PESTL Professional Learning Community (PLC)
Making Thinking Visible – Talk and Argument

Assignment
Come to the PLC meeting having read Pages 87 – 94 andwritten responses to the questions below in # C - 1-3. / PESTL Learning Community Activity # 1
Science Talk and Argument
  1. Artifact – Be prepared to discuss your classroom rules

Pre-Session Reading / Ch. 5
PP 87 –94 / Read and highlight important ideas. Come to the PLC prepared to discuss the section.
  1. Introductory Activity – Round Robin

Introductory Activity- Quickly review the reading on assigned pages and your highlights. /
  • Describe one idea or strategy youuse regularly to increase student science discussion and thinking.
  • Compare described strategies to the ideas in RSS.

  1. Answer thethree questions below and come prepared to discuss each – Open Discussion

  1. How does science argument differ from the common use of the word “argument?”

  1. When teaching science, how do you incorporate talk and argument into your classroom?

  1. Compare IRE to science talk and describe the most appropriate uses of each.

Reading During Session / Ch. 5
PP 95 – 96 / Science Classroom - ESTABLISHING CLASSROOM NORMS FOR DISCUSSION
  1. Discussion question for session – Open Discussion

  1. How did Ms. Carter establish an environment of cooperation and respect?
  2. Compare Ms. Carter’s classroom to your classroom.
  3. What are the intellectual expectations and rules for your classroom and how do you communicate them to students and parents?

  1. Artifacts and Ideas – Open Discussion

  1. Discuss plans you now have for implementing the concepts of this lesson “Talk and Argument – Activity #1” in your classroom.
  2. Compare your classroom rules to the ones presented in RSS as Ms. Carter’s rules.
  3. Do your rules focus on aspects that encourage discussion?
  4. Do you have rules that facilitate thinking and learning?
  5. What would you change if anything to connect your rules to learning?
  6. Please plan to share implementation at the next PLC.

  1. Self-Reflection

  1. Write down your plans for implementing what you have learned into your classroom.

Facilitator Discussion Starters

The following are examples of discussion starters you may wish to use during the learning community.

Section C.
  1. Discuss the value for having various formats for talk and science argument.
  2. Ask teachers to discuss if they have used position driven discussions and the value of position driven discussions.
  3. Initiate a discussion on the difficulties of talk and science argument classroom discussions (see page 92).

Section D.
  1. Why do you think that contributions of whole group and small group science talk and scientific argument is productive?
  2. Do you think mottos such as “No single student is as smart as all of us put together” (p.95) are effective and do you use any mottos in your classroom? If so, please share.
  3. Do you think the green cards and the procedures Ms. Carter has established are a bit overdone? What do you do?