Sociocognitive conflict response

One concept I think has a lot of application for my future elementary classroom is that of “sociocognitive conflict,” defined as interactions with age-mates that involve wrestling with contradictory viewpoints. Piaget and Vygotsky, my two favorite characters, both saw the importance of peer interaction in learning and development.

What does this mean for me as a teacher?

I need to give students opportunity to interact with each other, not relying on a routine of whole-group instruction and independent practice. I need to give students different opportunities and contexts (in the whole group, in small groups, just with a partner) to work together and sometimes just to discuss.  Considering my age group, I will probably want to include some explicit instruction for them on how to disagree respectfully, take turns speaking, and contribute to a discussion without talking over one another. Beyond building their understanding of whatever topic they are focusing on, this also gives them social skills that will be useful to them in their maturation in academic and non-academic contexts.

Another thing I must be mindful of in order to promote sociocognitive conflict and give students that learning experience is how much time I give students to be wrong. As a teacher, it will be important for me to overcome my natural instinct to immediately correct misconceptions. I should first let students rely on other students. Again, this may be something I need to explicitly teach depending on my students’ prior experiences in the classroom. I’ll need to learn for myself at what point my intervention is necessary.