to think deeply about their personal experiences.

Cultivating critical conversations can be difficult in public schools. This could be because public schools may be powered by political systems (Blanchard, 2010; Spector et al., 2017). These systems desire measurable outcomes, such as standardized test scores (Greene, 1982). Strict curriculum, which usually drives student achievement, standards, and preparation for careers, can create a forced and unnatural learning environment (Greene, 2013). Likewise, teachers’ individual goals may only be concerned with providing instruction in content knowledge (Teo, 2021). Plus, since many schools utilize scripted curriculum programs that teachers are expected to follow with fidelity, deviation from the required script can have negative repercussions for the teacher when it comes to instructional monitoring and evaluation. As a result, classrooms have increasingly become places where students only receive information by memorizing content, and critical dialogue has become sparse (Greene, 2013). Yet, classrooms can offer students safe spaces to discuss sensitive topics in a nurturing environment.

Practical Strategies for Incorporating Classroom Discussions

Many scholars provide glimpses of how to develop productive dialogue, such as structural changes to programs and policies (Green, 2021); building communities based upon differences (Guyette, 2018); and shifting the focus from yourself to the perspectives of others (Blanchard, 2010). While these ideas are certainly valid, they seem to be out of the control of classroom teachers. Instead, I offer tips on three areas that could help produce critical classroom conversations, even in the primary setting. These include:

• Discussion strategies for effectively hosting critical conversations • incorporation of picture books as mentor texts • Increased opportunities for storytelling

Discussion Strategies and Tips

When observing their students during classroom conversations, teachers may find that some students have a difficult time building upon what others are saying. Often, students

simply repeat ideas that have already been stated or provide an idea unconnected to the conversation, resulting in disjointed or short conversations (Pilonieta & Hathaway, 2022). To help alleviate these concerns, teachers could consider using specific strategies to develop deeper critical discussions. Strategic instructional methods can help foster discussion and conversations in the classroom.

Think-Pair-Share

Strategic instructional methods can help foster discussion and conversations in the classroom.

Think-Pair-Share is a common student engagement strategy that can help develop classroom conversations. The technique is a progression of thought in which students first think about a question or discussion prompt, then discuss and refine their ideas with a partner, and lastly, share their thoughts with the entire class. The think session of the strategy provides students time to develop their thoughts and think more critically about difficult topics before discussion begins (Sharma & Saarsar, 2018). Teachers find this strategy to be effective as it builds speaking and listening skills (Sharma & Saarsar, 2018), is quick (Kaddoura, 2013), and increases self-confidence in quieter students who are reluctant to share with a large group (Raba, 2017). Because students are given reflection and processing time, along with a specific purpose for thinking and sharing, students may find that participating and responding to classroom discussions becomes easier.

Fishbowl Technique

The fishbowl technique is a strategy designed to encourage wide participation in classroom conversations (Wood & Taylor, 2007). During this method, the teacher arranges students into an inner and outer circle that face one another. The students in the smaller inner circle are given a discussion prompt which will be the focus during the conversation. Students from the outer circle are expected to observe and listen to the conversation, but may join in the conversation by tagging a student in the inner circle and trading seats (Defrioka, 2017; Taylor, 2007). Benefits of the fishbowl technique include a focus on student-centered conversations (Wood & Taylor, 2007); an emphasis on developing listening and critical thinking skills (Defrioka, 2017); and an increased awareness of multiple perspectives of the prompt or question posed (Effendi, 2017). Plus, it allows for the teacher to strategically place students in the inner or outer circle based on their comfort and ability levels. For example, I often placed my most outgoing students in the outer circle so they would be forced to actively listen instead of dominating the classroom discussion. This allowed more introverted and reserved students the opportunities to share without being eclipsed by their classmates.

Time Limits.

It is important for educators to understand that critical conversations may not have a feeling of being finished, regardless of the strategy implemented. For this reason, teachers may want to set a time limit for the discussion. At the end of the designated time, teachers could close the conversation by summarizing what has been said, and plan for future conversations to continue the ongoing discussion (Kang & O’Neill, 2018). Teachers might also have a designated student record any lingering thoughts or questions that could be taken up at a later time. With these discussion strategies in place, teachers may find they become more effective at developing productive student dialogue.

Incorporating Picture Books

The use of picture books is heavily referenced as a way to begin deep conversations with younger students about a variety of topics (Fitriana & Windiarti, 2018; Hajisoteriou, 2021; Lysaker et al., 2016). Utilizing a diverse array of titles can provide students with a view of different cultures, races, or socioeconomic status that is different from their own (Wissman, 2019). The understandings that students develop from reading from a wide selection of texts can enhance classroom dialogue (Giroux, 2010; Greene, 1995).

Specific reading strategies can develop deeper understandings of the text and prepare students for critical conversations. Teachers could guide students towards interpreting the aesthetic elements of the book, such as the use of colors, lines, and location on the page so they can learn how to think more deeply about its content (Panaou, 2021). Students could also act out parts of the text to better understand different points of view (Wissman, 2019). Other strategies for using picture books as a conversational springboard include looking slowly at the pictures to further understand the text (Pantaleo, 2020) and allowing students time to deduce what is happening in the text based upon “facial expression, gestures, settings, events, actions, and motives” (Serafini, 2014, p. 25). Arizpe (2021) writes that it is necessary for educators to understand that simply using a picture book to raise awareness of diverse groups may not be enough to initiate social change. Instead, encouraging students to question the message of the author, how characters are portrayed, and ways in which examples from the text can be compared to issues in the world can help students begin to critically question texts to which they read and respond.

Storytelling

In addition to general exposure of new experiences, students must be allowed the opportunity to tell their own story as well. One final strategy teachers could implement to help develop critical classroom conversations is the use of collaborative storytelling. Storytelling offers several benefits including:

• Allows students to explain their own views of the world to their peers (Kalpazidou et al., 2020) • Gives students the opportunity to teach others about their culture in positive ways (Kalpazidou et al., 2020) • Allows students to hear perspectives of more diverse experiences than what may be found in a scripted curriculum (Brown et al., 2017) • Promotes the inclusion of students of all cultures, races, and ethnicities (Bartlett, 2005)

By telling and hearing the stories of their classmates, students increase their ability to see how others live in the world, imagine more equitable communities, and value their own experiences (Hajisoteriou et al., 2021). Discussing the differences found in their own lives may serve as a catalyst for creating social change (Greene, 1982, 1995, 2013).

Storytelling is a natural way of communication as individuals live storied lives. Primary classes offer multiple storytelling opportunities that can easily be integrated into everyday classroom instruction. Naturally integrated prompts like, “Tell me about your day,” or “Let’s talk about what you did in music,” can provide students with a natural segue into the storytelling of our daily lives. This can help students as they craft their own stories with fictional characters and settings both orally and in writing.

Conclusion

While hosting critical classroom conversations may seem intimidating for teachers due to their sensitive nature, they offer numerous benefits for students of all ages. With a few classroom discussion suggestions, along with the integration of picture books, and carving out space and place for storytelling, teachers can begin to integrate critical conversations in their classrooms with success and ease.

References

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Taylor Carter is a first-grade teacher. She is working towards earning her EdD in Educational Innovation at Augusta University. Her research interests include teacher agency and autonomy.

Rebecca G. Harper is an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy in the College of Education and Human Development at Augusta University, where she teaches courses in literacy, qualitative research, and curriculum and serves as the EdD program director. Her research focuses on writing and critical literacy, and the ways in which authentic literacy can foster engagement, agency, and empathy in students. She is the Director of the Augusta University Writing Project, and the author of three content literacy books.