Bridges Most Loved Articles

By Institute for Learning

English Language Arts

• • Questioning the Author: A Powerful Approach to Promote Student Understanding of Complex Texts | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)Questioning the Author is a discussion-based approach that supports students in studying and understanding complex texts. Comprehension work is an essential piece of any text-based task. If students don’t get the gist of the text or grasp an author’s ideas, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to do deeper analytic and interpretive work. It is especially important for emerging readers and emergent multi-lingual students to be able to access the big ideas of a text while building their comprehension muscles.

• • The Science of Reading: Looking Beyond Phonics Instruction | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)The Science of Reading seems to be everywhere, from literacy research journals to mainstream media outlets. A recent Google search of the science of reading yielded over 4 billion results. Much of what we see and hear focuses on how to support children in their ability to decode words and the importance of systematic phonics instruction. But is that all there is to it? Check out this article to learn more the science of reading, an approach that prioritizes basic science with a scope that encompasses more than just phonics.

• • Using 4 Learner-Centered Routines to Build Positive Math Identity in Equitable Classrooms | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)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 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.

• • Are You Wishing Math Content Knowledge Into Your Students? 6 Questions to Ask Yourself to Find Out | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)As teachers, especially those of us who specialize in a content area, we are considered content experts. So where is the line between asking students to acquire our content knowledge and orchestrating opportunities for them build their own? Take the quiz and then read about the practices to distinguish between those that wish content knowledge into students from those that support their construction of it!

• • Using Accountable Talk® Practices to Build the Mind | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)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. We believe intelligence is a set of problem-solving and reasoning capabilities, along with the habits of thinking that lead one to use those capabilities regularly. This article briefly gets into a few ideas that can get talk started.

• • Accountable Talk® Discussions: Solidifying Knowledge and Engaging in Rigorous Thinking Alongside Others in a Collaborative Community | Bridges to Learning (pitt.edu)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.

®Accountable Talk is a registered trademark of the University of Pittsburgh.