Teaching Literacy in the 21 st. Century Session 10 Ian Hauser

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that, in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. 'House' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.' 'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.' A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer'?' Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer' should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be of the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic; 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else; 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine, "el computador", because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on; 2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves; 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model. The women won

Accountable Talk

 Classroom discussion that is accountable:  to the learning community  to accurate and appropriate knowledge  to rigorous thinking and good reasoning

Accountable Talk Jerry Springer Talk  Free-for-all shouting match that is ‘accountable’:  to the individual who is shouting loudest  to entertain the audience  to winning or losing the ‘argument’ Accountable Talk  Classroom discussion that is accountable:  to the learning community  to accurate and appropriate knowledge  to rigorous thinking and good reasoning

Accountable Talk Accountability to the Learning Community means…… - Students actively participate in classroom talk -Students listen attentively -Students elaborate and build on each others ideas -Students work to clarify or expand a proposition Accountable Talk  Classroom discussion that is accountable:  to the learning community  to accurate and appropriate knowledge  to rigorous thinking and good reasoning

Accountable Talk Accountability to knowledge means…. - Students use specific and accurate knowledge -Students use appropriate evidence for claims and arguments -Students undertake a commitment to ‘getting it right’ Accountable Talk  Classroom discussion that is accountable:  to the learning community  to accurate and appropriate knowledge  to rigorous thinking and good reasoning

Accountable Talk Accountability to rigorous thinking means… -Students synthesize several sources of information -Students construct explanations and test understanding of concepts -Students formulate conjectures and hypothesis -Students employ generally accepted standards of reasoning -Students challenge the quality and evidence of reasoning Accountable Talk  Classroom discussion that is accountable:  to the learning community  to accurate and appropriate knowledge  to rigorous thinking and good reasoning

“Injustice Anywhere is Injustice Everywhere” Martin Luther King Jnr.

Gay Marriage The “War on Terror” Poverty in the United States Katrina Injustice Anywhere is Injustice Everywhere Injustice Anywhere is Injustice Everywhere

Accountable Talk: Indicators and Functions What will students and teachers be doing if classroom talk is accountable to knowledge, rigorous thinking and the learning community?

Accountable Talk What do we observe students doing when their talk is accountable?

If students are accountable to the learning community they will be….. Actively participating in classroom talk Listening attentively Elaborating and building on the ideas of others Working to clarify or expand a proposition

If student talk is accountable to accurate knowledge, students will be….. Using specific and accurate knowledge Citing appropriate evidence for claims and arguments Committed to ‘getting it right’

If student talk is accountable to rigorous thinking, students will be….. Synthesizing several sources of information Constructing explanations to test understanding of concepts Using generally accepted standards of reasoning Challenging the quality of evidence and reasoning

In summary … Students must be much MORE than just being actively involved in the conversation Talk must be accountable to –Rigorous thinking –Accurate knowledge –The learning community Students do NOT come to school with these skills

What do teachers DO to facilitate student talk that is accountable?

Marking: That’s an important point. Challenging Students: What do YOU think? Modeling: Here’s what good mathematicians, readers, thinkers do… Recapping: What have we discovered?

Keeping the Channels Open: Did everyone hear that? Keeping Everyone Together: Who can repeat … Linking Contributions: Who would like to add to that? Verifying and Clarifying: So, you are saying …?

Pressing for Accuracy: Where can we find that? Building on Prior Knowledge: How does this connect …? Pressing for Reasoning: Why do you think that? Expanding Reasoning: Take your time, say more.

Marking “That’s an important point…..” Pay direct attention to the value and importance of a student’s contribution Did everyone hear what Michelle just said? She was comparing ….. That’s important because …

Challenging Students “What do YOU think?” Redirect student comments or questions to other students Use student contributions as a source for further challenge or query

Modeling: “Here’s what good mathematicians / readers/ thinkers do..” Make one’s thinking public and demonstrate expert forms of reasoning through talk Show the learner how to carry out a particular activity Demonstrate expert forms of reasoning through talk

Recapping: “What have we discovered?” Make public in a concise, coherent form, the group’s achievement at creating a shared understanding of the topic under discussion Important in group discussion because ideas come from many students

Keeping the Channels Open: “Did everyone hear that?” Ensure that students can hear each other, and remind them that they must hear what others have said [Accountability to the learning community.]

Keeping Everyone Together: “Who can repeat ….?” Ensure that everyone not only heard, but also understood, what a speaker said Can quickly change the quality of class discussion –Assesses student attention and comprehension –Helps to scaffold learning for everyone

Linking Contributions: “Who would like to add to that?” Make explicit the relationship between a new contribution and what has gone before When a student says “I agree with …” s/he is showing respect for a classmate as well as building on the previous ideas

Verifying and Clarifying: “So, you are saying….” Revoice a student’s contribution helps both speakers and listeners engage more profitably in the conversation –Student may agree or disagree –Acknowledges the significance of being clear –Helps student recognize that s/he is accountable to the learning community in this way

Pressing for Accuracy: “Where can we find that?” Hold students accountable for the accuracy, credibility, and clarity of their contributions –Are the claims accurate? –Is the information complete? That could be right, Sandra, but how do we get more evidence for that? How could we check that? [Accountable to rigorous thinking ]

Building on Prior Knowledge: “How does this connect…?” Tie a current contribution back to knowledge accumulated by the class previously Students as well as the teacher can link to knowledge built in previous discussions [Accountable to accurate knowledge ]

Pressing for Reasoning: “Why do you think that?” Simply making a statement is never enough Student must supply evidence that leads to the statement s/he is making Facts must be ordered into a coherent argument [Accountability to rigorous thinking]

Expanding Reasoning: “Take your time – say more.” Open up extra time and space in the conversation for student reasoning Extremely important for ELLs “That’s an interesting idea, Jason. Say more about that.” “Can you say that again Camille, so everyone can understand your thinking?”