Access for All

Creating a Student Centered Discourse Based Classroom

Do Now

● Individually- Reflect on any strategies you’ve implemented since the last PD.
Note any successes or challenges (5 minutes)
○ Connect: How were the ideas and information presented in the last session CONNECTED to
what you already knew?
○ Extend: What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new
directions?
○ Challenge: What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to get your mind around? What
questions, wonderings, or puzzles do you now have?

● Whole Group Share Out (5-10 minutes)

Progression for Classroom Discourse

Teacher facilitated whole group

Teacher facilitated small groups

------------->
Student centered small groups
------------->
Student centered whole group
Daily Aims:

● Teachers will reflect on and discuss the importance of

classroom discourse.
● Teachers will share evidence of strategy implementation
● Teachers will observe and discuss effective implementation
of discourse in a virtual classroom.
 Why focus on creating a discourse-rich classroom
environment?

All students are academic English learners (AEL)…

Shift in instructional practices...

We must provide the Just-Right Mix of content and language…

For students to meet and exceed the Common Core State Standards (ie. MA MCF),
it is no longer enough to provide them with basic “access” to content through
highly “sheltered” instruction. Students need accelerated growth in using complex
language in grade-level tasks in mainstream classrooms. Adding a few strategies
such as visual aids, sentence starters, and pair-shares isn’t enough. Lessons must
be designed to help students use language- even if it is not perfect- to put the
“pieces” together and build whole ideas in a discipline. (Zwiers, O’Hara, Pritchard;
2014)
Instructional Shifts To Support All Learners
1 From access to ownership

2 From “Piece” skills to “Whole Message” skills (Real World/Project

Based)

3 From focusing on content to focusing on content-language-literacy

4 From individual to collaborative

5 From playing school to learning

6 From checklist of strategies to frames of practice (micro to macro)

7 From tests to assessments and beyond

8 From silos to capacity

Why focus on creating a discourse-rich classroom
environment?
The Influence of Teaching:
Beyond Standardized Tests
Scores- Engagement,
Mindset, and Agency (2015)

A study of 16,000 6th-9th

grade classrooms

Our focus should be on

equipping students to read,
think, talk, and write in ways to
prepare them for the future…

https://vimeo.com/76178452
Homework

● On January 12th, bring evidence of the application of strategies learned

from today.

● Connect with a colleague or coach in this session and plan an

observation/feedback session utilizing proficiency scale

Examples of evidence:

❏ a completed talk moves template

❏ a lesson plan which outlines the strategic use of talk moves
❏ student work samples that connected to student discourse during a lesson
Preparing for Talk Moves Template
Proficiency Scale
Group Work- Headlines Task

1. Develop a headline to capture your experience utilizing the 5 Step- Preparing

For Talk Moves template and student discourse strategies since our last
meeting.
○ If you were to write a headline for student discourse right now that
captured the most important aspect that should be remembered or
celebrated, what would that headline be?
2. Share headlines and your evidence of practice with your group.
3. After everyone has shared, think about the following question:
○ How are your headlines similar? Different? Notice a pattern? Is a theme emerging?
4. Develop a headline to represent your group’s collective work
Student Centered Whole Group

1. Create a presentation to support your group’s headline and showcase your

evidence
○ Be Creative!! (PPT, Poster, Etc.)
2. Use Claim (headline), Evidence, Reason (CER) to guide your work
3. Present and discuss

Take a break as needed.

Synthesizing Our Work
So What’s Next?

Examples of evidence of measurable student outcomes tied to implementation

of strategies.

● Independent Practice (Jan-March)

● Culminating Project-Planning & Tabulating (March 7th)

Homework
- View Classroom Discourse Putting it All Together and answer
associated questions

http://www.nctm.org/Publications/Teaching-Children-Mathematics/Bl
og/Mathematical-Discourse,-Part-4_-Putting-it-All-Together/

- Complete Talk Moves Observables Sheet

- Collect Student Work

Please Complete the Survey

● https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7C325CG
Connection to the DESE Teacher Rubric

Standard 1: Curriculum, Planning and Assessment

Standard 2: Teaching All Students

Standard 3: Family and Community Engagement

Standard 4: Professional Culture

District Priorities

➢ Standards Based, Engaging Instructional Practices for All Learners

➢ Data Driven Work- Whole School, Grade, Student Level, District Level
➢ Structures in Place to Support Students’ Academic & Social Emotional
Needs
➢ Engaging Families & Our Community as part of the essential work in our
schools/district