WSRA Presentation Pennell

8/7/2019 WSRA Presentation Pennell

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Teacher Discourse in a SecondGrade Writing Workshop


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Practice case study methodology

District writing curriculum adoption

Mrs. S.: strong background in writing

instruction & training through TCRWP

Second grade Unit of StudyAuthors as

Mentors


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Writing Workshop revolves around Unit of

Study (genres of writing)

Mini-lesson (5-10 minutes) connect

teach

active engagement (turn and talk)

link to ongoing work

Independent Writing and Conferring (45 min)

Sharing (5 minutes)Calkins, 1986


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Mrs. S. maintained predictable format

mini-lesson architecture consistent

stamina of students

However, there was something more


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TRADITIONAL (MONOLOGIC)

Initiate, Respond, Evaluate

Initiate teacher initiatesquestion

Respond student responds

Evaluate or provide feedback teacher evaluates or

provides feedback default setting

(Cazden,2001)

DIALOGIC

Purposeful exchange of

ideas Students build on

questions/ideas with oneanother

Not always teacher

centered Student knowledge and

expertise valued

(Alexander, 2009)


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Collective: Teachers and children approach learningcollectively. Learning is not done in isolation.

Reciprocal: Ideas are listened and shared; all

viewpoints are reflected upon. Supportive: Students share ideas without fear of

being wrong; other students support in theunderstanding of new learning.

Cumulative: Thoughts develop through dialogue.Meaning is strengthened through inquiry and theexploration of ideas.

Purposeful: Teachers have learning goals and utilizeclassroom dialogue as a means to achieve them.

(Alexander, 2009)


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1. Deepened student understanding: dialogic

2. Facilitated student writing identity: dialogic

3. Powerful formative assessment tool:dialogic and traditional


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They like to talk, and I think that the teacherdoesnt have to be involved all of the time. They

have to put that responsibility on theirpeers....you know, nobody can get by without

learning because everybody is involved. We

used to call on one person, one person did the

thinking and everyone else just sat there.

(S.S., personal communication, September 24, 2009).


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Partner talk was integral in understanding of acomeback line

Teacher not locus of knowledge all opinions

mattered Mrs. Schultz encourages differing viewpoints

there is not one right answer Traditional Discourse would have asked:

Where should we put the comeback line? Student responds Teacher evaluates response Only certain members have access to the literacy

club (Smith, 1987)


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Dialogic discourse at the heart of conferring

Dialogic discourse allows the teacher to focus

on the writer notthe writing


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Mrs. Schultz: Anything else youd like to try? (focus on thewriter, not the writing researching the writer)

Chloe: Id like to use ellipsis in the story but I dont know

where.

(Chloes response provides Mrs.

S.

a teaching point) Mrs. Schultz: You dont know where? Okay, lets look back

and look at Mr. Putter and Tabby and see where she usesellipsis. Read through that Chloe and see how she uses thatellipsis there. (Chloe reads). It slows us down and it tells us

that something is going to happen. Do you see how CynthiaRylant used that ellipsis in this book? Chloe: Yeah, (Chloe reads aloud) For the next big snow dot

dot dot. Dot dot dot means it slows us down.Conference moves forward with Chloe trying ellipsis in herwriting


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Teachers should become aware of their own

discourse

Dialogic Discourse is at the heart of WritingWorkshop

Toolbox of discourse strategies important

Future Directions: active engagement is once

during the mini-lesson should we providemore?


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1. We dont do rude.

2. You can never be unkind to another human; we dont laughat others ideas or roll our eyes.

3. You never raise your hand.

4. Use your mouth and your manners; if two people talk at thesame time each decide who will go first I hear more thanone voice, you need to work this out

5. Think for 40 seconds; then turn and talk in a whisper listen

and add to what your neighbor says. Whispering requireslistening: 40 seconds of thinking 40 seconds of sharing

Share to the group the ideas of your partner. You arelearning to honor the thinking of others.

(L. Laminack, personal communication, December 8, 2009)


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http://digitalreadingteacher.blogspot.com

Full Case Study available in the Summer, 2010Journal of WSRA

Pennell, C., 2010. Improving student writing

through classroom talk: A case study. WSRAJournal, Vol. 49 (2), pp 5-18


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Alexander, R. (2009). Towards dialogic teaching: Rethinkingclassroom talk(4th ed). Thirsk: Dialogos.

Calkins, L. (2009).A quick guide to teaching second grade

writers with units of study. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Calkins, L. (1986). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth:NH. Heinemann.

Cazden, C. (2001). Classroom discourse:The language ofteaching and learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Smith, F. (1987).Joining the literacy club: Further essays intoeducation. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

WSRA Presentation Pennell

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