BUILDING CRITICAL THINKERS & COLLABORATIVE LEADERS

Touchstones Discussion Project Empowers people of all ages to think critically and lead collaboratively Educational non-profit started in titles in print in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Haitian Kreyol, Burmese Discussion programs for ELA, ELL, Math, History, and Science classes 25,000+ teachers trained

Why Touchstones and Why Now? Achievement Gap shows: Underserved students receive less access to crucial social and cognitive skills development New approaches to teaching are needed to overcome passive learning and foster critical thinking Little to no systematic cultivation of thoughtful discourse and civic engagement

Transforming Classrooms Teachers learn to foster independent thinking Outcomes: Respect, Understanding, and Cooperation Student-centered learning

Who Uses Touchstones? Programs such as AVID, Socratic Seminar, Special Ed, Gifted and Talented, and hundreds of thousands of general education teachers Schools in all 50 states, with early urban implementations in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Hartford, and NYC Educators in more than 38 countries

Observable and Measureable Results Change in student performance includes: Improved reading comprehension and literacy More confident public speaking Examination of multiple perspectives Participation in collaborative discourse

Students demonstrate: Strengthened socio-behavioral skills Respectful teamwork Greater cooperation with teachers and other adults Increased self-discipline Ability to remain on task Increased willingness to try new approaches to problem-solving Schools using Touchstones report more positive and less oppositional learning environments and far fewer incidents of bullying.

Practicing Inclusive, Student-Led Inquiry One class period per week Prescriptive Tools: Teacher’s Guides include lesson plan and evaluation materials Teacher Training and Workshops to ensure continuing professional development

0-6 Months 6-12 months 12+ months Students begin to consider unfamiliar questions that do not have clear answers. Increased problem solving skills Increased confidence in approaching new and difficult situations Students share personal experiences that related to the text and topic. Increased understanding of how personal experience relates to textual information and increased understanding of what is relevant to the discussion Increased ability to support opinions by citing evidence from the text and to follow the line of discussion Students participate in small group situations. Improved cooperation with others in small group tasks Increased participation and cooperation in large group settings Students express their opinions.Improved expression of ideas and opinions Improved articulation of ideas and new concern for expressing them clearly to their particular audience Students work cooperatively with classmates they otherwise may not. Increased cooperation with classmates from diverse economic, racial, or academic backgrounds Increased respect for and willingness to work with all members in a diverse class of students Students are increasingly comfortable working with texts and have a more engaged attitude towards texts. Improved reading ability (through increased engagement) and greater willingness to ask deeper questions about texts and meaning Improved reading comprehension and improved willingness to ask questions in all classes and engagement in all subjects Students learn to listen actively to other students’ opinions, ideas, and experiences. Students respond directly to each other without mediation of the teacher and demonstrate increased appreciations for each other’s opinions and ideas Improved listening skills and new ability to build upon each other’s ideas and to problem solve as a group Touchstones Discussion Project: Program Outcomes over Time