H.E.L.P!!! NUCC Elementary Summer Institute August 6, 2013

H.E.L.P  H ow am I  E ver going to  L earn these  P ractices?!!

Take a deep breath!

Baby Steps!!!

Organize to be comfortable.  Make your classroom a retreat for you and the kids.  Consistent color scheme and patterns  Home-like (pillows, pictures, quotes, etc.)  Everything in its place.  Teacher toolbox (Stack On 22-drawer Organizer)  Labeled drawers and cupboards  Supplies are accessible.  Routine, routine, routine  Practice, practice, practice!

Setting up Classroom Talk Norms

Consider your own experiences  Have you ever been in a class where you did not feel comfortable contributing to the discussion?  What were some of the issues that contributed to this feeling?  In some classes, only certain students speak or provide answers. Why might this occur?  What do you think is needed so that more students participate?

What is our goal?  Respectful Discourse  Equitable Participation What on Earth does this mean???

Respectful Discourse  Talk is respectful when each person’s ideas are taken seriously; no one is ridiculed or insulted, and no one is ignored or browbeaten.

Equitable Participation  Participation is equitable when each person has a fair chance to ask questions, make statements, and express his or her ideas. Academically productive talk is not just for the most vocal or the most talented students.

Do I really have to call on everyone?  “Equitable participation often makes teachers uncomfortable. They do not want to call on shy students or those that do not speak English fluently. Yet if all students are to have a right to learn the content with deep understanding, teachers have an obligation to involve them in the conversations.” (Classroom Discussions Seeing Math Discourse in Action, p.51)

Student’s Rights and Obligations  You have the right to make a contribution to an attentive, responsive audience.  You have the right to ask questions.  You have the right to be treated civilly.  You have the right to have your ideas discussed, not you.

Students’ Obligations  You are obligated to speak loudly enough for others to hear.  You are obligated to listen for understanding.  You are obligated to treat others civilly at all times.  You are obligated to consider other people’s ideas, and to explain your agreement or disagreement with their ideas.

How do I introduce these Rights and Obligations?  Simplify:  Talk loud enough for others to hear.  Eyes on speaker.  Ask questions to make sense of the idea.  Think about what the speaker said.  Practice:  Just like everything else we do in our classroom, we will need to set up expectations, procedures, and then practice, practice, practice!

Sit up. Track the speaker. Ask and answer questions like a scholar. Respect. Smile. S.T.A.R.S

Groups  Get along  Respect others  On task  Use quiet words  Participate  Stay in your group!

How do I get my students to talk? Math talk!  Provide classroom discussions that:  Help students clarify and share their own thoughts.  Help students orient to the thinking of others.  Help students deepen their reasoning.  Help students to engage with the reasoning of others.

Students were asked to find the relationship between a ratio and a percent using 50 pennies, a grid, and their minds. Math Talk at work

Math Talk helps students clarify and share their own thoughts.  Turn and talk  Revoicing  “Say more…” “Can you give us an example?” Handout 1.2

Turn and Talk Turn-and-Talk (also called partner talk or think-pair-share): You pose a question and ask students to turn and talk to their neighbor about it before discussing it with the whole class.

Revoicing (this is also called “verify and clarify”) You ask a student to verify that your interpretation of a student’s answer is correct.

Say More “Say more...”; “Can you give us an example?” “Tell me more about your thinking.” “Please give an example.”

Real Life  Mrs. Luizzi-Kindergarten (2.1b)  Mrs. Hayward-Kindergarten (2.1a)  Mrs. Foley-3 rd grade (2.1f)  Ms. Luipold-4 th grade (2.1j)  Mrs. Rowan-6 th grade (2.1k)

Questions to consider:  What was the focus on in each video? Equitable participation, respectful discourse, or both?  How did the teachers run the discussions about setting up norms?  How effective would this be in your classroom?  What suggestions do you have for adding or changing elements of the discussion?  What are some important ideas you can take away from these lessons?

Questions to Encourage Deep Thinking  Read through the section titled “During the Lesson.”  Choose 3 questions that you could use in your class the first week of school.  Turn and talk to your neighbor and tell them which 3 questions you are going to use in your class.  On the back of your handout, write the three questions you will use so that you may decide which will best fit your lessons.

Where do I go from here?  Planning and Projecting: Create a road map.  Choose one lesson to focus on in the first week of school.  Identify mathematical concepts, procedures needed, difficulties students might have, and format of math talk you want to use.  Improvising and Responding  Step back and review  What significant points have been introduced during your lesson?  What do you need to review, reteach, or clarify?  Plan your next lesson.

Questions, Comments, & Inspiration

Thank you!!!  Feel free to me with any questions.  Jen Robinson   Ellison Park Elementary, Davis School District