(Paired with Listening with Understanding and Empathy in K-3; Also Paired with Thinking

(Paired with listening with understanding and empathy in K-3; also paired with Thinking Flexibly in 4-5)

Question for consideration: Are we engaging students in tasks that require them to think with each other? Do we observe students being willing to listen to one another and be influenced by the other’s opinions?

The nature of the task determines how much students are thinking interdependently. If the task moves toward a single, right answer, it is less likely that they will be thinking interdependently. When they are challenged with a problem in which the answer is not immediately apparent, then there is a greater chance for thinking interdependently.

What does it mean for students? / Opportunities for Learning / Coaching Language used to develop the habit
The student will be able to...
●  Participate thoughtfully in a reciprocal relationship
●  Recognize the need to extend thinking by reaching out to others
●  work together cooperatively to make one product
●  Receive critical feedback
●  Disagree and at times make changes
●  Learn from the ideas of others and incorporate those ideas in one product / ●  Schoology
●  Google docs
●  Centers
●  Learning Stations
●  Social Engagement within academic tasks
●  Responsive Classroom
●  Readers and Writers Workshop
●  Math Workshop
●  Project Based Learning
●  Team work / “How could you use what she said to change what you are doing?”
“In what ways did Sarah’s idea change how you were thinking?”
Grade / What does it look like? / What does sound like?
K-1 / Paired with listening with understanding and empathy
I can…
●  Work with others to solve a problem
●  work together to help others achieve their goals
●  Give and receive feedback to help improve our work
●  I can explain my thinking and listen to others’ thinking
●  Share materials so that we can all work together / When you solve the problem of how to read together to give meaning to the text.
Example:“You read this page, then I’ll read the next page.” or “Let’s read chorally!”
“You wrote 2 + 2 is 5, but I think it’s 4.”
“Ok… I think you’re right.” because...
Turn taking in conversations… Who is the talker? Who is the listener?
Writing: Self/peer evaluation
“I can show you how I solved the problem.”
●  Individuality preserved but bigger picture seen.
2-3 / Paired with listening with understanding and empathy
I can…
●  Work with others to solve a problem
●  work together to help others achieve their goals
●  Give and receive feedback to help improve our work
●  I can explain my thinking and listen to others’ thinking
●  Share materials so that we can all work together / In addition to K-1
Learning to disagree respectfully in an academic setting
“I hear what you are saying, but have you tried…”
“I did it a different way…”
“Can you show me how you…?”
Writing rubrics for evaluations
4-5 / Still paired with listening with understanding and empathy
Now also paired with Thinking Flexibly
I can...
●  Work with others to solve a problem
●  work together to help others achieve their goals
●  Give and receive feedback to help improve our work
●  I can explain and defend my thinking their own claims/decisions with concrete evidence/examples and listen to others’ thinking, honoring the perspectives of others
●  Identify and gather appropriate resources so that we can all work together / “I solved it two ways but found out that … worked better for this solution.”
Book Club - ideas build on each other
Turn taking - discussion, conversation, debates
Learning to disagree respectfully in an academic setting
“I hear what you are saying, but have you tried…”
“I did it a different way…”
“Can you show me how you…?”

Listening with Understanding and Empathy

Question for consideration: In what ways do we provide opportunities for students to listen to one another and pay attention to how well they understand what the other person is saying? How do they take into consideration the other person’s feelings? Are students able to hold on to their own thoughts and pay close attention to what another is saying?

The nature of the task has to be designed to invite thinking. The importance of listening is to make certain that students are paying attention to the other person’s thinking so that they can understand, empathize, and extend their own and their partner’s thinking.

What does it mean for students? / Opportunities for Learning / Coaching Language used to develop the habit
The student will be able to...
●  Listen, pause, paraphrase, and probe to understand the other person’s ideas.
●  Empathize with how another person is feeling by paying attention to the body language as well as the words that are expressed.
●  Focus my attention on the target audience with whom I am involved / ●  Google docs
●  Centers
●  Learning Stations
●  Social Engagement within academic tasks
●  Responsive Classroom
●  Readers and Writers Workshop
●  Math Workshop
●  Project Based Learning
●  Team work / “As you listen to ___ what do you notice about how she is feeling?”
“What do you understand about what XX just said?”
Grade / What does it look like? / What does sound like?
K-1 / I can…
●  Wait for my turn to speak
●  Look at the speaker and make eye contact
●  Turn my body toward the speaker
●  Nod my head and recognize the other person’s feelings, emotions and behaviors.
●  Use thumbs up/down to tell the speaker I agree or disagree. / My voice is off until it’s my turn.
“I am not sure I understand…”
“So what you are saying is…”
“I see that you are feeling…”
“I heard you say…”
“I disagree because…”
2-3 / I can…
●  Pay attention to and not dismiss another person's thoughts, feelings, and ideas
●  Seek to put myself in the other person's shoes
●  Tell others when I can relate to what they are expressing
●  Hold my thoughts until I have heard what the other person is saying.
●  Wait to share my ideas / “I understand what you are trying to say and I think…”
“I see you are feeling sad…”
“I see you are frustrated. How can I help you solve…”
“I like when you said…”
4-5 / I can…
●  Hold my thoughts at a distance in order to respect another person's point of view and feelings.
●  Consider the speaker’s perspective. / “When you said that it made me think of…”
“I understand that you are thinking…”
“Is what you are saying…”
“How do you know that is the case…?”
“I am wondering why…”

Thinking Flexibly

Questions for consideration: Where do we see students thinking about alternative perspectives? What are some of the opportunities and settings that we provide for students so that they can think flexibly?

The nature of the tasks need to encourage more than one way or option for thinking. These options include a variety of strategies. What structures are provided such as book clubs designed for multiple perspectives or a debate in which students can argue from more than one point of view.

What does it mean for students? / Opportunities for Learning / Coaching Language used to develop the habit
The student will be able to...
●  Envision a range of possibilities/ outcomes
●  Adapt to uncertainty and confusion
●  Consider multiple perspectives
●  Anticipate misunderstandings and generate alternatives
●  Change my own opinions and perspectives based on new ideas and understandings / Reading/ Writing Workshops:
●  Debate/ Opinion Unit
●  Book Clubs
●  Virtual Book Clubs (Schoology)
Math Workshops:
●  Number Talks
●  Problem Solving Strategies (3 Reads, Guess & Check, etc.)
●  Ten Minute Math
Other:
●  STEAM Process/ The Scientific Method
●  Gallery Walks
●  Imagination Playground
●  Discussion Boards
●  Research
●  Turn and Talk
●  Conferring
●  Responsive Classroom / ●  “How else can you solve this?”
●  “Let’s think of more ideas before we decide which one to use.”
●  “What did you do when you were stuck?”
Grades / What does it look like? / What does it sound like?
4 - 5 / I can…
●  Envision a range of possibilities/ outcomes
●  Shift my mind and adapt to new perspectives
●  Think of new ideas when I am not sure whether something is working
●  Keep my mind open to new ideas
●  Generate alternatives / ●  “On the other hand”
●  “I hear what you’re saying. However, have you considered…”
●  “Now that I’ve heard you explain ____, I’m now thinking that…”
●  “I hear what you’re saying, now I realize…”
●  “Another way to solve this is ___” (multiple strategies)

DRAFT 4/3/17