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5 Practices for Orchestrating Task-Based Discussions in Science
Robust and effective classroom discussions are essential for providing students with opportunities to simultaneously engage in science practices while learning key science content. Using numerous examples and science learning tasks, the authors show how teachers can plan the lesson to encourage students to not only learn science content but employ disciplinary practices as well. This volume outlines the five practices teachers need for facilitating effective inquiry-oriented
Anticipate what students will do what strategies they will use in solving a problem Monitor their work as they approach the problem in class Select students whose strategies are worth discussing in class Sequence those students presentations to maximize their potential to increase students learning Connect the strategies and ideas in a way that helps students understand the science learned
The 5 Practices framework identifies a set of instructional practices that will help teachers achieve high-demand learning objectives by using student work as the launching point for discussions in which important scientific ideas are brought to the surface, contradictions are exposed, and understandings are developed or consolidated.
About the
Jennifer Cartier is the director of teacher education and a member of the science education faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on the design and facilitation of learning contexts for pre-service and early career teachers.
Margaret Smith holds a joint appointment at the University of Pittsburgh as professor of mathematics education in the School of Education and as Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. Her research focuses on what teachers learn from the professional education experiences in which they engage.
Mary Kay Stein holds a joint appointment at the University of Pittsburgh as professor of learning sciences and policy and as Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. Her research focuses on mathematics teaching and learning in classrooms and the ways in which policy and organizational conditions shape teachers practice.
Danielle K. Ross is a teaching fellow and doctoral candidate in science education at the School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on teacher learning and the design of learning contexts for beginning teachers. She was previously a biology and ecology teacher at Leechburg Area School District in Leechburg, Pennsylvania.
Reviews and Endorsements for 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Task-Based Discussions in
One of my biggest challenges as a science teacher is how to both engage students in the practices from the Next Generation Science Standards and teach the content from my curriculum. Before, I sometimes felt that I had to choose between the two. However, 5 Practices provides clear examples and very concrete guidelines for how to orchestrate student-centered discussions that also support sense making. Now my students and I can experience the excitement of argumentation while still staying true to our curriculum. This is my new bible for facilitating student discourse! Austin Deaver, Science Teacher, Montgomery Village Middle School Montgomery Village, Maryland
Planning for and engaging students in meaningful scientific reasoning and adapting instruction in response are simultaneously the most difficult and the most important tasks science teachers face. This book provides both new and experienced teachers with a road map to continually improve their ability to do this work. Nicole M. Gillespie, Executive Director, Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Moorestown, New Jersey.
Anticipate what students will do what strategies they will use in solving a problem Monitor their work as they approach the problem in class Select students whose strategies are worth discussing in class Sequence those students presentations to maximize their potential to increase students learning Connect the strategies and ideas in a way that helps students understand the science learned
The 5 Practices framework identifies a set of instructional practices that will help teachers achieve high-demand learning objectives by using student work as the launching point for discussions in which important scientific ideas are brought to the surface, contradictions are exposed, and understandings are developed or consolidated.
About the
Jennifer Cartier is the director of teacher education and a member of the science education faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on the design and facilitation of learning contexts for pre-service and early career teachers.
Margaret Smith holds a joint appointment at the University of Pittsburgh as professor of mathematics education in the School of Education and as Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. Her research focuses on what teachers learn from the professional education experiences in which they engage.
Mary Kay Stein holds a joint appointment at the University of Pittsburgh as professor of learning sciences and policy and as Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center. Her research focuses on mathematics teaching and learning in classrooms and the ways in which policy and organizational conditions shape teachers practice.
Danielle K. Ross is a teaching fellow and doctoral candidate in science education at the School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on teacher learning and the design of learning contexts for beginning teachers. She was previously a biology and ecology teacher at Leechburg Area School District in Leechburg, Pennsylvania.
Reviews and Endorsements for 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Task-Based Discussions in
One of my biggest challenges as a science teacher is how to both engage students in the practices from the Next Generation Science Standards and teach the content from my curriculum. Before, I sometimes felt that I had to choose between the two. However, 5 Practices provides clear examples and very concrete guidelines for how to orchestrate student-centered discussions that also support sense making. Now my students and I can experience the excitement of argumentation while still staying true to our curriculum. This is my new bible for facilitating student discourse! Austin Deaver, Science Teacher, Montgomery Village Middle School Montgomery Village, Maryland
Planning for and engaging students in meaningful scientific reasoning and adapting instruction in response are simultaneously the most difficult and the most important tasks science teachers face. This book provides both new and experienced teachers with a road map to continually improve their ability to do this work. Nicole M. Gillespie, Executive Director, Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Moorestown, New Jersey.
- GenresEducation
129 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2013
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22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 27, 2018
This should be required reading by every state of every country for every in service and pre-service Science teacher. Period. Read it. Now.
August 16, 2020
This is a book I was longing for without knowing it in my science teaching methods course. As a new teacher, your decision-making faculties are constantly overwhelmed, especially when you dedicate yourself to a teaching approach that centers students' ideas, meaning-making, and talk. A lot of us end up falling back on either more of our own talk (bad) or leaving the conversation to students entirely without any support (also bad). This is a wonderful middle path that makes sure discussions are purposeful while also responsive to students' ideas, and ensures that students are the ones engaging in the real talking, thinking, and thus learning. I think will be really helpful for me in the next few years as I try to get better at this "skillful improvisation."
"We think of the Five Practices model as skillful improvisation. The practices that we have identified are meant to make student-centered instruction more manageable by moderating the degree of improvisation required by the teacher during a discussion. ... The five practices were designed to help teachers use students' responses to advance the scientific understanding of the class as a whole during task-based discussions. They provide teachers with some control over what is likely to happen in the discussion as well as more time to make instructional decisions by shifting some of the decision making to the planning phase of the lesson." (p. 28)
"We think of the Five Practices model as skillful improvisation. The practices that we have identified are meant to make student-centered instruction more manageable by moderating the degree of improvisation required by the teacher during a discussion. ... The five practices were designed to help teachers use students' responses to advance the scientific understanding of the class as a whole during task-based discussions. They provide teachers with some control over what is likely to happen in the discussion as well as more time to make instructional decisions by shifting some of the decision making to the planning phase of the lesson." (p. 28)
September 15, 2015
This book presented some clear ways to improve science instruction to include both the learning of knowledge and practice of skill simultaneously. While much of the strategy presented is not necessarily new, the specific and detailed explanation of the application to the sciences is extremely valuable. The classroom examples, breakdowns, and analysis of those examples helps readers better understand how this would look in practice.
December 18, 2015
As someone who was lucky enough to to have one of the authors as an instructor, this book and the ideas presented in it are fantastic! I never thought I'd be able to get my gen chem kids to participate in a discussion but it worked and they really got a lot out of the experience and I'm pretty sure they learned more too!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews