Productive Discourse

Here’s a six week process for creating a studio environment for students to move toward becoming more cognitively independent.  Prep - During your prep time, begin planning your stack. Assess what you currently have in place, how it’s working for students, and what needs tweaking or pruning. Then blueprint the rollout of the three instructional practices you’ll stack over the next six weeks: (1) powerful talk structures, (2) increased context complexity, (3) productive struggle time.

For some suggestions see my article Power of Protocols for Equity for some ideas.

WEEK 1 - First week back from winter break

Stack One: Introduce New Talk Structure(s). In this first week, offer a low-stakes version of the structure with fun content so kids can focus on learning the routine. Channel the principle of the first pancake (the first time is going to be messy and that’s okay.).

Start by offering short, 15-mini-lesson the new routine. Do some modeling. Then have kids practice connecting what they know to the content they’re learning in order to “chew” on the content more effectively.

WEEK 2 - Reinforce the Routine

In Week 2, be sure to use the new talk structures at least twice a week. If using discussion protocols, rotate the ones used. Mix it up with thinking routines or “game storming”. The point is to reinforce the new talk structure(s) with practice. Students might resist, but stay with it. Aim for getting 1% better at the process.

WEEK 3

Cue up Stack Two: Increase Complexity of Content.

Up the complexity of the content. Put the curriculum unit within a bigger context, with competing events, motivations, perspectives. For younger children, maybe explore complex processes, parts, or relationships in nature. Give them time and opportunity to grapple with the content.

This is just the workout young brains need to grow at every grade level. Try giving students tools like thinking routines, Think Like a Historian frame and its prompts. Again, offer these to students to use as tools that help them with the process of productive struggle. It is the “chew” part of the ignite,chunk, chew, and review information processing cycle.

Continue to refine Stack One talk structure move. Add in the use of the cognitive tools, like thinking routines during talk time. Think of this like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Takes a bit of conscious coordination but we can do it.

WEEK 4

Reinforce Stack Two - the use of cognitive tools to take on content complexity. Remember, the goal is to get the students to use these tools without your constant prompting. That is going to take coaching from you. The tools aren’t strategies for you to own. Aim to get students 1% better at using them this week. Keep reinforcing Stack One move by combining the two.

WEEK 5

Incorporate Stack Three: Learning Pit Time. Apprentice students into productive struggle moves during learning pit time.

While you have instituted different types of talk structures, you want to couple talk structures with a dedicated time block for grappling in the learning pit. Focus on setting up “learning pit time.” This can be 20 minutes, twice a week where students are trying to fix, figure out, solve, or produce something related to the unit being studied.

Think of this time period as the dojo for deeper learning. You want to stimulate students’ natural curiosity and the brain’s drive to notice patterns and solve puzzles.

Continue implementing and using Stack One and Stack Two moves while incorporating Stack Three moves.

WEEK 6

Now that all three instructional moves are in place, continue refining their use by getting all students, but particularly your most dependent and compliant learners, to take more ownership of their learning.

Remember, after these six weeks, you are now at the beginning of a process you’ll want to improve over the remainder of the school year.

How do you know it’s working? Use inquiry tools and gather qualitative data to mark your dependent learners’ growth in their ability to engage in academic conversation, do deeper analysis of the content, and connect new content to their existing funds of knowledge.

Here's a convenient handout with all the steps to keep handy during planning and PLC meetings.