Focusing on Purpose and Meaningful

Work

Douglas Fisher

www.fisherandfrey.com

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

“You do it together”

Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone”

A Structure for Instruction that Works

In some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson “I do it”

Independent

“You do it alone”

In some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Independent

“You do it alone”

And in some classrooms …TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

Independent“You do it alone”

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

“You do it together”

Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone”

A Structure for Instruction that Works

Quality Indicators for Linking Purpose to

Outcomes

The established purpose

focuses on student learning,

rather than an activity,

assignment, or task.

The established purpose contains both

content and language

components.

Students understand the

relevance of the established

purpose.

…making connections between the subject and its application outside

of the classroom walls.

Relevance requires…

What is a language purpose?

• An analysis of the language demands of the task

• An understanding of the way students demonstrate their thinking through spoken or written language

Three Types of Language Purposes

• Vocabulary: (specialized, technical)

• Structure: (the way the vocabulary is used in sentences to express ideas)

• Function: (the intended use of those ideas)

These language purposes build upon one another over a series of lessons.

Vocabulary

• Specialized– Words whose meaning changes depending on the

context (problem, simplify, value)– Multiple meaning words (run, place)

These can be “brick” or “mortar” words

• Technical– Words that represent one concept only

(denominator, photosynthesis)

These are the “bricks” of language

Language Structure

• Grammar/syntax: rules for language use (e.g., plurals, noun/verb agreement)

• Signal words: guideposts to support understanding of listener/reader (e.g., If/then, first, last, compared to)

• Frames and templates: scaffolds for apprentice language users (“On the one hand, ________. But on the other hand, _______.”)

Language Function

• Halliday identified 7 language functions (Instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, imaginative, heuristic, representational)– These are translated into classroom interactions

(express an opinion, summarize, persuade, question, entertain, inform, sequence, disagree, debate, evaluate, justify)

The “big a-ha”

The same content objective can have many different language purposes!

CO: Identify the phases of the moon.LP #1: Name the phases of the moon. (vocabulary)LP #2: Use sequence words (first, next, last) to describe the phases of the moon. (structure)LP #3: Explain how the moon, earth, and sun move through the phases. (function)

Relevance requires…

…opportunities to learn about oneself

as a learner.

Relevance requires…

… learning for learning’s sake.

Students can

explain the established

purpose in their own

words.

Physical properties: Characteristics or properties that can be observed without changing the identify of the substance are called physical properties.

Shape Electricity conductivity Color Magnetism Volume Mass Buoyancy

Classify objects (e.g., rocks, plants, leaves) in accordance with appropriate criteria.

How would you want your students to respond to the

question:

What are you learning from this lesson?

The teacher designs

meaningful experiences and

outcomes aligned with the established purpose.

Quality Indicator #1

Complexity of Task: The task is a

novel application of a grade-level appropriate concept and is designed so that the outcome is not

guaranteed (a chance for productive failure exists).

Quality Indicator #2Joint attention to tasks or materials

Students are interacting with one another to build each other’s knowledge. Outward

indicators include body language and

movement associated with meaningful

conversations, and shared visual gaze on materials.

Quality Indicator #3Argumentation not arguing:

Student use accountable talk to persuade, provide evidence, ask

questions of one another, and disagree

without being disagreeable.

Quality Indicator #4

Language support: Written, verbal, teacher, and peer supports

are available to boost academic language usage.

Quality Indicator #5

Grouping: Small groups of 2-5 students are purposefully constructed to maximize individual strengths without magnifying areas of

needs (heterogeneous grouping).

Quality Indicator #6

Teacher role: What is the teacher

doing while productive group work is

occurring?

The teacher has a plan for

determining when the established purpose

has been met.

Purpose = ExpectationsPurpose = Expectations

Taking it Back

Discuss with your elbow partner how you will infuse this discussion on PURPOSE with your current work.