Structured Peer Discussion
Kids learn what they talk about.
About this practice...
Structured Peer Discussion engages diverse groups of students in dialogue about essential vocabulary and key concepts related to the instructional content. Teachers establish peer discussion norms and routines to maximize opportunities for students to use academic language. Ensuring that every student engages in oral discussion enhances learning for all students, but for emergent bilingual students, structured peer discussion builds peer support for language and content learning.
Options for Structured Peer Discussion
Heterogeneous Team Discussion
Heterogeneous Team Discussion presents a specific task requiring students to orally discuss a key concept and apply their knowledge in an oral or written response. The aim is for every student to engage in academic discussion, regardless of language proficiency. The teacher provides a prompt that a dilemma or novel situation, and in response, groups apply their content knowledge to prepare to an argument to present to the class. Each team member is assigned a role, such as one student to prepare an opening statement, one to provide elaboration on the key idea, one to prepare a counterargument, and one to summarize with a closing statement. The culminating activity is a peer reflection on individual and group learning.
How it Works:
Establish heterogeneous groups of about four students. Teams will work together through an entire unit to prepare for a culminating activity. In WorldGen, teams engaged in weekly activities leading up to a final unit debate.
Throughout the unit, create weekly knowledge-application tasks, often guided by a graphic organizer, that lead up to a culminating activity.
For each team discussion, assign each student a role that contributes to the task. For example, if the prompt is to prepare an argument or take a position on question related to the current lesson, roles might be to a) prepare an opening statement, b) compile supporting evidence, c) prepare a counter argument, and d) prepare a closing summary.
Allot time for the parts of the activity, including discussing the prompt and how it relates to the lesson, sharing ideas and evidence, and practicing their arguments in preparation for presenting to the class. Teachers can set a timer for each phase of the team discussion.
Set clear expectations for participation and accountability for learning the content. Provide extra support to any individual who may be having difficulty and encourage group support. It is helpful to include reflection on the group process during follow-up discussion.
Turn and Talk
Turn and Talk is a quick, easy and manageable way to get students talking about content. This paired peer discussion routine requires students to make language connections with what they are learning, while the teacher takes a brief pause in teacher-led discussion, minimizing disruption to the flow of teaching. The discussion prompt focuses on a key concept or vocabulary word.
How it Works:
Assign partners. Teachers often assign “table partners” or “seat partners,” so that students can quickly turn to a nearby peer. In this strategy, teachers pair EL students with a partner who can provide encouragement and language support as they engage in the task.
Explicitly teach a Turn and Talk routine by setting an expectation for each partner to orally explain their own response to a prompt. Establish a time limit, about 1 minute, and establish a signal for pulling the class back to the lesson.
Within a lesson, mark a few places to pause the lesson for a Turn and Talk.
For each Turn and Talk, create a prompt that requires students to:
- talk about a key concept
- use of essential vocabulary words
- apply the concept to their own lives
Example:
For example, Ms. Korn’s social studies class is learning about ancient Greece, comparing the intellectualism of Athens and the Spartan focus on physical fitness. She created a 60-second Turn and Talk opportunity for pairs to discuss, “Would you rather compete in academics or compete in an athletic event? Why?”
Display the Turn and Talk prompt and set a time limit for the discussion.
Circulate around the classroom to give encouragement and feedback as pairs discuss the prompt. Take notice of how well students are grasping the concept and vocabulary.
If time, ask one or two pairs to share their ideas.
Why is Structured Peer Discussion Effective?
Structured Peer Discussion provides opportunities for emergent bilingual students to fully participate in grade-level content instruction with strategic peer support. Research shows that this practice integrates language and literacy instruction into content learning, providing opportunities for emergent bilingual students to simultaneously develop language proficiency and subject-specific knowledge. The integration of academic literacy and literacy skills into a content-rich curriculum enhances learning for emergent bilingual and English proficient students. Studies show positive effects for content knowledge, vocabulary and disciplinary literacy for all students. Though studies show strong, positive effects for explicitly taught vocabulary, there is also evidence that students acquire more vocabulary words that are incidentally taught.
Why structured peer discussion improves literacy:
- Domain-specific background knowledge is often the strongest predictor of reading comprehension for readers in the middle school grades and beyond (Ahmed, et al, 2016).
- Instruction that intentionally combines language, literacy and academic content enhances academic learning for emergent bilingual students (Lee, et al., 2023; Vaughn, et al., 2013)
- Effective social studies instruction for emergent bilingual students provides ongoing opportunities for extended writing, oral interaction, and collaborative academic discussions because these activities scaffold comprehension (Baker, et al., 2013; Vaughn, et al., 2017)
Citations
Ahmed, Y., Francis, D. J., York, M., Fletcher, J. M., Barnes, M., & Kulesz, P. (2016). Validation of the direct and inferential mediation (DIME) model of reading comprehension in grades 7 through 12. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 44, 68-82.
Lee, J. H., Lee, H., & Lo, Y. Y. (2023). Effects of EMI-CLIL on secondary level students’ English learning: A multilevel meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 13(2), 317–345.
Vaughn, S., Martinez, L. R., Wanzek, J., Roberts, G., Swanson, E., & Fall, A. M. (2017). Improving content knowledge and comprehension for English language learners: Findings from a randomized control trial. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(1), 22.
Vaughn, S., Swanson, E. A., Roberts, G., Wanzek, J., Stillman-Spisak, S. J., Solis, M., & Simmons, D. (2013). Improving reading comprehension and social studies knowledge in middle school. Reading Research Quarterly, 48, 77–93.