Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
What do students get out of engaging in protocols and collaborative work?
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Deeper understanding
A variety of opinions on a topic
More engagement in learning
Clarification of misunderstanding
A voice in the discussion
Peers matter
Take risks
More time to learn
Confidence
Student centered
They learn how to listen to others and respect different opinions
Communication skills
Personal connections
A sense of community
All are involved
Learn about self as learner
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Norms for effective student group work
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Why is discussion/language important
Taking others ideas seriously
Consider alternate viewpoints
One person speaks at a time
Listen to learn
Disagree agreeably
Build on each others’ ideas in a polite way
Learn from everyone
Add to your notes from…
Anyone can be called on
We all participate
Stay on topic
Quiet voices
listen
eye contact
appropriate body language
do your job
be prepared** (student and teacher)
take turns
mutual respect
individual accountability
think and pause before answering
everyone participates
ask questions
piggy-back
allow for everyone to participate
stay on topic
all get to a result
work as a team
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
Page 2
Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Teacher Responsibilities for fostering effective group work:
 Start with classroom environment
 Establish an environment where discomfort for speaking in groups is
minimized
 Watch behavior for calling on the student with the answer
 Continuously walk around the room
 Sit down with a group and listen, ask questions
 Determine whether groups need support
 Understanding students
 Preparation
 Modeling expectations
 And more prep
 Ensuring kids feel safe to respond
 Training students
 Assess progress on collaboration standards
 Making sure teacher is comfortable with technique
 Monitoring student involvement
 Fostering respect
 Knowing where students might have difficulty with the content
 Keep it interesting
 Having focus questions
 Show a timer
 Determining and communicating purpose
 Model
 Staying “out” – observing and knowing when to offer support
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Classroom Management issues to think about for managing effective group
work
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How to determine partners
How to monitor noise
Alternative assessment for off topic behavior
Attention getting signal
Engagement by all
Learners who are working below grade level
Classroom dynamics/learning skills
Understanding individual students
Time*
Logistics/time
Management of materials
All on task
Having norms established fro group work
Helping kids work with diverse partners/groups
What to do students who are unprepared
What to do with students that doesn’t like group work/discussion
Requesting help from the teacher
Transitions
How will you ensure all students are called on, include?
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Characteristics of Effective Listening
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Writing down thoughts/reflections
Making eye contact
Contributing
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Authentic
Listening because you care, not because you are supposed to
Teaching someone else
Facing each other
Empathy
Wanting to learn from someone else
Mind on the speaker
Being open to change own ideas/opinions
Consider: are you thinking about what you are going to say or truly
attending to the speaker?
 Allow for process/reflection time
 Understanding everyone can teach you something
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Methods to establish norms in your classroom
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practice and discuss
model
fishbowl
do them often
cooperative between student and teacher
whole class discussion
checking for understanding
explain reason for norms to students
establish as a class
model right and wrong ways
time to revisit past discussion, ideas…
post norms for reference-revisit often
reflect
from workshop work packet page 15-16:
Methods for Establishing Classroom Norms
Version 1:
1. Start with what students know
2. Ask them to identify what good listeners and speakers do in a group discussion.
In other words, how do you know:
o someone is being a good listener
o someone is being a good speaker
o what makes a good discussion
3. List these potential criteria
4. Have students watch a video of students or colleagues having a discussion, or
participate in a live Fishbowl protocol, where the outside circle observes the
listening and speaking behaviors of the group in the inside circle
5. Revisit the list students generated earlier, and make changes, additions, or
deletions
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
6. Generate a list of sentence and question starters for kids to have as a reference
(as a poster in the room, a reference sheet, or on smaller index type cards
connected on a metal ring or shower curtain hook)
Version 2:
1. Ask students to think about the best group discussions they have been a part of
and reflect on what made these discussions so satisfying
2. Next, ask students to think about the worst group discussions in which they have
participated and reflect on what made these discussions so unsatisfactory
1. For each of the positive characteristics identified, ask students to suggest three
things the group could do to ensure that these characteristics are present
2.
For each of the negative characteristics identified, ask students to suggest three
things the group could do to ensure that these characteristics are not present
3. Use students’ suggestions to draft a set of ground rules to which you all agree,
and distribute them in writing
4. Periodically, ask the class to reflect on whether the ground rules established
atthe beginning of the semester are working, and make adjustments as
necessary.
(Adapted from Brookfield & Preskill, 2005)
Other suggestions:
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Use non academic topic to train your students
Assign student to behave inappropriately
Show tv clip with people acting inappropriately/ appropriately
Show video of socratic seminar and debrief
Do activity to show the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
 Lost on the moon (appendix D)
 Working together on activity like creating a story by yourself from
bag of items or with everyone
 Google Synergy activity
 Create anchor charts
The key is to assess, revisit, andhold students accountable
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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Notes from Chalk Talk – Student Centered Classroom
Quips or slogans to help students remember what effective behaviors are
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Pursue your hunch
Justify
Listen patiently
Back it up with evidence
Analyze and defend
Respect everyone’s opinions
Be kind
Disagree agreeably
remember core principles
remember to LEP – listen, eye contact, participate
do not impede the learning of others
be appropriate
No “I” in team
Cool and warm statements
Pittsford Central Schools The Student Centered Classroom: Using Protocols to Deepen Student’s
Knowledge
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