Integrate into practice Instructional Moves – high-leverage teaching strategies – that foster productive student-centered classroom discussions
Develop a deeper understanding of available research on the topic of classroom-oriented discussions and how this research can inform and refine teaching practices
Learn to challenge existing assumptions around classroom discussions, especially the role of the teacher
Reflect on ways to identify Instructional Moves around equity that encourage students from all backgrounds to find their voices and more fully shape the direction of group discussions
Learn how to leverage small group discussions
Engagement. Equity. Purpose. Good classroom discussions at any level of education consider all of these elements - and more. Effective facilitators guide discussions, position students’ thinking at the center of the conversation, and find creative ways to incorporate more student voices into the mix.
A growing body of research demonstrates the importance of student-centered discussions in classrooms. Nevertheless, facilitating such discussions is easier said than done. Ensuring classroom exchanges that consistently achieve inclusivity and engage students poses many challenges, particularly for early-stage professors, graduate students, and K-12 practitioners.
Instructional Moves: Making Classroom Discussions More Inclusive and Effective builds on the resources delivered by Instructional Moves, an HGSE project that promotes high-leverage teaching strategies. Featuring video examples of instruction by Harvard faculty, the course offers instructors a roadmap for strengthening classroom discussions, new insights that can help them match teaching strategies – or “moves” – to specific discussion scenarios, and opportunities to learn from Instructional Moves experts and fellow course participants.
