Since after returning from the ECOO Conference at the end of October, all of the Grade 6 students have been participating in regular radio shows on 105 the Hive to share their learning with the world. This is a great way for students to develop their oral communication skills as well as various subject specific skills, and in a meaningful context.

That being said, for a while, the radio shows were hosted by a core group of students. The rest of the students enjoyed participating in the Today’sMeet Room to Twitter backchannel, but they were hesitant to orally participate. This week, things changed though. As students have seen and heard other students on the radio, they’re becoming more willing to join in as well. For our Talking Tuesdays broadcast yesterday, we had nine hosts, and they were all eager to talk about what they’ve read. Not all of these students love to read, but the opportunity to pick books that matter to them, to share aloud with others, and to respond to questions and comments from others have inspired them to want to read.

Notes From Our Latest Radio Show

For me though, the highlight of the radio show came when it was all over, and a student approached me on his way to phys-ed. This student has often questioned me about why we have radio shows, and his interest in them has been minimal. He always shares information on Today’sMeet, but he’s taken no interest in hosting a show. He’s also a fairly reluctant reader, so needs encouragement to read and reflect on books. On the way out of the library though, he said to me, “Miss Dunsiger, sign me up for the next radio show. I already know what I’m going to read. I’ll start tonight!” Yeah! Success.

Sometimes it just takes time and seeing and hearing the interest of other students to make a difference for those few students that were initially reluctant. I need to remember to always give this time, so that I can witness more of these positive changes in students. What student success stories can you share? I’d love to hear them!

Aviva