Photo: Topsy Page
Louise is a Year 3 teacher in Manchester. She changes her class talk partners every week. Here’s a transcript of a conversation we had:
Topsy: Why do you change partners each week?
Louise: Through life, we need to learn to tolerate differences and learn to work with different people. Children can become comfortable with the same partner – changing every week pushes them out of their comfort zone. The knock-on effect is that it increases their confidence. So a quiet child might end up with someone who needs support – they might need to explain to them. It’s forcing them, in a gentle way, to use their voice.
Topsy: What has the impact been?
Louise: Friendships, I think. I have very few disagreements between the children. It could be a coincidence, or it could be because they’re used to working with so many different children. At times I think, have I made the wrong decision about a pairing? but over time it pays off. It takes patience and perseverance on my part. I test the waters, give a while.
And it increases their ability to collaborate. They’re learning to collaborate with anyone, and to communicate with different types of personalities. I talk to them about my expectations – of how they will collaborate.
It would be easy to say, Oh, that might not be a good match – but it’s important to persevere. Some parents comment on how much their child has grown in confidence. And the children like it – it’s boring with the same partner all the time. They know every Monday to look for where they are sitting. If I don’t have a chance to do it, they ask me with such a keenness! You can see that’s what they want.
Topsy: Are there any exceptions? Any children who you don’t change their partner? Or any challenges?
Louise: No. There is one child who needs to sit near the door, but she still has a new partner each week. I do have a couple of children who are working at Early Years level. They need a really supportive partner to work with them. It would be easy to always pair them with the same person – I have three or four children who are amazing at supporting – but it wouldn’t be fair on them. Sometimes it starts off not well because they don’t know how to support, but over time they learn strategies.
Worth it
This conversation reflects my own experience – that changing talk partners regularly takes perseverance, but it’s so worth it. If you haven’t already, consider committing to this in your classroom.
