Academic conversations motivate students and foster engagement. In this course, teachers in diverse settings will build on students' strengths through paired academic conversations. English language learners especially benefit from this approach because they learn to use language as a tool to share ideas, defend opinions, and make connections with others. Participants will investigate five core communication skills in the elementary content classroom: paraphrase, elaborate, support ideas with examples, build on and/or challenge ideas, and synthesize conversation points. The course highlights recent examples of academic conversation practices, through recent classroom video footage. It also provides practical activities for working on each conversation skill and ideas for using conversations to teach and assess content.
Ann Feldman Director of Professional Learning Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL) 2 Canton Street Stoughton, MA 02072 Tel: (617) 820-5099 Email: afeldman@matsol.org
Last Updated: March 6, 2024
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.