STRATEGY FOCUS
PAIRED VERBAL FLUENCY
PURPOSE
The Paired Verbal Fluency strategy engages students in community dialogue to promote and confirm comprehension of concepts, content, and opinions. By stating and hearing information and thinking about the ideas of others, relative to one’s own understanding, students are better able to understand what they know, verify their ideas and opinions about a topic, and express those understandings during immediate learning situations. In addition, Paired Verbal Fluency provides a clear and open structure for brainstorming ideas about new topics of discussion.
PROCESS
- Place students in pairs, instructing them to face one another. Provide either a topic or question for discussion.
- Student A begins by expressing ideas/opinions/question/information about the topic or question. Student B listens. (45 seconds to 1 minute)
- At the end of the time period, the teacher simply says “switch” and the students exchange roles for an additional 45 seconds to one minute. During this time, Student B should not repeat ideas expressed by Student A, but instead should share other ideas/opinions/information/questions or should expand upon those expressed by Student A.
- This process is repeated between the pair of students for a total of three rounds, with less time being given for conversation during each round.
- The process is debriefed with the larger group, where students can share the content of the conversation, ask questions, or ask for clarification with the larger group. A timekeeper monitors response times.
PROBING QUESTIONS
CONSIDERATIONS
- What did you notice about yourself as a result of being asked to speak about this topic/concept?
- What did you notice about yourself as a listener?
- If given the opportunity to do the activity again, how might you prepare?
- Consider implementing intentional or random grouping for this activity and the impact each might have.
- To provide some measure of accountability, consider ways to document student participation, such as by collecting a post-activity reflection.
- For students who are hesitant to participate, allow time for pre-conversation thinking and writing to build confidence.
SCAFFOLDS
General Scaffolds
- Use the Gradual Release model (I do/you watch, I do/you help, you do/I help, you do/I watch to provide scaffolding for students.
- Model this strategy with a partner (another teacher or student) so students understand what it looks like/sounds like.
- Allow time for pre-conversation thinking and writing to build confidence.
- Give students opportunities to practice paraphrasing before using this strategy.
- Provide additional wait time for students to process, think, write, read.
Scaffolds for Multilingual Learners
Entering/Emerging:
- Provide visual support (e.g., posters, photographs) for students to name and briefly describe objects, people, or places.
- Provide sentence stems and frames for stating main ideas and/or restating details of content-related topics, as well as connecting ideas to one’s experiences (in home language and English).
- Provide frequent opportunities for students to participate in both structured and less structured dialogue.
- Provide time for students to think and create an oral response (in home language and English).
- Model appropriate nonverbal behaviors to show engagement and listening.
Developing/Expanding:
- Provide examples of transitions to help students connect ideas.
- Model examples of paraphrases and summaries that are presented orally.
- Provide sentence stems and frames for questions.
- Provide examples of clarifying questions that students might ask.
- Model how to generate new questions to maintain conversations.
Bridging/Reaching:
- Model how to categorize details of main ideas
- Model how to sequence a series of illustrated events from oral passages (e.g., historical recaps).
- Provide graphic organizers.
CONTENT APPLICATIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES
As a synthesis activity, ask students to discuss the key points or takeaways. For example, after researching various forms of government and analyzing their effectiveness in establishing order, students might be asked to debate their ideas.
WORLD LANGUAGES
As a review of the key elements of a particular culture or language, ask students to share what they have learned so far about languages spoken in that culture.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
After reading an informational text about a controversial issue, students share their thinking backed by evidence.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
As an introduction to robotics, invite students to share their current knowledge about and/or experiences with robotics.
HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
As an introduction to the skeletal system, invite students to share their current or prior knowledge. Students might be asked to name bones as well as their features and functions.
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
After performing or sharing a work of art, students discuss what role persistence played in revising, refining, and developing work?.
SCIENCE
After comparing images of fossils of the ancestors of horses and present-day horses, students share what they noticed and what questions they have.
MATHEMATICS
Have students compare and contrast different aspects of algebraic functions (i.e., quadratic functions versus power functions).