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THE FIVE PRACTICES FOR ORCHESTRATING PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS
THE FIVE PRACTICES FOR ORCHESTRATING PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS
When planning learning experiences for students, teachers often apply these practices unconsciously. What these works offer teachers, though, is explicit strategies with which to more intentionally plan and facilitate learning in order to maximize opportunities and more flexibly respond to, and consolidate, students' learning.
With the Five Practices for Orchestrating Mathematics Discussions 2nd Edition (Smith and Stein 2013) and the Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Task-Based Discussions in Science (Cartier et al 2013), the authors provide a planning and facilitation framework to help plan for task-based learning and discussions that follow to ensure that learning objectives are uncovered in productive ways.
PRACTICE 0: Choosing a Learning Focus and Task
PRACTICE 0: Choosing a Learning Focus and Task
In this practice, teachers identify a learning focus and and select or design a task that will achieve that learning focus. Curriculum materials need to be consulted carefully, and tasks need to be analyzed and altered to ensure that they are in alignment.
PRACTICE 1: Anticipating Students' Approaches
PRACTICE 1: Anticipating Students' Approaches
In this practice, teachers do the task in as many ways as possible, trying to predict what varied approaches and thinking students will use to work through the task. Thinking through how to provide next steps for students, based on each approach, can assist with the next practices. It can be helpful to record the different ways students may approach the task and anticipate which approaches will be most helpful for a whole class discussion.
PRACTICE 2: Monitoring Students' Thinking
PRACTICE 2: Monitoring Students' Thinking
In this practice, teachers circulate while students work on the task, asking assessing questions (to learn about students' thinking) and advancing questions (to provide hints or extensions as needed). They make notes about which groups take which approaches in order to better facilitate a discussion.
PRACTICE 3: Selecting Students' Work
PRACTICE 3: Selecting Students' Work
In this practice, teachers use their observations while monitoring to select groups' or students' work to use. Selections are made because thinking provides opportunities for rich learning for the class: approaches that were common, misconceptions that arise, connections that can be made, etc.
PRACTICE 4: Sequencing Students' Approaches
PRACTICE 4: Sequencing Students' Approaches
In this practice, teachers consider the selected approaches and determine what sequence will achieve the optimal learning "narrative" for the class. At times it is helpful to start with a common misconception or to start with a common approach. Other times, it is helpful to start with a debate to compare two approaches or ideas. The sequence will help students make sense of the learning focus, so it is important that the order is intentional.
PRACTICE 5: Connecting Approaches, Thinking and Ideas
PRACTICE 5: Connecting Approaches, Thinking and Ideas
In this practice, teachers use intentional whole class discussion moves to facilitate an interactive discussion with students about their thinking, using the selected and sequenced pieces of student work. This practice is crucial for ensuring that all students can make connections between the work they have done, the work they are analyzing as a class, and the learning focus that the teacher aims to make explicit through the discussion.
TEACHER SUPPORT
TEACHER SUPPORT
Blending the Five Practices with the Thinking Classroom practices can optimize opportunities to engage students in deeper thinking and consolidate learning in a purposeful way that includes all students in a discussion to co-create knowledge and understanding.
"Bookmark" with Tips for Facilitating Whole Class Discussions
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