New college and career ready standards emphasize the importance of speaking, listening, and conversing not only as a means for learning, but also as a valuable goal of learning. Based on the research of Understanding Language, at Stanford University, this course supports educators to prepare students, and particularly language learners, to have in-depth conversations about more complex curriculum concepts and topics.

The course features expert insights, classroom examples, interactive exercises, and a culminating final project. In this course, instructors will learn how to:

• Assess student-to-student conversations
• Craft effective prompts and create conversational opportunities within a lesson
• Model and build activities for cultivating constructive classroom conversations
• Provide productive feedback to students and make instructional changes to strength conversations

Who Should Enroll:

Classroom teachers and instructional coaches from grades K to 12 in all subject areas are welcome. We also encourage participants to take this course together with their colleagues. We look forward to working with you this fall!