Examining the Instructional Norms That Support Productive Disciplinary Discourse in Whole-Class Discussions

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Measurement and Analysis of Factors Impacting Classroom Culture

Abstract

The latest reform efforts in science education emphasize the centrality of productive disciplinary discourse to learning science with an emphasis on students’ learning to explain and argue. These instructional demands require that teachers master instructional routines that support these disciplinary discursive practices. Novice teachers have difficulty learning to notice and respond to student thinking, a crucial element to promoting productive classroom talk. This paper examines a whole class discussion in one novice science teacher’s classroom to document the teacher moves that promote and manage productive discourse and the instructional norms that support them. Structuring learning experiences around these instructional routines and norms in university teacher education programs can help teachers learn to facilitate these types of productive disciplinary discussions.

Authors

• Jarod N. Kawasaki, University of California - Los Angeles

• Jaime Park, University of California - Los Angeles

• Imelda Nava, University of California - Los Angeles