Denise Nessel
Developing Language and Thinking Through Engaging and Ambiguous Instruction

What do you think you’re doing?

Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston

No new strategies, teaching is more than strategies.  What can I do that is different from what I did on Friday?  Do we have to keep doing this–the same thing over and over.  So we want to go beyond strategies.

Conditional Instruction
Key word priming:  Flexibility, dog toy, active, gaps, might be, one way, might be, agency

Conditional Instruction is instruction that focuses on the situated and conditional nature of facts and knowledge, participants encounter information in an open rather than absolute format.

Conditional and ambiguous instruction.

“…our natural inclination to fill in the gaps and make sense of the world.”  (Ritchhart, p. 141) This is a natural tendency that all humans have.  It creates a need to understand.

Poetry Puzzles

1. You choose: solo, pair, triad, whole group
2. Cut out the words
3. Create a poem
4. Share

What does conditional instruction have to do with the connection between language and cognition?

“When we take in new information and facts, conditionally, as something that ‘might be’ or as ‘one way’ rather than absolutes, the mind engages more actively.”  (Ritchhart p. 143)

Of what benefit is this for our English language learners?

Allows students to play with language–parts of speech, semantics, practice, syntax.  Opportunity to work with others.  Words with multiple meanings. Vocabulary development.

SIM: Lines and dots game. Play with a partner.  Complete Graph, HEXI–digital version of SIM, Gustavus Simmons–creator of SIM.

What kind of thinking do you need to play the game? Prediction, visualize, simple math, make a plan, hypothetical thinking.

A: IRE/IRF Sequence:  Prompt/question, then feedback

B: Conversational discussion

Discussion:  First set of questions: one answer–one person :: When was he born?; second set: open ended–collaborative :: what was interesting to you in the article? Discuss first.

NOTE :: 3.5 million troops :: 3.5 million teachers

Classroom language/discourse affects different types of thinking in the classroom. Be conscious of what you say and how you ask questions.

“Lifeless instruction and reluctant student engagement and thinking may be viewed as fundamental problem of instructional discourse.”  Nystrand, et al. (1997)

Good discourse is authentic.  Authentic discourse produced better instruction.

Comprehension of difficult text can be significantly enhanced by replacing traditional I-R-E questioning.

What is thinking? How can we increase thinking in the context of engagement and ambiguity?

Emotion is the skeleton of cognition.

Reuven F.–movie

Belief is generated by a need.  If you believe you will achieve.
Human beings are modifiable.  Not just behavior, but actually the neural system can be modified.  Our behavior modifies our brains, just as our brains modify our behavior. Brains are modifiable and if we believe that, we can do the necessary adjustments to make that possible.

Isn’t great to know that everyone can be modified?

POC: Mediating for motivating and self-actualizing

• what are the students strengths?
• what are the gifts we receive from them?

Voice
Guided dialogical thinking
Dialogue
Discourse
Opportunity for investment
Feedback

Stephanie Rome

Focus on the Pedagogy of Confidence
Equity, Justice, and Simple Fairness

Community Builder: Just Like
Complete this statement: I am __________, just like __________.
Think of someone you identify with–historical person, someone notable,  someone you know.
Jot down thoughts,  join circle, and share.
Why would you use this with students/teachers? Connect with others. Getting to know others. Frame of reference.

Whats in your conference bag?

Intellectual Character
ISTE Standards
NUA Comprehensive Strategies Overview book
Writing to Read

Community Builder: Symbolic representation of language
1. What is the most critical element of the POC?
2. Share at table–what and why
3. Focus on one.
4. Construct a human sculpture
5. On your turn, say the element 3 times and then form the sculpture and hold for three seconds.

What is the connection between symbolic representation and intelligence? Tapping into others part of the brain.  Higher order thinking.  Show case other types of intelligence.  Constructing meaning. Symbols represent concepts.

Jeff Branzberg–How can we help increase student voice and self-directed learning?
What are the prerequisites students need to engage in complex thinking processes? Modeling of thinking, confidence, schema, prior knowledge, vocabulary, motivation, understanding, competence.

What are some ideas for using technology to help address student prerequisites?

1. Multimedia time line–xtimeliner–http://www.xtimeline.com/
2. VoiceThread–http://voicethread.com/
3. WebQuests
4. Google Maps–http://maps.google.com

Yvette Jackson
Pedagogy of Confidence Cont.

How does ones frame of reference affect how one solves problems?

Intelligence: the propensity of an individual to adapt or change if the need is present.

The Birmingham Children’s Crusade
The Children’s Crusade was the name bestowed upon a march by hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2 and May 3, 1963, during the American Civil Rights Movement’s Birmingham Campaign. Initiated and organized by Rev. James Bevel, the purpose of the march was to walk downtown to talk to the mayor about segregation in their city. Many children left their schools in order to be arrested, set free, and then to get arrested again the next day. (Wikipedia, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Crusade_%28civil_rights%29)

What is driving the kids? What is their belief?  The kids felt that it was their duty.  They knew that their parents could not, so they took it on.

The children of Birmingham are empowered to take action to make a change for justice and equal rights.

Comparison between the Birmingham Children’s Crusade and Dumbledore’s Army

The science of learning and HIP: L: (U+M) (C1+C2)

Reuven Feuerstein via SKYPE–technology is not working
Take 2–still not working.

Reflective Walks for this afternoon–what you have heard so far and what are the implications?  1:00 to 1:30.

Themes: Equity, Justice, Simple Fairness

Community Builder:  Dream Practice
What is an essential practice that if all schools took it on would change the world?  Share with others.

Practices, Beliefs and Structures

www.poll4.com

Yvette Jackson
What is the Pedagogy of Confidence?
Start with strengths!  Let’s go deep into the pedagogy of confidence.

Reflects: The fearless expectation and support for all students to demonstrate high intellectual performance.

Enables: Teachers and students have voice and leadership for self directed learning

Enacted via: The art and science of learning to create practices that nurture HIP.

Facilliated via: Mediative Learning Communities

Intellectual Character: For educators to effectivly cultivate student’s oritentation towards thinking, we need to be oriented towards thinking.

HIP: Application of Complex levels of thinking for a product

::  Decentering: how do you see from many different perspectives

:: Hypothetico-Deductive Thinking: hypothesizing and reasoning

:: Dialogical Thinking: take multiple perspectives and come up with your own perspective.

:::: FRAME OF REFERENCE ::::

The evolution of the Pedagogy of Confidence:

Beliefs: 
1. Intelligence is modifiable
2. Interconnectedness between culture, language, and cognition
3. Everybody benefits from a focus on HIP

Philosophy:
When given a gifted education, students will show giftedness

Hypothesis:

Theory:

What are the kids of things that need to be enacted to develop a school focused on Pedagogy of confidence?  Buy into the belief. Staff development. Access to data. Focus on strenghts.  Collaborative community. Risk taking and adminstration support.  Leap of Faith::paradigm shift–teachers and students.  Adults position themselves as learners.  Tools to draw from–strategies, tech tools, etc–to support all students individually.  Find ways/means to collaborate more. 

1. Beliefs of all teachers that students can learn
2. Students are part of the discourse
3. School becomes an oasis where strengths are valued and self-directed learning is enabled

How are students lives narrated by others? 
:: It is not what the issue is, but why the issue is and what can be done about it.  This is at the core of the POC.

Assessment: look at the exam and what is the theory/philosophy behind the exam?  What do the students need to be able to do?  What do they need to know?  Other things that came up? 

(ELA Test question)

Do:  Read and write.  Infer. Evaluate for accuracy. Make connections to previous texts. Analyze. Synthesize. Higher level thinking to come up with a low level answer. 

Know: Assumption of previous learning.  Know what the Plymouth colony is. Know what a colony is. Know why people left Europe to begin with.  Know how to take a test. Know QAR to understand the question–author and you question.  Know who and what Indians are–Native Americans.  Concept of 1600’s–colonial times. Europeans–where and who. What is a settlement?  What is a moral?  What are your morals?  What is a good life–how does that compare to the child’s idea of a good life? 

Other: Format of test has changed–how students interact with test.  The descriptive verb for the prompt is wrong. Pretend you are European by descent.  What is the frame of reference? 

If culture can impact cognition, how does that impact assessment/learning?
What is the standard?  What are they trying to get at?  What is the philosophy behind the test? White, western European. 

The expirences the children bring,  affects how the children create meaning.

How would different ethnic groups view the test?  What might they be able to relate to?  Coming to the “new” world.  Ask them.  Concept of movement.  Tell you their frame of reference. Reletives on a different continent.

Culture affects cognition because it create a specific frame of reference. What is the frame of reference the students bring to school?

Culture :: Language :: Cognition

 —-Windows and Mirrors—-words for children to connect to content and ideas from other people and their frame of reference.

Mediative learning communities create a new culture for and from the group. Our job is to connect to their frame of reference.

High Operational Practices

1. Amplifying student strengths
2. Building relationships
3. Nurturing High Intellectual performances
4. Providing enrichment experiences
5. Incoporating Prerequisites for learning
6. Situating learning in the lives of students

 Philosophical statement about learning:
All students are naturally capable of learning and since intelligence is modifiable, it is our responsibility to start with student strengths, build positive relationships, and meaningfully connect to their frame of reference. All students will flourish given the right conditions.

Snert–a Dutch pea soup and the recipe comes form the Holland America Cruise Line Cookbook: A Taste of Excellence (You should buy this book great stuff in there).  Yummy!

Snert (yield 12 servings)

1 pound green split peas (do not soak)

1 gallon water, plus extra as needed

1/2 pound pork product–ham steak or ham hock

1/2 pound bacon, diced (I use the full pound! Yummmmm…bacon)

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 leek, white and light green parts, well washed and diced

1 celery root, peeled and diced

1 potato, peeled (if desired) and diced

1/2 pound of smoked pork sausage

leaves and inner sprigs only from one bunch of celery, coarsely chopped

Salt, Pepper

Crusty Bread as an accompaniment

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rinse split peas under running water.

In a soup pot brown bacon, then add peas, 2 quarts of water, ham hock or steak and bring to a boil.  Skim off an scum–yum scum.  Remove ham hock, and strain peas and bacon from water.  Rinse peas with water.  Put ham hock, peas, and bacon back into the pot and add 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

After peas and meat reach a gentle simmer, add onion, carrot, leek, celeriac, and potato to the pot and continue to simmer. After 1 1/2 hours add whole smoked sausage and celery leaves and sprigs. When peas are soft and broken (about 2 hours of cooking time) take meat out of the pot with tongs and remove meat from bone.  Cut meat into small pieces and return to pot.  Season soup with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  The soup will be fairly liquid, it will thicken with time.  Be sure to slice the pork sausage before serving.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and serve with bread.