Case study 8: Children compare their ideas to those of others using a same/different card

Identified need: Carla wanted to support children so that they could listen carefully to each other’s ideas and then be able to reference another child’s answer when sharing their own ideas. 

The Approach: Carla decided to build on her use of thinking sheet (detailed in case study 6). She made doubled-sided cards so that all the children could show whether their idea was the same or different to another child’s. These cards used symbols to make them more accessible:

When a child was sharing their ideas, the rest of the class were asked to consider if their own ideas were the same or different. Carla began by asking a child to say which object they thought was the odd one out, for example: 

“I think the bubbles/aeroplane/seeds.”  

The other children were then asked to use the same or different card to show whether they had chosen the same object to be the odd one out. Sometimes children’s sentences were difficult to hear clearly. Carla decided that rather than repeat the sentence herself, she would ask a child who was more confident with speaking aloud to repeat the sentence. 

Once all the children had used their card to show if they had the same object as the odd one out, Carla asked the child to say the sentences again and include their reason. For example: 

“I think the aeroplane is the odd one out because it has an engine”     

Sometimes children missed out the ‘joining words’. For example, they might not include the correct article in the sentence above. Carla would then either repeat the sentence or ask a child who was confident with speaking to repeat it, so that the missing words were included.  

The children who had chosen the same object were then asked to use the same or different card to show whether they had the same reason. If they did have the same reason, they were asked if they had anything to add to the answer. If they did not have the same reason, they were asked to say their idea in a sentence using the thinking sheet for support if needed. To keep the focus on sharing ideas, if there was a scientific misconception or disagreement, Carla wrote a note on the board so the class could revisit and explore that later. 

Carla then repeated this process with children who had chosen a different object to be the odd one out. 

Carla’s reflections: 

The children are more focused on listening to other people’s ideas because they have to decide if their idea is the same or different. The cards are a simple way for me to check the children’s ideas quickly. 

All the children are improving their listening skills and thinking about how another child’s ideas relates to their own ideas. However, they are at different stages with this. They can all say whether they have selected the same object to be the odd one out. As their listening skills develop, they can also say if their reason is the same of different. We are developing these listening skills in other subjects too.