Does a Discussion by Any Other Name Sound the Same? Teaching Discussion in Three ELA Methods Courses

Abstract

Facilitating discussions in English Language Arts can develop students’ skills as speakers and listeners and their ability to engage with diverse perspectives. However, classroom observations often demonstrate a lack of student talk, raising questions about the complexity of facilitating discussion and teachers’ opportunities to learn and hone the practice. In this article, we discuss how teacher educators leveraged a collaboratively designed specification of the practice of facilitating discussions to attempt some alignment across three programs. The teacher educators reached what we call alignment amid variation. There was consistency in the stances regarding the role of children in classrooms and understanding of the purposes for and key aspects of the practice that allowed for alignment amid variation in their work with novice teachers across programs. Our findings have implications for considering the work of cross-institutional collaborations to improve teacher preparation and K-12 student learning.

Decomposition of Practice as an Activity for Research-Practice Partnerships

“…Ground decomposition in vision of practice . Existing scholarship on decomposition of practice emphasizes the importance of grounding decomposition in a deeper vision of practice (e.g., Alston et al, 2018 ; Zeichner, 2012 ). This vision of practice serves as a lens for interpreting identified components of practice and supporting incorporation into a “whole” practice that is responsive to specific context and relationships.…”

“…For an example of decomposition of practice, we turn to Alston, Danielson, Dutro, and Cartun’s ( 2018 ) work in the design of English language arts methods courses. The study examines a group of teacher educators who engaged in decomposition of the teaching practice of facilitation of English language arts classroom discussions.…”

“…First, to support learning of practice in a way that allows for effective improvisation, decompositions of practice need to be grounded in a broader vision for practice (e.g., Kloser, 2014 ). In Alston et al ( 2018 ), discussion facilitation was decomposed in relation to a particular view about teaching and learning that included a commitment to “shifting the power dynamics during classroom discussions in ways that privilege student thinking” (p. 230). For the teacher educators in the study, supporting learners to see the structure of practice was inextricably tied to developing understanding of this vision.…”

“…Second, within this vision of instruction, the teacher educators in Alston and colleagues’ ( 2018 ) study collaboratively developed a framework of components of the practice of facilitating discussion, including launching the discussion, creating opportunities for student talk, coordinating student participation, taking up student ideas, and making contributions. Within each component, the group identified subpractices.…”

“…Alston and colleagues ( 2018 ) then examined how this collaborative effort to decompose facilitation of discussions influenced how three teacher educators planned, designed, and supported novice learning. Notably, analysis revealed significant variation in how teacher educators used the framework; adaptations reflected context, including local language, teacher education program structure, and teachers’ grade levels.…”