Asking Big Questions:

1. Asking Big Questions: Using Rich Mentor Texts to Communicate about Social Justice Presented by Vera C Teschow

2. Objectives • To provide a safe and engaging forum for exploring ideas, questions and concerns about social justice work • To share a variety of relevant literacy resources for use in the classroom • To offer the opportunity to co-create some questions to use with classroom materials And… to summarize 3 days of CONTACT! 

3. Don’t Worry… You are in good hands!!!

6. “Give Me 5!”

7. “Shoe and Tell”

8. Before anything else…

9. Agenda Minds On: • Welcome & Introductions, Objectives • Shoe and tell • Purpose & Definitions:  Communication, Big Questions, Rich Mentor Texts, Social Justice • Who’s in the Room? • Approaches to Social Justice template • A Few Tales from Ms. Teschow’s Classroom: • How I Discovered “Grand Conversations” • Mr Lincoln’s Way and the N-word • Letters to Ms. Teschow Action: • “Say Something” – Grand Conversations Monograph • Encounter book - questioning handouts; develop rich questions and/or anticipation guide to use with this or another favourite book Consolidate/Debrief: • “One stay the rest stray”, come back and share • Snowball • The Last Word (from a former student)

10. Defining the Topics Communication Big Questions Rich Mentor Texts Social Justice • What do they mean? • How do they fit into YOUR teaching context? • Which ones are you a little unsure about? Turn and talk…

11. Communication: Top of Page 4 of your Handout (Can we adopt these here for this session, too?) “Most of us teachers seem to want to believe that if we have a ‘golden gut’ and a ‘heart for the kids’ that they will collaborate skilfully (and magically) with each other in small groups. Oh so wrong…” (Daniels, 2006)

12. Positioning yourself within the Social Framework Who’s in the room?

13. Consider each of the following for yourself… • age • ancestry • citizenship/nationality • colour • creed/faith/religion (or not) • (dis)ability • ethnicity/culture/linguistic origin • family status • gender/sex • gender identity • marital status • place of origin • race • sexual orientation • socio-economic status • same-sex partnership status

14. Now Look Around the Room… • age • ancestry • citizenship/nationality • colour • creed/faith/religion (or not) • (dis)ability • ethnicity/culture/linguistic origin • family status • gender identity • sex • gender identity • marital status • place of origin • race • sexual orientation • socio-economic status • same-sex partnership status Where do YOU fit in?Majority? Minority? Both? Now, consider the students you teach.

15. Teacher Bias… Be Aware! • 2013: A study commissioned by the UK Department for Education, found that staff allow “bias” and “personal feelings” to influence their marking http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9782323/Teacher-bias-gives-better-marks-to-favourite-pupils-research-reveals.html • How do YOU react in your gut when you: • See a group of boys in the hall at lunch? Girls? Students from a particular cultural or ethnic group? • Read through the names on your class list atthe beginning of the year? • Have a student in your class who is the brother or sister of a “notorious” family in the community?

16. Karen Hume What’s YOUR Motive for Teaching Social Justice?

17. What’s YOUR Motive for Teaching Social Justice? First they came for the Jewsand I did not speak outbecause I was not a Jew.Then they came for the Communistsand I did not speak outbecause I was not a Communist.Then they came for the trade unionistsand I did not speak outbecause I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for meand there was no one leftto speak out for me. Niemöller 1946? blacks Women LGBTQ Muslims

18. Cultural Proficiency • “selfish” motivation • moral compass/”the right thing to do” • curriculum says I have to • preparing our students to be able to successfully navigate a GLOBAL economy • other motivating factors?

19. “Approaches to Social Justice”template activity

20. Answer Key… • On your table (11 x 17) • Work out of the TDSB • Where are you/your school now? Where do you want to be? (And how can you get there?)

21. A Few Tales from Ms. Teschow’s Classroom Grade 3, 2012/2013, Mississauga, Ontario

22. Rich Mentor Texts (page 5 of handout)

23. Julia, Karen, Sexism and the Talking Stick

24. High Challenge/Low Threat “[Students] are more eager to cooperate when they feel comfortable in their classroom and connected to their teacher and classmates. They are willing to take risks as learners when they feel safe in their learning environment”. (Charney, 1993)

25. From September to June… Big Ideas, or Themes, posted with each cover

26. Class Norms; Training Big Ideas, or Themes, posted with each cover

28. Practising – “Inside/Outside Circles” (Partner Talk) (paraphrase!) Quiz-Quiz-Trade

29. And then, suddenly, they could talk!!! Racism Classism Sexism… (Caution: “Messy” Teaching!)

30. Disagreeing Agreeably, or, “Lin Hau pays Attention”!

31. Letters to Ms. Teschow Person “F”

32. A Job for Person “D”… Please tidy up and return my letters!  (Thanks.)

33. Enough Yakking from Me! Your turn…

34. "Say Something" -“Grand Conversations” Monograph - With a partner at your table

35. Say Something • Choose a partner (A-B, C-D, E-F?) • Read silently to the first stopping point • When each partner is ready, stop and “Say Something” * * a key point, or personal connection, a question, a brief summary, an interesting idea • Continue the process until you have completed the selection Modified from Groups at Work Laura Lipton and Bruce Wellman – MiraViaLLC

36. Rich Questioning “Because student talk will not necessarily lead to building meaning, strategic prompts that turn the thinking back to the group are pivotal in assuring that meaning is being built.” (Beck & McKeown, 2001)

37. Some Questioning Frameworks media (Please refer to pages 7-10 of your handout) http://www.youtube.com/embed/V_gOZDWQj3Q?rel=0

39. What colour is the flautist’s hat? Why might they be having a party?

41. What colour is the man’s hat? Is the man’s hat red, or blue? Is the man’shat red?

42. Share your favourite book… …or have a look at the ones on your table. What are some of the “Big Ideas” represented in these books? What grade levels might these books be appropriate for? Why do you think so?

43. What could you do… Before you read the book? While reading the book? After reading? (eg.s on next slide…)

44. For Example…

45. With your Table Group… Develop rich questions and/or anticipation guide to use with one of the books on your table. (10 mins) • A “Mentor Text” needn’t be a picture book. It could be a set of stats and numbers… http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/immigrate05-09.pdf Remember to Consider… • What cross-curricular themes can you connect to? • How can you address some of the “higher” approaches to Social Justice (from template)? • Grand Conversations monographs: What work will you need to do with your class to prepare them for this sort of dialogue?

46. Consolidate/Reflect Debrief & Summary

47. Let’s Share our Work! “One (C) stay the rest stray”, come back & share w your group –> 4 + 4 mins

48. The Second-Last Word… With respect to being a "White Woman" saying the word in your class to teach... ask yourself...if not you, who else? Those are YOUR kids...They are in YOUR care...You are the one that cares enough to educate them BEYOND THE MINIMUM... YOU -- with all that you are...and all that you are not.

49. “Snowball” Fight Think back over your three days at CONTACT… “The more things change…” On the white paper provided, write your ONE word or phrase to summarize your experiences, then crumple it up and stand in a circle around the perimeter of the room.

50. Thank you for your participation! Have fun teaching… Safe travels home… Prizes!!! (Lois) www.verateschow.ca   vera.teschow@utoronto.ca