Accountability Talk

With all this talk of high stakes testing and teacher accountability, is it possible to have fun teaching?  If you visited my classroom this year, the answer is an absolute YES you can!  I was almost giddy with excitement as I listened to my students' conversation about their discovery, learning, and problem-solving. 

In order to process new knowledge or information, students must have peer interaction.  Discourse among students helps extend their understanding.  This idea was one of Lev Vygotsky’s contributions to the world of education. Although educators know that peers can scaffold new learning effectively through active educational discourse, we (as teachers) are reluctant to allow collaborative discussions.  Why?  We are afraid of losing control and losing valuable instructional time.

Accountable talk (or Math Talk) is student-centered academic classroom talk that includes a variety of cognitive functions that help students explain their thinking. During “Accountable Talk”, students are accountable to their learning community, to the knowledge, and to rigorous thinking.  Students are accountable to their learning community by listening, summarizing, adding on to peer’s statements, or directing attention to the importance of a peer’s statement.  Students are accountable to the knowledge by checking understanding, explaining how he/she arrived at the answer, giving examples and support, or linking new knowledge to previous knowledge.  Finally, students are accountable to rigorous thinking by defending their reasoning and asking their peer to explain or provide evidence.

I model how to use "Accountable Talk" beginning the first week of school. In order for students to use Accountable Talk fluently and with fidelity, it takes modeling and practice! Each student receives a bookmark with conversation starters as well as a reference sheet with these same conversation starters that is kept in their interactive notebook.

  
To see my bookmarks and posters, please click HERE!

"Accountability Talk" in my classroom takes on many forms.  From "Reciprocal Teaching" to "Response Chaining" my students converse with each other academically.  This discourse is respectful and purposeful!