Part A

A dialogue between a teacher and student about brainstorming in the classroom

Student: What is the importance of brainstorming during a writing workshop session?

Teacher: In any academic setting, brainstorming has been realized as being one of the excellent teaching strategies that aid in generating ideas concerning a certain topic. The significance of that is that is has the potential of promoting thinking skills. For instance, when a student has been asked to think critically, the intention of the teacher is to ensure that he or she has stretched his or her thinking skills. Although any student with special academic needs might admit that he or she doesn’t know, brainstorming enables him or her to say what comes in his or her mind. This in return has the potential of promoting the success of such a student as there exist no right answer.

Student: You have said that brainstorming has the potential of motivating students to think freely and express their ideas. But my question is, how does it get started during the classroom session?

Teacher: Brainstorming session is one of the unstructured activities. Despite that, it is important for the teacher to ensure that he or she has laid down the rules that are required for the purpose of enhancing smooth functioning of the entire session. As a result of that, what this implies is the fact that there are several rules that can aid such a session. The first one is ensuring that the parties involved, (teacher and the student/s) have been given time to express their ideas. The reason for that is because during brainstorming there is no losing or winning team. All the thoughts and ideas of the teacher and the learners will have to be given the same preference.

            It is important for the instructor to ensure that he or she has moderated the brainstorming session so as to make the entire discussion amicable. The significance of that is that it will give the learners enough time to air their views during the whole session. As a teacher, it is important to ensure that he or she has framed questions that need to be brainstormed systematically so as to ensure that maximum ideas have been developed by the students. What this means is the fact that it is important for the teacher to ensure that he or she has prepared a list of questions that will assist in directing the thoughts of the learners. This will also take into account the importance of instructing the learners to document their ideas so that they cannot forget them.

Student: During the brainstorming session, does group involvement assist in enhancing learners’ cognitive development”

Teacher: Brainstorming as one of the fundamental means of enhancing cognitive development as well as learning has various strands. For example, it deals with the collective means of developing knowledge between the teacher and students or amongst the students themselves. Such a process always will have to take into consideration the provision of instructions into reasoned argument. Due to the fact that the main focus of education is, basically, teaching and learning, brainstorming enables students to know how to construct arguments as well as their opinions or conclusions they end up presenting.

Student: Thanks for your precious time

Teacher: you’re welcome

                                                            PART B

            As much as dialogue is concerned, it is evident that brainstorming during the class session enables to be engaged critically and constructively. Regardless of the opinion of each party, they are all inclined at offering the relevant information that comes into their mind. The idea of each person during the session will have to be analyzed before giving it a consideration. Each party, teacher and the student, will have to be given the opportunity of seeking the reasoning of others for the questions that they will ask.

            In addition to that, dialogue enables the parties involved to come to an agreement at each phase of the discussion before progressing into the next. Reasoning, therefore, is something that is viable during the discussion. Essentially, classroom dialogue will have to be supported by manipulation of individual thinking which in return comprises of their collective activity. The use of the teachers brainstorming strategy is the one that has the potential of fostering multimodal forms of teacher-student classroom dialogue.  It is, therefore, important for the teacher to ensure that he or she has developed better dialogue for learning and teaching which will in return assists the student to be conversant about how to reason and think critically. This is what will assist them to team up and solve any problem or problems that might arise.

            Nevertheless, during the brainstorming session, it is important for the teacher to ensure that he or she had established ground rules that can dictate the whole activity. Therefore, as much as dialogue and critical thinking are concerned, it becomes possible for the parties involved to share their ideas openly hence encouraging each other to contribute more and creatively to the discussion. In so doing, it compels each person to listen to the views of others attentively before taking into considerations or supporting their views. Last, but not least, it is vital for the parties involved to come to an agreement for the decision taken.