Talking stick to promote good listening skills

Dear all, does anyone have experience of using a Talking Stick to promote good listening skills with literacy students?
I used it today, with a biro not a fancy stick, and it helped one learner at least to see the value of taking her turn when talking in a group discussion. I would be very interested to hear of any direct experience of using this technique in adult groups.

Tags: Communication, adult, learners, listening

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Heath on January 11, 2013 at 1:21am

Jacqueline

This sounds very similar to a technique I have used whereby students cannot speak in a group discussion unless they are holding the tennis ball which is passed to another group member when after they have spoken. I would usually use this as a starter or ending activity as a recap or introduction to the lesson, it usually works well to ensure that all students have an equal say in the discussion, quieting the dominant members are encouraging those who are normally quiet.

Christopher

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Thomas on January 11, 2013 at 12:29pm

Thanks Chris. I think using it as a recap is quite powerful. You don't think some quiet people would feel under pressure?

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Heath on January 12, 2013 at 8:40am

Yes, it certainly has the potential to do this. There is a fine balance between encouraging students and embarassing them. Getting to know your students and creating a 'safe' environment for them helps. Quite often I would do this with little set agenda which reduces the pressure on these students.

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Thomas on January 13, 2013 at 5:16am

HI Chris, ah yes creating a safe environment is probably key. Fyi, I have seen the ball used as a brainstorming technique where the ball is bounced on the floor or table in the middle of the group and participants have to catch it and make a contribution to the discussion. It is a good way of generating ideas but so many people struggle with the idea of keeping their critique out of the picture and keep an open mind so, this has to be emphasised before all the bouncing starts.

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Permalink Reply by Tracy brookes on January 15, 2013 at 2:06pm

Reading the comments here, it sounds like something I could utilise, something I had never even thought about!!

Thank you, I shall let you know hoe I get on.

T x

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Thomas on January 18, 2013 at 8:57am

Hi Tracy,

this is the web page I was looking at: https://www.acaciart.com/stories/archive6.html

Yes, please do let me know if youhave some success with this technique.

Best wishes,

Jax

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Permalink Reply by Tracy brookes on January 19, 2013 at 7:06am

Hi Jax,
I definitely will, I think I will structure it into my next theory lesson, and maybe try a you only get one go to promote more of an inclusive lesson as everyone then gets a chance to answer a question!!
T x

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Winters on January 18, 2013 at 9:31pm

I use a small (about 8" in diameter) inflatable ball that has nubs all over it. I bought it for a buck at the local Dollar Tree. If a day goes by that I don't use it, my 6th graders start begging for it. It's great during discussion time because a ball being tossed around the room requires eyes to be on the speaker, just in case it gets thrown to them next.