Supporting teachers in taking up productive talk moves: The long road to professional learning at scale

Abstract

In this paper we describe our early, qualitative work on “teacher talk moves” such as revoicing, situated within the urban classrooms of highly skilled teachers, including their role in the work of managing multiple constraints while maintaining productive inclusivity. We then describe our attempts to discern the impact of these talk tools on student achievement in multiple classrooms, using both post-hoc controls and in vivo studies. We move on to the challenges present in disseminating this work in professional development settings; our approach includes framing talk tools as rational responses to actual classroom challenges. Finally we describe current efforts to disseminate cyber-enabled PD in science education K-12, including a central focus on academically productive talk.