Overview

SERP, in partnership with Harvard University, is hosting a two-day conference on the topic of academically productive talk (APT) in the classroom.

There is growing consensus among researchers regarding the instrumental role of student talk in learning. But evidence suggests that discussion as a pedagogical strategy has not penetrated very deeply into practice. And despite the growing consensus regarding its importance, the nuances regarding the particular kind of talk necessary to promote engagement and learning in different contexts have not yet been clearly articulated. The conference will bring together both accomplished researchers and junior scholars who focus on APT in different content areas and at different grade levels, and whose interests span issues of pre-service and in-service professional learning, curriculum, and measurement.

Conference goals include:

1. clarifying the agreed-upon features and affordances of APT, and the extent to which they are varying across content areas and grade spans;
2. clarifying the contexts and purposes for which APT is most and least valuable;
3. identifying the critical issues about which there is little knowledge or agreement; and
4. proposing next steps to strengthen the research knowledge base and narrow the research-practice gap.

The conference PIs, Suzanne Donovan (SERP) and Catherine Snow (Harvard), hope to stimulate thinking about future work and inspire new collaborations among participants.

This conference is funded by the Spencer Foundation. Click here for more information about the specific grant program.