Session 2 Experienced with NTI
Facilitator’s Guide: The Power of Teacher
Response
Sequence of Sessions
Targets for this Session
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I can describe teachers’ questioning, probing, and responding habits.
I can analyze the impact of teachers’ questioning, probing, and responding habits on students’ learning.
I can develop or help teachers develop new questioning, probing, and responding habits.
High-Level Purpose of this Session

This session will guide participants to more deeply understand the concept of “spontaneous interventions” or the things that
teachers do and say “in the moment” that either extend students’ thinking or limit it. In this session, participants will build
background knowledge about the impact of teachers’ questioning, probing, and responding habits and examine transcripts of
teacher/student interactions to analyze the impact of those habits.
Related Learning Experiences

This session builds off of the Continuum of Intervention introduced in Session 1 and forms a basis for what comes in the
sessions to follow.
Key Points
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Good questioning, probing and responding habits could be considered “spontaneous interventions.”
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of
this session?
 I can describe teachers’ questioning, probing, and
responding habits.
 I can analyze the impact of teachers’ questioning,
probing, and responding habits on students’ learning.
 I can develop or help teachers develop new
questioning, probing, and responding habits.
How will we know that they are able to do this?
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Observation and listening while participants work in
protocols.
Their notes and reactions while analyzing transcripts.
Session Overview
Section
1.
Introduction
2. Jigsaw and
Heart of the
Matter Protocol
Time
Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator’s Preparation
5
Introduce this session and
connect to session before.
PPT_2A_Power of Response
Preview all readings.
45
Build background knowledge Heart of the Matter Graphic
regarding teachers’
Organizer
questioning, probing, and
Teacher Speech as a
Complete graphic organizer
yourself.
Download video for ease of
response habits (the IRE
pattern). Participants
analyze a video in which the
teacher uses a variety of
response options to ensure
her students’ success.
Spontaneous Intervention doc.
Background Information on
Classroom Discourse doc.
Classroom Discourse: The
Promise and Complexity docs.
The Critical Role of Teacher
Response doc.
3.
Analysis of
Transcripts
30
Participants analyze
transcripts of module
instruction and discuss:
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4. Closing
10
Continuum of Interventions (from
previous session).
https://vimeo.com/43990520
What connections do
Transcripts of 3-8 ELA
you make between
Classrooms in Action doc.
this transcript and
what you learned
about classroom
discourse?
What spontaneous or
planned interventions
are present (if any)?
What should this
teacher try need in
order to help more
students be
successful?
Re-read Continuum of
Reflection page in Participants’
viewing.
Interviews, thinking about
Notebook
what you have learned about
spontaneous interventions in
particular.
Journaling
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Introduction
Time: 11 to 11:05
[5 minutes] In this section participants are set up for success and Materials:
reconnected to the main points of the Continuum of Interventions
PPT_2A_Power of Response
session.
Time
1
3
Slide #/Pic of Slide
Script/Activity directions
Remind participants that in the first session of the day, they learned
about the Continuum of Interventions. (See Session1A
materials). In this session they will dive more deeply into the first
column of the chart–“spontaneous interventions.”
Encourage participants to greet each other at tables, taking a few
moments to react to this quote: “In the end, good teaching lies in a
willingness to attend and care for what happens in our students,
ourselves, and the space between us. Good teaching is a certain
Grouping
kind of stance, I think. It is a stance of receptivity, of attunement, of
listening.” (Daloz, 1986).
Introduce the learning targets for this session:
 I can describe teachers’ questioning, probing, and
responding habits.
 I can analyze the impact of teachers’ questioning,
probing, and responding habits on students’ learning.
 I can develop or help teachers develop new questioning,
probing, and responding habits.
1
Section 2: Jigsaw and Heart of the Matter Protocol Time: 11:05 to 11:50
[45 mins] In this section, participants build background
knowledge regarding teachers’ questioning, probing, and
response habits (the IRE pattern). Participants analyze a video
in which a teacher uses a variety of response options to ensure
her students’ success.
Time
5 mins
Slide #/Pic of Slide
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Heart of the Matter Graphic Organizer
Teacher Speech as a Spontaneous Intervention doc.
Background Information on Classroom Discourse doc.
Classroom Discourse: The Promise and Complexity docs.
The Critical Role of Teacher Response doc.
Script/Activity directions


Ask participants to organize themselves into triads at tables.
Explain the steps in the Heart of the Matter protocol.
o Read the doc Teacher Speech as Spontaneous
Intervention and capture key ideas and reactions in
the outermost white space on the Heart of the
Matter Graphic Organizer. Discuss what you each
found most significant from the first reading.
o Then each member of the team selects one of the
articles (Background Information on Classroom
Grouping
Triads at
tables
10 mins

20 mins

10 mins

Discourse and both of the Classroom Discourse:
The Promise and Complexity docs) to read
independently. Capture key ideas in the second box.
Discuss with your triad, remembering that you each
read different docs (5 minutes each).
o Read the final doc The Critical Role of Teacher
Response. Discuss with your triad, coming to
agreement about a central idea that spans across all
readings. This is the Heart of the Matter.
Ask participants to read the doc Teacher Speech as
Spontaneous Intervention and capture key ideas and
reactions in the outermost white space on the Heart of the
Matter Graphic Organizer. Discuss in triads what each
found most significant from the first reading.
The each member of the team selects one of the articles
(Background Information on Classroom Discourse and
both of the Classroom Discourse: The Promise and
Complexity docs) to read independently. Capture key
ideas in the second box. Discuss with your triad,
remembering that you each read different docs (3-5 minutes
each for sharing your article).
Read the final doc The Critical Role of Teacher
Response. Discuss with your triad, coming to agreement
about a central idea that spans across all readings. This is
the Heart of the Matter.
Section 3: Video and Transcript Analysis
[30 mins] Participants analyze transcripts of 3-8 classrooms in
action and discuss the interventions provided (or not).
Participants discuss what teachers might try next from the
Time: 11:50 to 12:20
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Transcripts of 3-8 ELA Classrooms in Action doc.
Continuum of Interventions (from previous session).
https://vimeo.com/43990520
Continuum of Interventions.
Time
5 mins
10 mins
15 mins.
Slide #/Pic of Slide
Script/Activity directions
Ask participants to location the Continuum of Interventions from
the previous session. Ask them to review the “Spontaneous
Interventions” column and highlight parts of this column that they
have a deeper understanding of as a result of their reading and
discussion.
Show the video https://vimeo.com/43990520. Ask participants to
view the video with the spontaneous interventions column in mind.
What techniques is this teacher employing that are spontaneous
interventions? What other things might she do (either from the chart
or from your own ideas)? Once the video is over, encourage
participants to discuss their findings with a partner.
Direct participant partnerships to the Transcripts of ELA
Classrooms in Action. These are transcripts of actual moments
observed in classrooms where the modules are being used.
Ask participants to skim the transcripts and select at least three they
would like to dive into more deeply.
Once three have been chosen, read each one more deeply,
focusing on the interventions that are being used. Partners should
discuss the following for each transcript chosen:



What connections do you make between this transcript and
what you learned about classroom discourse?
What spontaneous or planned interventions are present (if
any)?
What could this teacher try–particularly in terms of
spontaneous interventions–that could help more students be
successful?
Grouping
Table groups
Partners
Partners
Section 4: Synthesis
Time: 12:20 to 12:30
[10 mins] Participants journal to capture their new thinking
regarding questioning, probing, and responding.
Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
10 mins
Reflection page in Participants’ Notebook
Script/Activity directions


Draw participants’ attention to the reflection page. Ask
participants to journal to summarize/synthesize their thinking
regarding their new learning in relation to the targets listed.
Dismiss participants to lunch.
Turnkey Materials Provided
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PPT_2A_Power of Response
Heart of the Matter Graphic Organizer
Teacher Speech as a Spontaneous Intervention doc.
Background Information on Classroom Discourse doc.
Classroom Discourse: The Promise and Complexity docs.
The Critical Role of Teacher Response doc.
https://vimeo.com/43990520
Transcripts of 3-8 ELA Classrooms in Action doc.
Continuum of Interventions (from previous session).
Reflection page in Participants’ Notebook
Grouping
Individuals