CONFER

Strategy Recommendation

Ask students to reflect on what makes a learning environment successful and one that welcomes and values diverse views and opinions. Create classroom norms and goals together based on the conversation.

Strategy Recommendation

Use perspective-taking and considering dilemmas thinking routines to help students’ look beyond their own viewpoints.

Resources

Elementary + Secondary:

• Developing Norms for Successful Collaboration 

Secondary: 

• Creating a Positive Learning Environment Using Classroom Norms 

• Setting Clear Norms: Supporting Meaningful Conversations 

Resources

Elementary: 

• What Productive Talk Looks Like in the Elementary Grades 

Elementary + Secondary: 

• Perspective Taking Routines 

• Dilemmas Thinking Routines 

Strategy Recommendation

Ask students to reflect on roles prior to starting the work and choose which role they want to be when working in a group based on reflections on individual strengths and weaknesses.

Strategy Recommendation

Create a protocol for students to give each other feedback on how their work meets established criteria.

Strategy Recommendation

Create a small group-lesson where students are asked what kind of role they would need to have when working on an assignment and allow their responses to create clear roles for their peers to use. 

Strategy Recommendation

Provide students with a menu of options after completing an assignment or open-ended project where they are prompted to reflect on the actions taken to complete the assignment. 

Resources

Elementary + Secondary: 

• Strategies for Effective Facilitation of Group Roles 

Resources

Elementary + Secondary: 

• Sample Group Project Tools for Accountability and Management

• Creating Meaningful Team Contracts 

Resources

Elementary: 

• Collaborative Learning: Ideas for Roles 

Secondary: 

• Group Work that Works 

Resources

Elementary: 

• Self-Reflection Examples 

Secondary: 

• 5 Activities that Promote Reflection 

Strategy Recommendation

Create opportunities for students to make decisions about their instructional needs (different pace, path, or teacher-led support).  

Strategy Recommendation

 Build in time for students to work in pairs or small groups with roles to share feedback on the work they chose to complete (differentiated activity) at the end of the unit or project. 

Strategy Recommendation

 Build in time for students to provide feedback on the work they chose to complete (differentiated activity) at the end of the lesson. 

Strategy Recommendation

Create a check-in structure for students to support them in choosing their learning path or pace.

Resources

Elementary + Secondary: 

• Content Goal-Setting and Reflection Template 

• Reflection Stem Bank 

Resources

Elementary: 

• What Productive Talk Looks Like in the Elementary Grades 

Secondary: 

• Teaching Kids to Give and Receive Quality Feedback

Resources

Elementary: 

• Feedback & Reflection Tracker

Secondary: 

• Using Journals for Student Feedback & Reflection 

Resources

Elementary: 

• 10 Student Check-In Activities (Can be adapted to be for academic or wellbeing!) 

Secondary: 

• The Power of Student Conferencing