With a Little Help from My Friends: Conversation-Based Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Classrooms

by Paula J. Mellom, Rebecca K. Hixon, Jodi P. Weber

Overview

This conversation-based approach accelerates language acquisition for EL students and advances academics and social–emotional learning for all. The authors present a research-based pedagogical model to help K–12 teachers modify the way they plan and implement their lessons to better support the linguistic, cognitive, and social–emotional development of culturally and linguistically diverse students.

“The authors remind us that we are working too hard in our roles as providers of knowledge and literacy. Rather, a focus on collaborative interactions among students better enables their autonomy, mutual learning, and self-directed paths to meaning and knowledge. The teacher onus is reduced, yet students’ ownership and confidence are bolstered in more socioconstructive and effectual ways. This work is a must read for all educators!”
—Socorro G. Herrera, Kansas State University and author of Accelerating Literacy for Diverse Learners

“Describes a system of classroom practice that centers on discourse-rich pedagogies. This book makes an important contribution to the growing field of culturally and linguistically sustaining instructional strategies.”
—Cory Buxton, College of Education, Oregon State University

“The authors’ detailed model for achieving ‘joint productive activity’ transforms the mysterious alchemy of ‘great teaching’ into a thoughtful, collaborative, and mindful process all teachers can use to engage students in learning.”
—Betsy R. Rymes, Penn Graduate School of Education

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807777978
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	06/28/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Paula J. Mellom is the associate director of the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE). Rebecca K. Hixon is a postdoctoral research and teaching associate for CLASE. Jodi P. Weber is the assistant director of professional development for CLASE. CLASE is a research and development center housed within the University of Georgia’s College of Education.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Preface xi

Sociocultural Context of Today and Why We Need This Conversation-Based System xi

Evolution of the Arch Model for Collaborative Conversation-Based instruction xii

How to Navigate this Book xvii

1 Introduction 1

Why Conversation as a Means of instruction? 1

The Arch of Collaborative, Conversation-Based Instruction 11

2 Laying the Foundation: Creating a Safe Classroom Environment 15

The Affective Filter and Its Importance in the Classroom 15

Creating Norms for Collaborative Conversations 16

The Importance of Teaching Social-Emotional Skills in Facilitating Academic Engagement 23

3 Building the Columns: Accessing and Capitalizing on Teachers' and Students' Assets 25

Reframing Our Outlook: Funds of Knowledge Are Assets Not Deficits 25

Home Language 27

Background Knowledge and Experience 30

Social interaction Skills 33

Content Literacy Skills 36

Motivations 38

Aptitudes 39

Reviewing Our Assets: The Columns of Strength 45

4 Framing the Scaffolding: Providing Differentiated Support 46

Listening 47

Purposeful Planning 54

Task Cards 56

Complex Questioning 65

Habits of Collaboration Tools 71

The Scaffolding and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) 78

5 Integrating the Voussoir Blocks: Enacting Meaningful, Complex, Collaborative, Conversation-Based Lessons 81

Language and Literacy 82

Contextualization 95

Challenging and Complex Activities 108

Collaboration 115

Purposeful Conversation 123

6 Placing the Keystone: Designing the Joint Productive Activity (JPA) 130

The JPA: The Keystone That Holds the Arch System Together 131

Building a Joint Productive Activity (JPA) 138

Considerations for Getting Started 163

References 167

Index 175

About the Authors 186

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The authors remind us that we are working too hard in our roles as providers of knowledge and literacy. Rather, a focus on collaborative interactions among students better enables their autonomy, mutual learning, and self-directed paths to meaning and knowledge. The teacher onus is reduced, yet students’ ownership and confidence are bolstered in more socioconstructive and effectual ways. This work is a must read for all educators!” —Socorro G. Herrera, Kansas State University and author of Accelerating Literacy for Diverse Learners

“In With a Little Help from My Friends, Mellom and colleagues challenge the narrative by highlighting the learning assets that teachers and students can access, through use of a powerful framing that builds on the experiences shared by teachers and their emergent bilingual learners. Based on the authors’ multiyear study of their large-scale teacher professional development project, they describe a system of classroom practice that centers discourse-rich pedagogies. This book makes an important contribution to the growing field of culturally and linguistically sustaining instructional strategies.”
—Cory Buxton, College of Education, Oregon State University

“With a Little Help from My Friends offers an original approach to understanding and facilitating classroom interaction. Every step along the way, Mellom and her colleagues encourage readers to value the linguistic and cultural diversity that teachers and students inevitably bring to classroom interactions. The authors’ detailed model for achieving 'joint productive activity' transforms the mysterious alchemy of 'great teaching' into a thoughtful, collaborative, and mindful process all teachers can use to engage students in learning.”
—Betsy R. Rymes, Penn Graduate School of Education