5A.2
Practicing with a Friend:
How do I select what is important to share?


You will not have time to talk about everything you've accomplished so far in your structured mini-presentation. A critical friend can help you to select the most important aspects of your inquiry project to date so that you share the most pertinent information. You'll also be more comfortable presenting your initial findings if you have a practice session.

For the practice session you and your partner will need the Talking Points for Initial Sharing Sheet and the Response to Initial Findings Sheet. They are in the Resource section. The practice session should take about an hour, which will give each of you a half-hour to do the following:

1. Lay out your collections of information (even those in-progress) and explain how you think they relate to your question.

2. Look through the Talking Points for Initial Sharing Sheet.

3. Ask your partner which pieces of information from your study are the most important for each talking point. Listen to your partner before you explain which you think are most important. Your partner is looking at this information with fresh eyes and may have a different perspective. Select the information that is most important.

4. When you have made your selections, look at the whole of what you’ve chosen. Does this information best represent your initial findings? Do you need to add more information to give the full picture? What information seems to be extraneous and can be deleted? What transitions do you need to make between the talking points so all the information comes together to make a complete picture of your inquiry?

5. Once you have made your final selections, consider how long you have to discuss each section of the information you’re presenting and still allow time for questions and response from your listeners. Write the time you’ve set aside for each section in the margin of your Talking Points for Initial Sharing Sheet. (You will have 15 to 20 minutes total in the structured rounds to present your study and take responses.) Does the information you're going to present add up to 12 to 15 minutes? Add or delete material according to your information priorities and the time allotment.

6. Look over the Response to Initial Findings Sheet. Consider what questions people might ask or what responses they might make in the structured mini-presentations. You might want to make a list of responses and questions you anticipate and share them if you have time in the structured presentations. People will enjoy hearing, "I thought you’d ask about___ " and "I was sure you’d think ____ so I was surprised to hear ____"

Remember, the practice session and the structured mini-presentations are all about hearing other people’s perceptions and using them to inform your thinking. In these inquiry projects there are no right or wrong answers, only different ways of looking at evidence and thinking about what supports teaching and learning in the classroom.