Discussion Builders Workshop

Who Should Participate

The Discussion Builders Workshop provides a quick but invaluable look inside effective classroom discussions, and prepares teachers to implement immediately several evidence-based, effective teaching strategies that foster oral and written academic language. This one-day workshop is ideal for K-8 teachers who would like to help students overcome academic, linguistic, and social barriers in classroom discussions. Although originally created for mathematics, the discussion tools and theories can be applied within any subject area and are especially beneficial for English learners.

What Resources Support Your Learning

Classroom discussions promote academic success by building powerful communication and reasoning skills. Discussion Builders posters help students of all achievement levels build these crucial skills. Sentence stems on the posters provide students with a scaffold for voicing their ideas and questions and valuing others' contributions. The posters are powerful tools for helping students — including English language learners — present and expand on their ideas. The three levels of posters and teaching guides scaffold progressively more sophisticated language and reasoning across the grades. A quick-guide for teachers explains how to get students talking — and thinking — more conceptually. The guide includes tasks and blackline masters for introducing and sustaining the use of Discussion Builders in any subject area. Teachers at Discussion Builders Workshops receive one poster and Teaching Guide appropriate to their grade level: either K–1, 2–3, or 4–8.

What You Learn

In this one-day workshop, K–8 teachers will:

• Learn how to help students overcome academic, linguistic, and social barriers in classroom discussions.
• Think about the role of academic language development in academic success.
• Practice facilitating productive discussions in mathematics, literature, social studies, and other content areas.

Goals for Institute Participants

Return to your classroom comfortable in leading effective discussions that boost collaborative and respectful critical thinking among your students.

Who Facilitates Your Learning

Workshops will be led by Alma Ramirez, who co-directs Math Pathways and Pitfalls at WestEd with Carne Barnett-Clarke. Ramirez works with K–8 teachers using mathematics case discussions as a catalyst for enhancing pedagogical content knowledge and co-develops case-like instructional materials for students in grades K–8. Her work is focused on increasing equity in mathematics education for students and increasing diversity in leadership in mathematics education. Ramirez was a bilingual elementary and middle school mathematics teacher for nine years and has served as a consultant and teacher for a variety of mathematics projects, including EQUALS, Family Math, and the Head Start Math Readiness Project. She has considerable expertise in mathematics teaching and learning, second language acquisition, and teacher professional development. She has edited mathematics resources, authored chapters for well-known textbook publishers, and led numerous presentations at various professional meetings.

What Is the Cost

The workshop, poster, and Teaching Guide cost only $350 per participant. Teachers participating in teams of three or more are eligible to attend the workshop for $300 each.

Contact Information

Kate D. Darling
510.302.4253
kdarlin@wested.org