Responding Through Talk: Learning is a social activity, and the cornerstone of social activity is talk. Linguist Michael Halliday (1999) contended that language is used not only to gain access to communities but also to create them. Think for a moment about how we learn through talk. Among other things, talking permits us to:
• Create and retell
• Sort and categorize
• Question and investigate
• Clarify and predict
• Argue and debate
• Justify and persuade
To use talk as a medium for response, Maryann Eeds and Deborah Wells (1989) suggested that teachers move students to engage in “grand conversations.” A grand conversation is a whole group, student-led discussion that extends critical thinking by requiring the speakers to support their opinions, clarify understanding, and extend their own thinking. To contribute in grand conversations, the group should obey four basic rules:
• Everybody has a chance to speak devoid of being interrupted.
• Speakers go back and forth about one idea.
• Everyone looks at and listens to the speaker.
• Speakers support their statements and opinions using examples from the book.