focusing on purpose and meaningful work douglas fisher
TRANSCRIPT
Focusing on Purpose and Meaningful
Work
Douglas Fisher
www.fisherandfrey.com
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Focus Lesson
Guided Instruction
“I do it”
“We do it”
“You do it together”
Collaborative
Independent “You do it alone”
A Structure for Instruction that Works
In some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Focus Lesson “I do it”
Independent
“You do it alone”
In some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Independent
“You do it alone”
And in some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Focus Lesson
Guided Instruction
“I do it”
“We do it”
Independent“You do it alone”
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Focus Lesson
Guided Instruction
“I do it”
“We do it”
“You do it together”
Collaborative
Independent “You do it alone”
A Structure for Instruction that Works
Quality Indicators for Linking Purpose to
Outcomes
The established purpose
focuses on student learning,
rather than an activity,
assignment, or task.
The established purpose contains both
content and language
components.
Students understand the
relevance of the established
purpose.
…making connections between the subject and its application outside
of the classroom walls.
Relevance requires…
What is a language purpose?
• An analysis of the language demands of the task
• An understanding of the way students demonstrate their thinking through spoken or written language
Three Types of Language Purposes
• Vocabulary: (specialized, technical)
• Structure: (the way the vocabulary is used in sentences to express ideas)
• Function: (the intended use of those ideas)
These language purposes build upon one another over a series of lessons.
Vocabulary
• Specialized– Words whose meaning changes depending on the
context (problem, simplify, value)– Multiple meaning words (run, place)
These can be “brick” or “mortar” words
• Technical– Words that represent one concept only
(denominator, photosynthesis)
These are the “bricks” of language
Language Structure
• Grammar/syntax: rules for language use (e.g., plurals, noun/verb agreement)
• Signal words: guideposts to support understanding of listener/reader (e.g., If/then, first, last, compared to)
• Frames and templates: scaffolds for apprentice language users (“On the one hand, ________. But on the other hand, _______.”)
Language Function
• Halliday identified 7 language functions (Instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, imaginative, heuristic, representational)– These are translated into classroom interactions
(express an opinion, summarize, persuade, question, entertain, inform, sequence, disagree, debate, evaluate, justify)
The “big a-ha”
The same content objective can have many different language purposes!
CO: Identify the phases of the moon.LP #1: Name the phases of the moon. (vocabulary)LP #2: Use sequence words (first, next, last) to describe the phases of the moon. (structure)LP #3: Explain how the moon, earth, and sun move through the phases. (function)
Relevance requires…
…opportunities to learn about oneself
as a learner.
Relevance requires…
… learning for learning’s sake.
Students can
explain the established
purpose in their own
words.
Physical properties: Characteristics or properties that can be observed without changing the identify of the substance are called physical properties.
Shape Electricity conductivity Color Magnetism Volume Mass Buoyancy
Classify objects (e.g., rocks, plants, leaves) in accordance with appropriate criteria.
How would you want your students to respond to the
question:
What are you learning from this lesson?
The teacher designs
meaningful experiences and
outcomes aligned with the established purpose.
Quality Indicator #1
Complexity of Task: The task is a
novel application of a grade-level appropriate concept and is designed so that the outcome is not
guaranteed (a chance for productive failure exists).
Quality Indicator #2Joint attention to tasks or materials
Students are interacting with one another to build each other’s knowledge. Outward
indicators include body language and
movement associated with meaningful
conversations, and shared visual gaze on materials.
Quality Indicator #3Argumentation not arguing:
Student use accountable talk to persuade, provide evidence, ask
questions of one another, and disagree
without being disagreeable.
Quality Indicator #4
Language support: Written, verbal, teacher, and peer supports
are available to boost academic language usage.
Quality Indicator #5
Grouping: Small groups of 2-5 students are purposefully constructed to maximize individual strengths without magnifying areas of
needs (heterogeneous grouping).
Quality Indicator #6
Teacher role: What is the teacher
doing while productive group work is
occurring?
The teacher has a plan for
determining when the established purpose
has been met.
Purpose = ExpectationsPurpose = Expectations
Taking it Back
Discuss with your elbow partner how you will infuse this discussion on PURPOSE with your current work.