Student Discourse

Student Discourse, or students talking on-topic in an academic environment, is vital to language acquisition, student engagement and ultimately student achievement. Student discourse can happen at the partner, group, whole class, or student-to-teacher level. Student discourse routines need to be explicitly taught to students and reinforced in order to be most effective.

Elementary

Secondary

Objective: By the end of this video, viewers will have an understanding of specific techniques to promote student discourse during instruction.

Essential Question: How can student discourse help students acquire academic language and increase student achievement?

Questions to consider as you watch the video:

1. How do the students engage in discussions during the lesson?
2. How do the student discussions lead to deeper understanding of the concept and content?
3. How do Ms. Washington and Ms. Mayer facilitate a safe environment for student discourse?
4. How can I promote student discourse in my classroom?

Tools & Templates for Student Discourse:

• Professional Learning Implementation Tool- Student Discourse
• Student Discourse Discussion Frames: Intermediate, Advanced, Spanish, Arabic, Amharic
• Discourse Rubric: Discourse Rubric
• The Office of Professional Learning’s: Strategy Series on Cooperative Learning

Texts on Student Discourse: 

• Promising Practices for Elementary Teachers: Make No Excuses (Benner, 2010). Available from the Virtual Professional Library.
  • Dialogue and Instructional Conversations as an Instructional Strategy Chapter in above.
• Preventing Long Term ELs (Calderon & Minaya-Rowe, 2011). Available from the Virtual Professional Library.
  • Selecting and Teaching Academic Vocabulary/Discourse, Engaging ELs via Cooperative Learning and Classroom Management Chapters in above.
• Strategies to Promote Student Discourse (Gillies, 2007) Available from Sage Publications.

Related Videos:

• Classrooms in Focus- Essential Question
• Classrooms in Focus- Collaborative Learning
• Coach’s Cut: Random Reporter II
• Coach’s Cut- Think/Pair/Share
• Student Discourse Videos from the Teaching Channel

Have an idea or routine in your classroom for Student Discourse you believe other teachers would benefit from learning about or seeing? Email PL, write “Student Discourse” in the subject line.

Tools & Templates used in these Lessons:

Ms. Washington’s Lesson Plan:   3rd Grade Ancient Rome3rd Grade Ancient Rome

Templates:

Ms. Mayer’s Lesson Plan: Marshall Plan

Long Range Plan: WWII Unit Overview

Templates:

• Marshall Plan Primary Source Document
• Marshall Plan Pre & Post Reading
• Marshall Plan Document Based Questions & Reading
• Discourse Rubric