Science JunctionProfessional Development


Importance of Student Verbalization

Student verbalization provides a variety of benefits for both teacher and student. Let's look at a few:

Clarification

In order to speak in sentences, our somewhat fuzzy ideas must be sharpened to meet the precise demands of spoken English. Speaking then becomes a way of learning. In the process of verbalizing, students often become aware of the specific point on which they are confused. Also they may realize what they need to do to overcome the problem.

Words Become Questions

It is very important that students ask questions when they don't understand. Forming a good question in a classroom environment can be surprisingly difficult for many students. Fortunately, the verbalized thoughts of a student sometimes will turn into questions. Without the opportunity for verbalizing, these questions might never be asked, and the important misunderstandings represented by the questions (which may be shared by many other students) might never be discussed.

Student Answers Own Question

Everybody's done it--You begin to ask a question, and by the time you've put most of it into words, you've discovered the answer. In such a way, verbalization also helps students find their own answers.

Confidence Building

Students gain confidence when they realize they understand concepts well enough to express them verbally. The verbal expression of the ideas also gives the teacher the opportunity to provide positive reinforcement, which further enhances the student's confidence.

Teacher Gains Information

The more the student talks, the more information the teacher gathers about the possible sources of the student's problems. Teachers must be patient to give the student time to outline what is and what is not understood.

Conversations vs. Lectures

When in a classroom we find students speaking about as much as the teacher, the lesson takes on a conversational feel and structure. In such an environment, the teacher and student are more likely to negotiate the meanings of difficult concepts.

For More Information

Books and articles:

  1. Edwards, A. D. & Westgate, D. (1994). Investigating classroom talk (2nd ed.). London: The Falmer Press.
  2. Good, T., and Brophy, J. (1978). Looking in classrooms (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row.
  3. Mercer, Neil. The guided construction of knowedge: Talk amongst teachers and learners. Avon, UK: Cromwell Press.
  4. Rowe, Mary Budd (1996). Science, silence, and sanctions. Science and children, 34, 1, 35-37.
  5. Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

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