1. Collaborative Academic Conversations Professional Development Session 4 Fall 2013

2. Collaborative Academic Conversations
Meeting 2: Session 4
Characteristics of productive talk
5 Conversation Skills: description and examples
Meeting 3: Session 5
Meeting 1: Sessions 1-3
Meeting 4: Session 6

3. Big Idea: Collaborative academic conversations empower students to communicate well in a variety of situations.
Essential Questions:
What 21st century collaboration skills are needed to sustain purposeful conversations and to enable students to be successful members of society?
How do we move students beyond “talk” to academic conversations?
(3 minutes)

4. Reflect on Classroom Norms
Think about the first few weeks of school so far and the norms for classroom conversations you established before the first day.
What have been the positives with establishing and maintaining norms in your classroom?
What have been the challenges?
What changes still need to be made?
Brainstorm and then share with your colleagues.
Page 4
Positives
Challenges
Changes
Could be done with post-its and chart paper, or in small groups, depending on time.

5. Reflect on Classroom Norms
Think about the first few weeks of school so far and the norms for classroom conversations you established before the first day.
What have been the positives with establishing and maintaining norms in your classroom?
What have been the challenges?
What changes still need to be made?
Share with your colleagues.
Successes
Challenges
Changes
Share out whole group. This can be charted for colleagues to help each other with challenges and changes

6. Types of Conversations
Read “Accelerating Oral Language with Academic Conversations” paragraphs 1-6 and answer the questions on page 5.
Key questions:
According to Zwiers, what makes conversations ‘Academic”?
According to the researchers, what challenges did students face when starting academic conversations?
Answer the first two questions only

7. What was the main point of the article?
In your group, come
to consensus and synthesize
the main point of the article
so far.
Come to consensus and synthesize the main point of the article
What was the main point of the article?

8. Jigsaw Reading classroom application benefits purpose
Read the assigned skill description from pages
Elaborate and Clarify (p )
Support Ideas with Examples (p )
Build on or Challenge Partner’s Ideas (p )
Paraphrase (p )
Synthesize Conversation Points (p )
benefits
classroom application
purpose

9. Complete the Comparison/Contrast Matrix for your skill
Question
Response
1. Provide a short definition for skill.
2. How can the skill be developed in the classroom?
3. What is one of the benefits/purpose of the skill for all students?
4. Identify one way that you have seen this skill being used in a classroom.

10. Comparison/Contrast Matrix
Description of Skills
Application of Skill
Additional notes
Elaborate and Clarify
Support Ideas with Examples
Build On or Challenge Partner’s Ideas
Paraphrase
Synthesize Conversation Points
Remind teachers to paraphrase during their share out to allow time for all participants to share. Participants go back to base group and share out information. All participants should have the entire matrix filled out by the end of the session

11. Between now and then…
Read the remaining 4 Conversation Skills from today’s reading
Introduce ONE new Conversation Skill each week and provide ample opportunities for students to practice
Be prepared to share:
What have been the successes in implementing academic conversations in your classroom?
What have been the challenges?
What changes still need to be made?

12. Next Steps Connecting to Theoretical Framework & Academic Language
Creating Conversational Prompts