Final Word

The Final word protocol is a good way to get students to listen to one another and to focus conversation. “ The purpose of the Final Word Protocol is to expand the interpretation of one or more texts by encouraging the emergence of a variety of interest, view points, and voices”(32). The final word protocol seems a lot easier than it actually is, this protocol is very structured in the sense that it has very strict time constraints and everyone in the group has a role. There are four steps to the protocol.

1.      “Presentation. Presenter number one presents the passage he or she has identified, reading aloud and having people follow along on their copies. The presenter speaks for 2 to 3 minutes uninterrupted about it” (3)

Step one seems lot easier than it is, for some student s 2 to 3 minutes is not enough, while for others 2 to 3 minutes is way too much.  Another difficult factor in the presentation part of the protocol is some students may find themselves wanting to interrupt the presenter and give their own opinions and interpretations of the text.

2.      “Reflecting back. Each listener in turn has 1 uninterrupted minute to “reflect back” on what the presenter has said. The facilitator has explained that reflecting back means exploring the presenter’s interpretation of the passage, not adding one’s own interpretation. A listener might begin , “From what you said, I can see that you are concerned about…”” (3)

This in my opinion is the most difficult part of the protocol. The listeners are not giving their opinion, agreeing or disagreeing with the presenter, they are just showing that they were listening and that they understood the point the presenter was making.  

3.      Final word/ Repeat. “ The round ends with a 1-minute uninterrupted time for the presenter to react to what has just been said,” (3) and then the process repeats until all members of the group have had the opportunity to be the presenter.

4.      “Written reflection. Following the rounds, the facilitator asks everyone to write for 5 minutes about what they have learned from the rounds about the text(s) as a whole”(3).  

This last part of the protocol holds every member of the group accountable. I also like this last step because if the teacher collects the reflections, he or she will have an idea of what the students talked about and what they gained from the text. The teacher can use this to see if a majority of the students understood the text and decide whether it is time to move on or review as a class.