Children

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Deep Book Discussions
Research findings
Children construct meaning from their experiences. They are not just passive receivers of information; they cognitively interact with new information, based upon what they already know.
The traditional theories of learning are teacher dominated. The teacher transmits a body of knowledge that is assumed to be true. The social constructivist perspective proposes that knowledge increases as learners interact with each other and the world. Thus, deep discussion of text is an integral part of the constructivist classroom. Readers must access prior knowledge and interact with the text in order to facilitate comprehension and assimilate new knowledge.
In the classroom
One way for deep discussion to happen is through social interaction. Students talking to each other-discussing, questioning, sharing points of view-helps them gain and assimilate knowledge. (Gavelek and Raphael) Students need multiple opportunities to talk about text such as:
· Whole class settings
· Student led small-group discussions
In whole class settings:
· The teacher reads aloud to the class. Not only is the teacher's enthusiasm for reading contagious but "think alouds" (sharing of the teacher's reading processes as well as related ideas) model reading strategies.
· In Fishbowl or Hot Seat, student takes on the role of a character in the story and answers questions posed by the rest of the class. This may be in a "talk show" format.
· In class brainstorming and/or clustering, teachers and students generate ideas, impressions, facts spontaneously without correction.
In student-led, small-group discussions:
Reciprocal Teaching. The teacher models strategies of a good reader-generating questions about the content, summarizing, clarifying points, predicting. The students then take over the teacher's role in small groups as they assume responsibility for leading the dialogue.
Literature Circles. Two potent ...