Seltz’s Classroom-Academic Discussions

Students are using small group academic discussions

to encourage students to dig deeper in their
participation and learning. Academic discussions are
student-led and help students learn how to interact
with one another by giving each student a specific
role while having a discussion about a topic that they
are studying in class. In the pictures, students were
learning about the history of the First Thanksgiving. The
author was writing it in
an interview format and
the students had to think about Thanksgiving from the
perspective of a Native American. Students tied this
together with their strong history of Native Americans
right here in Michigan. This dialogue prompted the
students to think about history from the perspective of a
different culture. I
loved how the
students worked
together. Academic discussions make learning fun
and give the students the chance to lead one
another in a supportive classroom environment. We
will definitely continue on with more academic
discussions.