Analysis of a student-generated inquiry discussion

Abstract

This study examines the nature of discourse in which students talk with each other about what they think. Of particular interest are student-generated inquiry discussions in which the students engage in extended student-student-student interactions without much intervention from myself, the instructor. Data sources include audio- and video-tapes of class discussions, copies of student papers, and my reflective journals. Analysis involves interpretating utterances in terms of indicators of inquiry learning, student questioning, and collaborative sense-making. Two aspects of my practices seem to foster student-generated inquiry discussions: distributed authority and quietness. I no longer view myself as a facilitator of discussions but rather as an organizer of learning events in which my students share the authority to make decisions about what to say and do next. I practice 'quietness' by waiting before and after students talk (wait time), listening to the details of other people's thinking without interrupting them (attentive silence) and withholding my own opinions and understandings while assisting others in expressing theirs (reticence).