going to test your understanding of the War of 1812 by asking you some questions about it. You will need to look back at the text to support your answers.” It is important to note that asking a text-dependent question as an assessment or as a way to spark critical thinking does often lead to a rich, engaging discussion and we might find ourselves weaving in and out of discussion and assessment. The key is to be aware of the differences between assessing, supporting higher level thinking, and inviting open conversation and to strive for a balance that will keep learners actively engaged in instructional conversation, even on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
Principle 2: Provide advance organizers to clarify the purpose of the conversation.
Just as it is important to state the purpose when the conversation is about assessment, it’s important to prepare students for rich discussions that will enhance their learning. Meichenbaum and Biemiller (1998) discussed Advance Organizers, straightforward statements to organize the new task within the learner’s existing understanding and enable the learner to situate the upcoming activity to guide their learning. Such simple statements not only define the learning or activity, but it also prepares them for engagement. Examples include:
“We are going to have a question-and-answer session about The Summer My Father was Ten. These questions are a lot like the spring assessment, so this will help you feel more prepared when you take the test.”
“The purpose for our discussion about The Summer My Father was Ten is for you to share your reactions to the story. When we share our thinking with others, it lifts all our understanding.”
Advance organizers are different from writing objectives on the board, which are tied to the outcome. Rather, the organizers are for the learners to know what’s in it for them, how it will help them, and why they should care.
Principle 3: Demonstrate and support conversational norms and moves
Management, in general, is understandably a concern for teachers. My dear mentor and advisor, the late Dr. Linda Dorn (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) often told us that management could make or break anything we try to implement in our classrooms. Fortunately, there are several tools, like demonstration videos and discussion rubrics and checklists (Dorn and Soffos, 2009), to help establish conversational routines and procedures. When students are shown a clear purpose, when they observe and discuss real examples of student conversations, and when they are allowed to practice with timely feedback, they are more likely to participate appropriately and transfer their understanding to new situations. As a literacy coach, I worked with teachers in establishing conversational norms and moves, using the literature discussion rubric as a tool for minilessons in conjunction with videos of discussions. Norms or moves are based on scholarly or social behaviors, such as:
1. Take turns talking.
2. “I agree (or disagree) because…”
3. “I want to add to what ___________ said.”
4. “I think ________ because in the text it says __________.”
Literature discussion rubrics also included procedural items, like:
1. I brought my reflection log and book to the group.
2. I asked questions to enhance the conversation.
3. I kept the conversation going by adding to my peers’ ideas.
4. I supported my thinking with evidence from the text.
5. I made connections to other texts or my own experiences.