Weekly Coaching Communication
Make it a great day -- every day!
06 - 10 February 2017
On the Standards Front . . .
Designing and Purposeful Planning for Discussion
Last week, I shared the Talk Moves that Jeremiah McGraw shared with me. Yesterday, I learned more about how to design and purposefully plan for discussion. Carnegie Mellon University's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation provides an overview (shared here) and then in-depth descriptions of the instructional strategy of discussion. I encourage you to start using one or two Talk Moves in your classroom -- purposefully planned, of course -- and follow the strategy guidelines for discussion outlined below.
Discussions
(Some sections adapted from Davis, 1993; Brookfield and Preskill, 1999)
Discussions can be an excellent strategy for enhancing student motivation, fostering intellectual agility, and encouraging democratic habits. They create opportunities for students to practice and sharpen a number of skills, including the ability to articulate and defend positions, consider different points of view, and enlist and evaluate evidence.
While discussions provide avenues for exploration and discovery, leading a discussion can be anxiety-producing: discussions are, by their nature, unpredictable, and require us as instructors to surrender a certain degree of control over the flow of information. Fortunately, careful planning can help us ensure that discussions are lively without being chaotic and exploratory without losing focus. When planning a discussion, it is helpful to consider not only cognitive, but also social/emotional, and physical factors that can either foster or inhibit the productive exchange of ideas.
Cognitive factors: (link for in-depth explanation)
- Determine and communicate learning objectives
- Plan a strategy
- Ask good questions
- Provide direction and maintain focus
- Bring closure
Social/emotional factors: (link for in-depth explanation)
- Demonstrate relevance
- Encourage participation
- Make high-quality participation “count”
- Evaluate the discussion
Physical factors: (link for in-depth explanation)
- Creating a setting conducive for discussion
YouCubed -- Jo Boaler & The Mission
As part of my professional learning for "Coaching Across the Curriculum," I learned about a new name (at least to me) in the realm of growth mindset -- Jo Boaler, a student and colleague of Carol Dweck.
Jo Boaler is also the co-founder of youcubed, a website dedicated to the science of growth mindset and math learning. Although the main focus is math, the science of growth mindset is applicable to all. The short articles and videos are quite informational and helped stoke the fire if my growth mindset.
Below is the mission statement for youcubed. I encourage you to check out the site, especially the "Brain Science" and "Resources."
Our main goal is to inspire, educate and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on math learning into accessible and practical forms.
We know from research how to teach math well and how to bring about high levels of student engagement and achievement but research has not previously been made accessible to teachers. All students can learn mathematics to high levels and teaching that is based upon this principle dramatically increases students’ mathematics achievement. The need to make research widely available is particularly pressing now as new science on the brain and learning is giving important insights into mathematics learning.
Mathematics is often the reason that students leave STEM, particularly girls and some students of color. We aim to change this by communicating the sources of math inequality in the US and by teaching the classroom methods that are needed for 21st century learning. By providing research based teaching methods, math tasks, videos, and ideas we intend to significantly reduce math failure and inequality in the United States and beyond, inspiring teachers and empowering all students to success.
Coaching Schedule -- see Google Calendar for specific "Busy" times **schedule subject to change**
LINK to Mr. Libolt's Weekly Calendar & Communication
Monday, 06 February
- 8:00 - 8:15 SBL Council Meeting
- 10:00 - 11:25 AM Observations
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Research & Resources
Tuesday, 07 February
- TLC Training @GWAEA -- ALL DAY
Wednesday, 08 February
- TLC Training @GWAEA -- ALL DAY
Thursday, 09 February
- 10:00 - 11:25 AM Observation
- 1:30 - 1:50 PM Teacher Reflection
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Research & Resources
Friday, 10 February
- 10:00 - 11:25 AM Observation
- Serve Teachers & Students
- Research & Resources
- 12:00 - 1:00 PM IC Book Study
- 1:00 - 3:30 PM IC Data/Learning Meeting
ARCHIVE LINKS
Click on the link to access 2015-16 prior weekly communications.
Pope's IC Weekly Communication Archive & Index 2016-17
Click on the link to access 2016-17 prior weekly communications.
IC/Principal Weekly Meeting Notes
Click on the link to view the Friday notes.
Contact Information
Center Point - Urbana CSD
Email: epopenhagen@cpuschools.org
Phone: 319-849-1102+91015
Twitter: @Epopenhagen