Go With the Flow of Meaningful Conversation

By Mark W.F. Condon, Unite for Literacy vice president

The value of individual books flowing into and through children’s lives, and their personal importance for steady literacy development from birth through formal schooling and life is worth a careful look. However, there’s another flow that is equally critical for children’s growth into becoming readers and writers. They also must receive generous invitations to participate in relaxed and animated conversations about books in their homes and classrooms.

Regretfully, much of so-called “conversation” with kids too often is teacher- and parent-directed, with adults talking to kids and/or asking them questions to which there are anticipated correct answers.

But what if kids were invited to discuss something that they have read about or experienced—not as a quiz, but as an invitation to share their questions, thoughts and feelings about what they are reading?

Consider two scenarios, each with a teacher (we’ll call her Ms. Schulz) reading to kids Jim Aylesworth’s hilarious Old Black Fly, a book about the complete chaos created by one hairy flying insect. Ms. Schulz is so book-focused that she entirely misses kids’ lively response to the text—groans in response to the fly’s antics, gags at the thought of the icky thing dancing on their PBJs, and the gross and unexpected ending of the fly getting smashed with a huge explosive SWAT! When asked, “What are some of the things that ‘old black fly’ landed on?,” kids will offer up correct answers. The end result, however, will be a non-discussion that falls flat and is unlikely to invite re-reading.

Meanwhile, another teacher who we’ll call Mr. O’Keefe, sets kids up to listen for language that really grabs them as readers and images they find compelling, and pauses for them to share thoughts. “The author just wrote about a pesky fly, but look how he’s got our attention as readers! What were your favorite parts of the story? I loved, ‘He coughed on the cookies with the chocolate bits.’ He’s even given us ideas for how to write so our readers will be entertained.” Afterward, everyone shares stories from their lives that the book reminded them of, pointing out particular pages and descriptions they found most engaging and memorable.

We encourage parents and teachers to engage in genuine conversations with kids, inviting each child to offer something to the shared discussion. When conversations are authentic, ideas flow easily and everyone feels validated, growing more confident and comfortable over time. And it’s a whole new beginning when everybody brings something to a discussion.

Soon, it becomes apparent that the goal of conversation is not to arrive at a predetermined conclusion about a fully known idea or issue. It’s about partnering together to sharpen a shared or possibly new understanding about something, addressing a concern or confusion.

Children who are constantly immersed in a flow of loving and sincere discussions about simple to complex issues become fully engaged learners. Inclusive conversations provide them with a rich medium for understanding how to freely inquire about, question, reflect upon and draw their own conclusions, even if temporary.

Consider the power of the flow of conversation as it relates to engagement with stories and nonfiction books. Eavesdropping on a cluster of kids huddled over a shared story, we can appreciate how each child’s comments lead them in new directions. The result is each participant grows in ability and confidence in formulating and articulating their impressions of a text.

With experience, these discussions transform ordinary school reading into quiet forms of mental “conversation” between individual readers and their books’ authors.

The flow continues as children imagine audiences for their own creations, strengthening mental tools that enable them to communicate effectively. 

When children’s conversations about reading and writing flow into each other's learning, there is a sense of community as they appreciate everyone’s contributions to their learning.

Simply put, full literacy includes an awareness that we are comfortably and joyfully contributing to the flow of new and better ideas and feelings within our communities.