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Accountable Talk: Habits of Discussion

Session 2: Launching Accountable Talk

Purpose

Teacher provides a daily interactive read-aloud with accountable talk that is 20-30 minutes long.

 

  • Norms are observable in the actions and interactions of scholars.  They are rarely referenced as they have become a way of being in the community.

 

  • Rituals and routines have become habits, they are seamless and part of the fabric of the community.

 

  • School wide language and cues are used consistently by scholars and teachers in a natural and automatic way they also have become shared ways of being in the community.

 

  • Intellectual preparation is evident and the experience is focused on making meaning of the text collaboratively.

 

  • Stopping points are intentional and provide opportunities for think aloud, and partner conversation where scholars can grapple with the meaning of the text.

 

  • Scholars have internalized the habits of discussion as defined in the three phases of accountable talk.  The talk is organic and authentic and focused on developing meaning of the text collaboratively.

 

  • Texts are at or above grade level and chosen intentionally to serve as mentor texts for a particular unit of study, genre, or theme. 

 

  • The ratio of student-to-teacher talk is 90:10.

 

  • Teacher is over-listening to conversation and uses the data to inform next steps in facilitation.

 

  • Whole class conversation is independent and the teacher facilitates only when necessary using the least unobtrusive talk moves.  Scholars rarely need prompting to build ideas together to make deep meaning of the text at hand.

 

  • Texts are often revisited during the mini-lesson to support a teaching point or serve as a model for literary elements in the writing workshop.

 

Close reading experiences are drawn from the interactive read aloud and provide a deep study of a section of the text. 

Where Do I Start?

  • —Plan to explicitly teach the habits of discussion.

 

  • —Be sure to use consistent academic vocabulary in your classroom, academy, and school-wide.

 

  • —Plan and then provide anchors for scholars starting with learning to share and then moving on.

    • —Rituals and Routines

    • —Protocols

    • —EEKK Position

    • —Back to back face to face

    • —Whip Around

    • —Sentence Frames

  • —Developing a culture of accountable talk is a year long, career long journey

  • Don’t assume they know…

  • Set, Model, Practice, Remind, Reinforce, Redirect

  • —Teach expectations and chart on an anchor

  • —Model

  • —Role Play - Fish Bowl

  • —Practice:  Try it Out—”Prompt Don’t Lead”

  • —Reflect and Goal Set

 

 

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Keys to Making Habits of Discussion Work

1.  Establish Trajectory of Habits

  • What are the school wide habits?

  • What does it look like at each grade level?

  • What does it look like in each classroom?

 

2. Train & Model

  • Use it authentically

  • Keep your language direct

  • Model expectations prior to and during the habit

  • Practice, practice, practice!

 

3.  Expect 100% compliance

  • Prompt students to use the habit at appropriate times

  • Correct when needed

Why Anchor Charts?

  • —Clarifies the expectations in words and pictures

 

  • —Builds independence by giving scholars a visual reminder of expectations

 

  • —Ensures that the teachers and scholars have clarity about what strategies are being practiced in order to develop a skill.

 

  • —Provides continuity at the grade level and vertically.

The Roles in Accountable Talk

Shared Academic Vocabulary K-8

—Scholars should have a shared vocabulary for accountable talk K-8.  Shared vocabulary allows the focus to be on content and sophistication of text versus teaching academic rituals and routines.

—When we share a language as a school cross grade collaboration and multiage intervention becomes easy to implement.  When we share a language as a school it allow us to focus our professional learning to go deeper not only to clarify.

Shared Academic Vocabulary K-8

—What Do I Do To Build the Habits?

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Teach and practice the basic guidelines

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—1.  Teach and practice structure-

—Start with:

  • —Whole class conversation

  • —Partner conversation

  • —Small group conversation

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—

2.  Add collaborative structures:

  • —Jigsaw

  • —Four corners

  • —Inside outside circle

  • —Other collaborative structures

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—3.  Teach and practice  the continuum of habits.

  • —Teach and practice academic vocabulary using the sentence stems as a scaffold that is released over time.

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—4.  Teach and practice the rigor of ideas and use of textual evidence as defined by the CCSS.

 

Gradual Release of Responsibility - Habits of Discussion Continuum

—Basic Guidelines—Structures

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—Learning to Share

—

—Learning to Build

—

—Learning to Synthesize

 

Basic Guidelines for Interaction

  • Responsibility to the Community

    • Be Kind

    • Be Responsible

    • Be Safe

 

  • —Purpose of talk is to deepen our learning and understanding through conversation

    • —Disagree with an idea not the person

    • —Clarify when you are confused by an idea

    • —Being WRONG /grappling/ experiencing struggle is okay.  In fact, it is an opportunity for learning something new.  We support each other’s learning journey

    • —Give others time to think and figure things out

    • —NEVER laugh at others ideas etc…

    • —BE open to changing your thinking, validating your thinking

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  • —Nod to demonstrate listening

  • —Lean in to demonstrate listening

  • —Think about the other persons  idea to determine if you agree disagree or can versus your own idea

  • —Hands down whenever someone is speaking

  • —Listen well enough to say it back (paraphrasing)

—

—Use Silent Signals

  • —Louder

  • —Connection

  • —Look at the group

  • —Hands down

  • —Complete sentences

 

Whole Class Conversation

  • —Circle up—chairs or rug procedure

    • —All members of community should be able to see each other

    • —Quick and efficient

    • —Track (eyes on) the speaker

    • —Focus on the target question (TDQ, DBQ etc.)

    • —Post for reference

    • —Use a ball or other visual to represent the target staying on topic is challenging but critical for effective collaborative discourse.

    • —Using a Six Foot Voice

    • —Nonverbal cue

    • — Passing the conversation

    • —Use a koosh ball initially to make this concrete

    • —Grounding ideas in the text

    • —Teacher has text in hand

    • —Text can be passed to the speaker

    • —Older scholars may all have text in hand

 

Partner Conversation

  • —A variety of partners in Phase One

  • —Eye to Eye Knee to Knee (EEEK position)

  • —Six inch voice

  • —Voice modulation should be practiced using a song or short poem to give practice in using a six inch voice.

  • —Greet your partner

    • —Make this fun

      • High five

      • Elbow high five etc.

  • —Thank your partner

    • —Make this fun

      • High five

      • Other languages etc.

  • —Unfinished business

  • —Quells we not finished!!

  • —Transition from EEKK to audience style

    • —Use a chime or silent hand signal

    • The chime works well as it give a few seconds for the thank you and the transition with all back in audience by the time it stops ringing.

 

Small Group Conversation (independent)

—Not taught in this initial phase.  Scholars will not be ready to facilitate small group on their own until they have mastered phase one habits.  However you can continue to teach, practice and reinforce habits in teacher facilitated small groups such as guided reading and strategic small group instruction

 

Learning to Share

—Listen & talk only in turn, SL.K.1.A, SL.1.1.A

—Speak Audibly SL.K.6

—Speak in Complete Sentences SL.1.6, SL.2.

—Interact Peer-to-Peer: direct answers to the group SL.3.1.A

 

Sharing/Clarifying Sentence Starters (academic vocabulary)

 

Sharing

  • "—In the text it said ___________ so I think_____."

—

 Listening/Clarifying

  • —“Could you please repeat that for me?”

  • —Paraphrase what you heard and ask, “Could you explain a bit more, please?”

  • —“I’m not sure I understood you when you said _____.

  • Could you say more about that?”

  • “What’s your evidence?”

 

Teacher Modeling/Feedback (Effective Feedback Cycle)

  • —“Loud and proud” whole group voice

  • —“Only your partner needs to hear you.”  partner voice

  • —“Tell him.” to prompt talking to the group/peer not the teacher.

  • —“Wait give _______ think time” to give peers a chance to think/talk

  • —Nonverbal:  Teacher models hands down

  • —Nonverbal:  Teacher eye contact, hand movement

  • —Nonverbal:  fingers pursed together, and then

  •     spread apart (like pulling gum apart)

  • —Nonverbal:  fingers pointing to eyes and then

  •     to the rest of the group

 

Learning to Build

  • —Elaborate on your answer SL.3.1.D, SL.4.1.D, SL.5.1.D

  • —Build Off another’s answer SL.K.1.B, SL.1.1.B, SL.2.1.B

  • —Evaluate others’ as well as my own theories (Agree/disagree/somewhat agree) SL.4.1.D, SL.5.1.D

  • —Hint, Don’t Tell: cue peers to help them in their response  SL 5.1.C

  • —Peer “Feedback”

  • —Prompt Peers with Universal Prompts: SL.4.1.C, SL.5.1.C (make sure that the language her all aligns across the document/documents)

  • —“Tell me more.”

  • —“What in the story makes you think that?”

  • —“Why is that important?”

  • —“Why do you think that?”

  • —Repeat the original question

  • —No Hands: aid the conversation without raising their hand SL.5.1.C

  • —Lead: facilitate the conversation from start to finish SL.4.1.B, SL.5.1.B

  • —Come Prepared in Writing: use written response to aid discussion SL.3.1.A, SL.4.1.A, SL.5.1.A

 

Teacher Prompts to Support Scholar Building (Effective Feedback Cycle)

  • —“Build off that.”

  • —“Tell me more about what ____ said.”

  • —“Can you tell me more about what ____ is thinking?”

  • —“Do you agree….”

  • —“Why do you think that…”

  • — “What do you think about that?” “Do you agree?”

  • —Teach the stems of agree/disagree/somewhat disagree:

  • —“I agree with what you said because…” and “I somewhat agree with what you said but…”

 

Building Sentence Starters (Academic Vocabulary)

 

Building

  • —“I was thinking about what _____ said, and I was wondering what if _____.”

  • —“This makes me think _____.”

  • —“I want to know more about _____.”

  • —“Now I am wondering _____.”

  • —“Can you tell me more about _____?”

  • —“I want to go back to what _____ said

—

Agreeing

  • —“I agree with _____ idea because _____.”

  • —“I like what _____ said because _____.”

  • —“I agree with _____idea; but on the other hand, _____.”

—

Disagreeing

  • —“I disagree with _____ because _____.”

  • —“I’m not sure I agree with what _____ said because _____.”

  • —“I can see that _____; however, I disagree with (or can’t see) _____.”

 

Learning to Synthesize and Draw Conclusions

  • —Synthesize talking points to form a theory

  • —Accumulate information to revise a theory

  • —Identify Main idea

  • —Summarize key details, naming textual evidence

  • —Identify emerging patterns and themes

  • —Draw a conclusion

  • —Respond and Reflect

 

Synthesizing

  • —The emerging theme is_____________ because____.

  • —The main idea is____________ because ________.

  • —Our big takeaway is _______________ because _____.

  • —Based on what _______ and blank said_________.

Intentional Over-Listening

—The art of over-listening and assessing to determine the best next step to keep the conversation going and build habits is essential to scholar success.  

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—Listen, Research and Decide:

  • —Should I prompt?

  • —Should I reinforce?

  • —Should I teach/model?

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—Role of facilitator changes over time as habits are built to automaticity.

Accountable Talk - Teacher Moves

1.  Moves in Group Discussion

  • Marking:  “That’s an important point.”

  • Challenge: “What do YOU think?” (turn it back)

  • Modeling: “Here’s what good readers do.”

  • Recapping: “What have we discovered?”

 

2. Moves that Support Accountability to the Learning Community

  • Keep channels open: “Did everyone hear that?”

  • Keep everyone together: “Who can repeat . . . ?”

  • Linking contribution: “Who wants to add on . . . ?”

  • Verifying and clarifying: “So, are you saying . . . ?’

 

3. Moves that Support Accountability to Accurate Knowledge

  • Pressing for accuracy: “Where can we find that?”

  • Building on Prior Knowledge: “How does this connect?”

 

4. Moves that Support Accountability to Rigorous Thinking

  • Pressing for reasoning: “Why do you think that?”

  • Expanding reasoning: “Take your time; say more.”

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