"Conversation is instructional, and the instruction is conversational"

As I read the article on Instructional conversations: Promoting comprehension through discussion by Claude Goldenberg, I enjoyed the direction on effective discussion building. This article is based over ten years ago and it demonstrates how far we have come with education. The classrooms that I have observed over the past four years I have found teachers attempting emplace discussions into their curriculum. The CT I work with now demonstrates what Goldenberg would call "real teaching". She focuses her lessons as much as possible on sharing ideas and discussing results. On the first page Goldenberg quotes Goodlad about what was occurring the in classrooms in the 80s. The example describes classroom structure similar to "painting by numbers", teachers asking specific questions in search of specific answers. This example described my primary grades quite accurately. As I continued reading, I continued to compare my grade school days with the elementary school I am in now. Every lesson that a teacher presented was taught not explored. I feel that Goldenberg is trying to get the reader to discover a much more beneficial route in presenting information to their students.

There are many benefits to Instructional Conversations. IC "give and take of class discussion helps... test conclusion... and generates ideas that would otherwise remain unborn". Goldenberg describes that students will be able to hear viewpoints on a topic that they would have never caught on their own. By incorporating discussion the students are discovered to be more interested in the topic and be engaged in the conversations around them. There is also a higher level of participation amongest the students. Goldenberg also states that many teachers tend to avoid Instructional Conversations because of the lack of results that occur. However Goldenberg explains that teachers just need to take the time, thoroughly study the topic, and include the seven helpful steps to planning. Teachers also need to focus on different possible outcomes of the lesson. They need to plan for the unexpected. 

What I enjoyed most about Goldenberg's article is that he doesnt state that explicit teaching should not be taken out of the curriculum. He states that in explicit teaching is still important on well-structured domains. These domains include mathematical problems, explicit reading comprehension strategies, map reading, grammar, etc. These areas still benefit strongly from direct teaching rather than discussing. It is important for the teacher to use discussion at the most appropiate time for the best discussion to occur. Students will not feel as comfortable in discussions if the teacher is not well prepared and comfortable with teaching it. A teacher must make sure that the level of discussion is appropiate for the grade they are teaching. The key to a good discussion is preparation!