Thursday, July 26, 2012

Conversation Calendars

One of Tovani’s strategies that I found very interesting was the conversation calendars. According to Tovani,

“Conversation calendars help me learn about my students’ lives outside the classroom. I then have the background knowledge I need for conversations that allow me to discover their strengths and passions. Once I know what they are about, I can help them see how the work we are doing in class is purposeful and connects to their lives,” (106).

I really liked this strategy because as Tovani said it helps you get to know your students. In a classroom with 30 students and only 40 minutes it’s hard to try to get to know all your students, especially the quieter ones. Conversation calendars allow you to do what can take the entire school year in a few minutes every day. Not only do conversation calendars help you learn more about your students but it also helps your students get to know you better. This strategy can be used as a way to help builds trust among student and teacher. Other than getting to know one another, conversation calendars can help you better plan and differentiate your lesson plans. In my opinion, when you know your students you are better able to focus your lessons on topics that will capture their attention, because you’ll have a better idea of what they’re interested in or how it can relate to their lives



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