ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses important classroom activities that are facilitated by a strong learning community: class discussion and student collaboration. These instructional tactics, which the authors consider essential to effective English language arts instruction, can be challenging to implement in remote learning but are especially significant to maximizing students’ learning experiences. They first explore what it means to facilitate class discussion and student collaboration in the new era of remote instruction, noting specific attributes, challenges, and opportunities associated with these activities. Next, they reflect on why class discussion and student collaboration in remote learning are so important, which we follow with an instructional snapshot section that provides an example of Jennifer’s work with her middle school students. Then they share key recommendations for teachers to consider when facilitating class discussions and student collaboration in remote English instruction. Finally, the authors discuss how the ideas described in this chapter can be utilized in and adapted for a wide range of modalities.
