Scenario Response 9

Field-dependent learners often thrive in social and cooperative contexts but may need more structured opportunities to build independent problem-solving skills. To help my students move toward greater field-independence, I would intentionally design listening and speaking tasks across different settings.

Whole class: I would use structured questioning strategies, such as think-pair-share followed by cold calling or random name selection. This allows students to first process information with support, but then step into independent speaking when sharing to the group.

Buddies: In buddy activities, I would set up reciprocal teaching dialogues where partners take turns leading. For example, one partner explains or summarizes a concept while the other listens and asks clarifying questions. Switching roles encourages both active listening and independent speaking.

Small groups: I would use jigsaw activities so that each student becomes the “expert” on one piece of content. The responsibility of teaching their peers pushes field-dependent learners to rely on their own understanding while still being supported by the group dynamic.

Individual/one-to-one after school: In this setting, I would focus on scaffolding oral retelling and summarizing tasks. At first, I might provide sentence stems or guiding questions, but gradually I would remove supports so the student learns to organize and express ideas independently.

By consistently embedding these types of listening and speaking tasks, I can gradually move students toward field-independence while still leveraging the collaborative strengths they already bring to the classroom.