Spotlight on Strategies:Tabletop texting

Steps

1. Select a video segment that matches your topic.
2. Distribute one piece of blank paper and pens/pencils.
3. Inform students that they will be watching a video and approximately every minute you will pause to give them a moment to process, reflect, and respond to the content being presented.
4. Explain to students that each time you pause, they will be allowed 60 seconds to answer a question, make a statement, and ask a new question. They will do this by pretending they are texting their neighbour. They can draw conversation bubbles, use different colour pens, or anything else that might add creative flair to their 'texting thread'.
5. Play the video segment and pause approximately every 60 seconds.
6. During the first pause, have students write a statement about something they learned and a question.
7. During the second pause, have students pass their papers to the right. They now need to provide a response to the question, write a new statement, and ask a new question.
8. During the third pause, either have students pass their papers back to the left or continue passing to the right. Repeat the process until the segment has ended.
9. Wrap up the strategy by having students share with the class some of the questions and responses that were brought up during the texting process.

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