Classroom Culture
Supporting the development a classroom culture that values student resources
Session Overview
This two-day professional learning session focuses on developing a classroom culture that supports equitable sensemaking. The PL explicitly focuses on equity, classroom culture, and classroom sensemaking discussions. It assumes the prerequisite completion of the Launch OpenSciEd Professional Development and previous experience teaching an OpenSciEd unit.
Included in this session are opportunities for teachers to:
- Reflect on shifts in classroom culture that support equitable sensemaking.
- Examine student video and learning scenarios to recognize the range of resources students use to make sense of science, consider the features of classroom culture, and identify strategies to support the three main discussion types used in OpenSciEd.
- Identify pedagogical implications and strategies for supporting the development of classroom culture and leveraging student resources.
- Engage in the actual lessons of the unit as a student.
All of the instructional materials associated with this professional learning session are available for download from the instructional materials page.
Session Agenda
Day 1: How do we develop a classroom culture that supports equitable sensemaking?
Participants will figure out:
- The importance of watching for, valuing, and asking students to expand on the different resources they bring to make sense of the anchoring phenomenon routine
- How the OpenSciEd materials can help shift who’s ideas are valued in the science classroom.
- How to co-construct and support community agreements that reflect the experiences and values of students
- There are four features of classroom culture that support equitable sensemaking.
- The anchoring phenomenon routine and storyline for a focal unit.
Length:
- 1 hour—Analyze the Four Features of Classroom Culture and Instructional Strategies to Support them. Watch the classroom videos to see what these four features look like in the classroom and how they support all students in sensemaking.
- 5 hours – Co-construct classroom agreements that value student resources, experience the unit’s anchor, build the unit’s storyline, and experience key lessons.
Day 2: How do we sustain a classroom culture that supports equitable sensemaking?
Participants will figure out:
- Student resources are the ways of speaking, knowing, acting and valuing that students use to make sense of the world
- The purpose of leveraging students’ diverse resources to support their sensemaking.
- The OpenSciEd instructional materials contain teacher moves and instructional support that can be used to encourage and expect students to use their resources in their sensemaking.
- How to encourage and value students’ use of resources to make sense of phenomena, including non-academic language, gesturing, metaphors, storytelling, and other modes of expression
- Key lessons for the focal unit
Length:
- 1 hour – Analysis of classroom vignettes about the diverse resources students bring to the classroom and the teacher moves that support students’ use of their resources. Examine OpenSciEd instructional materials for built-in supports that help teachers support their students’ sensemaking.
- 5 hours – Experience key lessons.
