As we continue to discuss the science of reading, let’s not neglect the role of background knowledge.

As we continue to discuss the science of reading, let’s not neglect the role of background knowledge.

While phonics and the work in the word recognition strand of Scarborough’s reading rope are critical to becoming a skilled reader, what’s often neglected in conversations around reading policy is the work encompassed by the language comprehension strand, particularly the role that background knowledge plays in reading comprehension. This is a piece of work that secondary teachers can immediately add into their instruction without specialized knowledge about teaching phonics.

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Supercharging Three Common Practices in Math Classrooms 

Supercharging Three Common Practices in Math Classrooms 

This article explores the benefits of three common instructional practices: prompting turn and talks, using and connecting representations, and facilitating whole group discussions. We look at two different ways of implementing each of the powerful practices, to highlight ways their use can be maximized to further increase student engagement with each other and the mathematics.

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Planning for Charting In and Across Lessons 

Planning for Charting In and Across Lessons 

Check out our second article about charting, one of our favorite learner-centered routines! We consider charting a learner-centered routine because the act of charting allows in-the-moment thinking to be documented so that it can be revisited, revised, and refined over the course of a lesson and across lessons. In this article we share some questions that can be used in the planning process to think about what and when to use charting.

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The Power of Public Charting in Math Classrooms to Engage Every Student in Accountable Talk® Discussions

The Power of Public Charting in Math Classrooms to Engage Every Student in Accountable Talk® Discussions

In many mathematics classrooms, there is no shortage of charts and posters adorning the walls. However, often these charts and posters are premade or purchased and are not co-authored with students. Charting for the purposes of public marking of students’ ideas or a reference tool that is publicly available and focuses on deep, meaningful math structure should be a learner-centered routine that serves students. Read these tips for incorporating or bettering the use of charts in your math classroom.

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Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement: Lessons Learned

Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement: Lessons Learned

The Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement has been working together for the past five years to improve 9th grade on-track literacy for college and career readiness for African American and Hispanic students, as well as those in living in poverty. In our first article, we shared a little about the work we’ve done with teachers to understand the problems of practice in ELA in DISD schools; how we’ve partnered with teachers to enact instructional changes; and how those changes have had an impact on student achievement. In this article, we share a little about the lessons we’ve learned about coaching for improvement, developing instructional coherence, and adaptive integration.

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Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement: Enacting Instructional Change in ELA

Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement: Enacting Instructional Change in ELA

The Dallas ISD/IFL Network for School Improvement has been working together for the past five years to improve 9th-grade on-track literacy for college and career readiness for African American and Hispanic students, as well as those living in poverty. As we begin to wrap up our final year collaborating with Dallas, we’ll share a little about the work we’ve done with teachers to understand the problems of practice in ELA in their schools, how we’ve partnered with teachers to enact instructional changes, and how those changes have had an impact on student achievement. This article is the first in a two-article series.

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Relational Thinking: Text to Text, Self, and World Connections in MATH!

Relational Thinking: Text to Text, Self, and World Connections in MATH!

It is common in ELA classrooms for students to leverage relational thinking around text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections. What does this kind of relational thinking look like in math class and how can it benefit students? This article, the second in the series, uses classroom scenarios to look at how these connections provide opportunities for students to become stronger mathematicians and for teachers to implement more equitable teaching practice.

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Relational Thinking in Mathematics Classrooms: Numeric and Algebraic Reasoning

Relational Thinking in Mathematics Classrooms: Numeric and Algebraic Reasoning

People of all ages and in all spaces use relational thinking on a regular basis. Relational thinking, generally speaking, involves using existing understanding to reason about and make sense of novel information or situations to deepen and/or construct new understanding. In recent years, the IFL math team has been exploring ideas related to relational thinking and its role in teaching and learning mathematics for understanding.

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“Esto Si lo Puedo Hacer!”: Creating Opportuinities for Success when Teaching Academic Vocabulary in Mathematics

“Esto Si lo Puedo Hacer!”: Creating Opportuinities for Success when Teaching Academic Vocabulary in Mathematics

Too often we hear the suggestion to pre-teach math terms to multilingual students, an action that prefences memorization over meaning making. Though well intended, this approach limits opportunities for students to engage in sense making of the mathematical concepts and relationships they are studying. There is a better and more equitable way! This article shares four pedalogical choices that foster student success in the math classroom while positioning multilingual learners as leaders.

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Letting The Students’ Work Lead: Designing a student-centered math intervention program

Letting The Students’ Work Lead: Designing a student-centered math intervention program

If you want the results to be different, then you must do things in a different way. For one school, this meant taking a hard look at the types of opportunities provided to students to think and reason about mathematics across tiers of instruction. They knew that wanting to increase and improve mathematical understanding for all learners, meant systemic changes related to the instructional materials, teaching practices, and school scheduling. It also meant that everyone had to be on board! This article is the first of a two-part series that explores one school’s efforts to change their system of mathematics intervention to better meet the needs of every student (and every teacher) across all tiers of instruction.

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Defining the Post-Pandemic New Normal: 6 Things to Think About for School Reopening

Defining the Post-Pandemic New Normal: 6 Things to Think About for School Reopening

Examining ways that school systems can rethink preparation for high-stakes testing, so that it does not highjack the rest, can help establish a post-pandemic new normal. Based on our research-informed work in schools and classrooms, no matter how well-intended, the current system of rewards and sanctions tied to test scores has negatively impacted opportunities for meaningful, high-quality learning experiences that prepare learners for college, career, and community engagement. This has disproportionately impacted students of color, those impacted by poverty, and multi-language learners.

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Making Space for Creativity Using A Mathematics Lesson Routine

Making Space for Creativity Using A Mathematics Lesson Routine

Creativity in mathematics abounds at the intersection of belief and practice! When the belief that all learners are doers of mathematics and enter the classroom with valuable lived math experiences intersects with the use of a lesson routine that offers space for students to do the thinking, learners become the creators and authors of the material from which they learn.

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4 Effective Communication Strategies in Multilingual Math Classrooms

4 Effective Communication Strategies in Multilingual Math Classrooms

“If you cannot read the word problem, you cannot do the math.” This statement is false on many levels! Students who are receiving math instruction in a language other than their native language are doers of mathematics! And as teachers, it is our job to utilize specific strategies that allow every student in each of our classrooms to engage in thinking deeply about the mathematics. In this article we share four strategies for math teachers to use when working with multilingual students who are working on their English skills while also learning math.

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Liberating Your Summer Readers

Liberating Your Summer Readers

A district’s goal for summer reading should be to help students continue to build their independent reading skills and to foster a love of reading. Students who take up summer reading typically have access to compelling books and choice in what they read (Shin & Krashen, 2008). To achieve a reading program with books that engage students, student voice should be central to summer reading lists.

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Mathematical Representations: A Window into Student Thinking

Mathematical Representations: A Window into Student Thinking

Representations are windows into student thinking and reasoning. In a time of virtual classrooms, using visual representations is more complex, but as important as ever. If a teacher values students’ thinking, they need to consider how to make it possible for all students to represent that thinking. This article addresses the use of representations and the questions that help students connect representations to deepen understanding of math concepts.

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Accountable Talk® Discussions: Solidifying Knowledge and Engaging in Rigorous Thinking Alongside Others in a Collaborative Community

Accountable Talk® Discussions: Solidifying Knowledge and Engaging in Rigorous Thinking Alongside Others in a Collaborative Community

Accountable Talk discussions require teachers and their students to support one another and mutually create a classroom community committed to using and building accurate knowledge and engaging in rigorous thinking. Everyone involved understands and is accountable for respecting each other and the learning community, as a whole. This begins with recognizing and honoring each person’s different lived experiences because every person brings vital knowledge and valuable assets to the learning community. This article provides a general understanding of Accountable Talk discussions and serves as a basis to begin exploring this high-leverage practice.

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Using 4 Learner-Centered Routines to Build Positive Math Identity in Equitable Classrooms

Using 4 Learner-Centered Routines to Build Positive Math Identity in Equitable Classrooms

Every person is a “math person” and using learner-centered routines can support students in seeing themselves as doers of mathematics. This article, the second of a two-part series, shares how’s and why’s of four learner-centered routines that provide opportunities for students to build positive math identity by creating space for voice, agency, and actually doing mathematics.

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4 Go-To Learner-Centered Routines to Bolster Math Discussions, In-Person and Online

4 Go-To Learner-Centered Routines to Bolster Math Discussions, In-Person and Online

Learner-centered routines are valuable tools for educators because the routines help to spur discussion based on student input, support students as they construct understanding, improve how students see themselves as mathematicians, and create opportunities for formative assessment. This article, the first of a two-part series, shares four learner-centered routines that work in-person and online during mathematics discussions. The second article, coming out on December 1, explores how these four routines can be used to create space for student voice and agency and support them in developing positive mathematical identities as doers of mathematics.

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Remote Coaching for Rigorous and Engaging Online Classroom Discussions: Layering New Forums with Fresh Insights

Remote Coaching for Rigorous and Engaging Online Classroom Discussions: Layering New Forums with Fresh Insights

Coaches have a critical role in assisting teachers in continuing, rather than abandoning, important pedagogies while teaching online. Read about what is being learned through ongoing research at the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center on how coaches can support teachers remotely to engage students in rigorous and interactive online discussions.

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A New Take on the Learning Walk® Routine to Get Smarter About Teaching and Learning in the Cloud

A New Take on the Learning Walk® Routine to Get Smarter About Teaching and Learning in the Cloud

Many school districts have moved to virtual or hybrid models of instruction and we recognize that using the typical Learning Walk routine, which asks district and school leaders to visit classrooms and provide targeted feedback, doesn’t quite fit in a virtual space. However, we also recognize the need to continue to support district leaders in helping teachers provide high-quality instruction to every student.

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Every Student Needs High Cognitive Demand Instruction

Every Student Needs High Cognitive Demand Instruction

Disrupting inequitable practices, examining biases, creating inclusive and sustainable school environments for students, and finding and cultivating the assets and interest that every student brings to school are part of what is needed for all students to develop to their full potential in and out of school.

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Using Accountable Talk® Practices to Build the Mind

Using Accountable Talk® Practices to Build the Mind

Children are born with the innate capacity to reason beginning at a very young age (Carey, 2009; Gopnik and Wellman, 2012; Spelke and Kinzler, 2007). Very young children build explanatory systems—implicit theories—that organize their knowledge. These theories enable children to predict, explain, and reason about relevant phenomena and, in some cases, intervene to change them.

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