Students Could Be Their Own Teachers

In today's remedial classes, instead of guiding the students to figure out the missing words in an article from Book 4, I had them do group discussion. They had to put away their textbook, focus on their handout in which is the article with 46 blanks, and come up with the answers on their own, with the help of the context.

Actually, while walking around and listened to their discussion, I found when the students were left to "solve the problem" on their own, most of the time they could. Here is a think-aloud I overheard in Class A:

(Look at the blank they came to:

Fortunately, the bishop of Digne, who gave all his money to the poor and kept very little for himself, took pity on me. He even welcomed me into his home. After I told him my story, I thought he would send me away. _______, he invited me to stay and dine with him.)

Student A: What about "Fortunately"? Fortunately, he invited me to stay and dine with him.

Student B: It makes sense.

Student A: But a good writer won't repeat the same word in the same paragraph, only two sentences apart...

Later in the class discussion, the group shouted the word "Instead." Bingo!

It's good to have group discussion in class. The students teach each other and themselves. And when the teacher announces the answers, the students pay their utmost attention to see if they are right.